And when he thought about it, he wept

 

 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came.  And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth."  But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying."  And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.  And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them."  But he denied it again.  And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, "Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it."  Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!"  A second time the rooster crowed.  Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  And when he thought about it, he wept.

 

- Mark 14:66–72 

 

Yesterday we read that they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.  But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.  And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.  Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.  Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"  But not even then did their testimony agree.  And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But He kept silent and answered nothing.  Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"  Jesus said, "I am.  And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?"  And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.  Then some began to spit on Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!"  And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.   

 Now as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came.  And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth."  But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying."  And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them."  But he denied it again. We can't read this passage without refreshing our memories of the events earlier in the night, when Peter swore to Jesus at the Last Supper, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus then told Peter, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  Peter then spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  (See Friday's reading.)  My study Bible comments regarding the events in today's passage that a girl being the first to test Peter is an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  Our fallen state, it says, is overcome in Christ when women are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  

And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, "Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it."  Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!"  A second time the rooster crowed.  Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  And when he thought about it, he wept.   As Mark reports it, the second time the rooster crowed, Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him.  In Luke's report of this event, it's not the rooster's second crow that makes Peter recall Jesus' word to him, but a gaze from the Lord Himself (Luke 22:61-62).  Either way, Peter wept at the realization.  My study Bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan who comments that "through tears, what cannot be defended can be purged, for tears wash away the offense which is shameful to confess out loud."

St. Ambrose comments on the cleansing nature of tears.  This is an important understanding in the traditions of the Church.  The Orthodox tradition of using prayer ropes evolved out of the practice of the desert monastics, in which knots are made for use as "beads" of prayer.  In such practice, there is almost always a tassel at the end of the rope (see this image, for example).  It is said that this tassel is for wiping away the tears that come from true repentance.  There is possible no greater nor more powerful image for such cleansing tears as the one of St. Peter in today's reading.  In so many ways, Peter has set the example of discipleship for us, both in his failings and in his greatness as de facto spokesman for the Twelve.  In today's reading, the comment from St. Ambrose reminds us, we are taught by Peter's example, that "through tears, what cannot be defended can be purged, for tears wash away the offense which is shameful to confess out loud."  While people might often speak disparagingly of those who are able to produce false tears at the drop of a hat, historically it is understood that it is in tears that the soul truly reveals itself.  We cry not only for repentance about those things of which we are ashamed, but also for other things which we cannot change -- and still, the tears remain signs of truthfulness, and also repentance of a different sort.  That is, tears are also signs of the sorrow that comes from mourning.  Tears might easily accompany a confession of childhood abuse or trauma; in the sense of which we speak today, these would not be tears of self-pity nor even tears of suffering, but tears that accompany the recognition of a truth one does not like to admit to oneself.  This still fits in the important category of repentance and confession, for it isn't until we can reveal the painful truths at the bottom of behavior patterns we'd like to heal that we can begin to have the "change of mind" we seek in Christ (for "change of mind" is the true meaning of the Greek word for repentance).  In modern times we seem to have waylaid our understanding of the significance of tears in this light, but that would seem to me a grave mistake.  Possibly it is because we are saturated with images on social and other media where, for decades now, we can see nothing but acting or playing a role.  But the significance of the tears that memories can produce in our own lives should not be thrown away easily or lightly, for a great deal depends upon the reality that is truly revealed in such tears.   In those tears, the soul reveals true feelings about past events, the trauma of things we've kept hidden from ourselves, the shame of those experiences we don't want to look at.  But the healing even from things that are not our fault is necessary in the process of transformation and repentance ("change of mind") that we will find in our journey with Christ, for it is from such painful experiences that false behaviors grow, and that depend upon the lies we tell to ourselves.  The only true way to heal is through the faith that Christ offers us, and the transformation process of the Cross to find the better way in which we are guided to live our lives, for of such character is true confession made, even in the lives of the saints.  Our toughest and most shameful experiences belong with Christ, for it is His way we seek out of them and through them.  This is part of the process of forgiveness, in which we seek God's way to respond even to people who have harmed us.  Just as tears reveal St. Peter's coming to terms with the truth of his own failure and reconciliation to Christ in the truth that Christ revealed to him, so tears also reconcile us to the truth of things we'd rather pretend were not there in any circumstance.  Each comes out of necessary confession and revelation of a truth we need to face, and each comes to wash away falsehood before Christ, and to help to reconcile us to Christ.  For it is only Christ who can help us to properly address our flaws and weaknesses, and the hard experiences that have given us our vulnerabilities.  It is Christ and the saints, and the angels who seek to help us through life, upon whom we must seek our way through pain and difficulty, lest we fall victim to false ways in which to cope or create the illusion of invulnerability or pride.  Let us come to terms with the power of tears and of confession, in which our soul is revealed to us before God, in the loving hands and heart of Christ.  In this way, like Peter, our tears can wash away what can't be defended so that we return to Him with empty hands, for only He can properly fill them for us.

 

 

 

I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven

 

 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.  But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.  And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.  Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.  Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"  But not even then did their testimony agree.  And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But He kept silent and answered nothing.  Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"  Jesus said, "I am.  And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?"  And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.  Then some began to spit on Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!"  And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands. 

 

- Mark 14:53–65 

 

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

 

  And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.  But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.  And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.  Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.  Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"  But not even then did their testimony agree.  And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But He kept silent and answered nothing.   It is a rigged game, a kangaroo court of sorts, in which Jesus finds Himself at this night trial.  They violate all the laws they are sworn to uphold, the very fabric of their positions as religious leaders they violate themselves.  Instead there are many who bear false witness against Jesus, made all the more obvious as their testimonies did not agree.  Just as He will do later on with Pilate, Jesus kept silent (Mark 15:1-5).  

Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"  Jesus said, "I am.  And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?"  And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.  Then some began to spit on Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!"  And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.  Jesus answers to the high priest in the affirmative, saying, "I am."  In Greek, this statement is ego eimi/ἐγώ εἰμι.  This is the divine name of God, the first words of the divine Name for God given to Moses in Exodus 3:14, as written in the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament Scriptures, produced in the 3rd century BC.   (In fact, when Jesus quotes from the Scriptures, the quotes are from the Septuagint.)   Christ's use of the Name indicates a theophany, which means a revelation of God by God.  The use of this Name by a mere man was considered blasphemy, my study Bible explains, and was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16; see John 8:58).  But, because Jesus is fully God, His use of the name cannot be blasphemy.  Instead, it reveals His unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible also adds that it is only in Mark's account that Jesus' answer is so direct.  To sit at the right hand of the Power means to share authority with the Father.   As we can see by his outraged response, and the subsequent abusive actions of the council and the officers, this statement is clearly understood by the high priest to be a claim of equality with God.  

Why does Jesus answer nothing when He's being accused by false witnesses?   We can imagine that it is simply not worthy of Him to reply to the lies of those who would do such a thing in the first place.  And it becomes clear that all their testimonies simply contradict one another, and so reflect and reveal the lies.  He does not even respond to the high priest when he asks Him, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"   But when the high priest asks Him directly, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"  Jesus chooses to respond fully and clearly, "I am.  And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."   Let's make note that this is also a prophecy, because it is a foretelling to the high priest about the end times, and the time of Christ's Second Coming, when all will see at the Judgment what Christ reveals here.  In that context, first of all, we can presume that Christ speaks yet again as a sort of a final warning for the high priest to consider what he does.  He is putting the Lord of lords on trial, the One who will be the ultimate Judge he is judging falsely, and the high priest will no doubt understand what that indicates for him.  The various false witnesses, no doubt procured and paid for, are not in the position of the high priest; they are not religious experts, they are not in high positions, they are no doubt marginal people who will say and do anything for money.  But the high priest occupies an office of power and the highest honor in the religious establishment, and presides over the most educated religious body of the society; he speaks for the Council.  There can be no misunderstanding here, either of what Jesus is saying or of what a false judgment portends if Jesus is truly who He says He is.  In this context, the response of the high priest becomes more shocking, and with that we include the actions of members of the Council (as Mark reports these events) as well as the officers.  As with Jesus' arrest by paid mercenaries, which also included Romans, everything goes from bad to worse.  It is a noteworthy description of times of evil, in which actions that take place become shocking in their unexpected extremism; that is, things take place which one could not anticipate for their unthinkable nature.  It is a true testimony to the fact that our Lord has experienced all the things that we do in this world.  Even our most humiliating and shameful experiences, the unexpected baseness of evil acts, is now an experience of our Creator.  One may well wonder why this is so, but I would propose that there are a number of reasons we can consider, and likely many more that I am not aware of.  First of all, there is the experience of the Creator out of great love for us, to share our lives, and in particular the very worst of our lives.  From now and throughout history, we can be assured that we have a Savior, both human and divine, who knows our every pain and torture and torment in life.  He knows what it is to be humiliated and debased as a human being, treated with contempt.  Secondly, not only has God chosen to experience even the worst of what we experience, but in and of itself, this life of Christ tells us how much we are loved.  For the one and only reason God would share our pain is out of sheer love for us.  We can look at His suffering, and it must tell us how truly we are loved, even when we feel unloved or there is no love to be found among friends and others whom we know.  In addition, there is a reason why the most innocent among us suffers, why even divinity suffers, and it makes a difference to the reality of the entire cosmos.  Just as Jesus proclaims to the high priest that he will see Christ sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven, so it is understood that this Man so ill-treated and convicted unjustly is the ultimate Judge, and there is no doubt that this is what Christ is proclaiming.  What it means is that the evil in the world will be absolutely judged, because the Judge is the ultimate Witness.  He is the Faithful and True Witness (Revelation 3:14).   It is Christ's testimony itself that will condemn the evil in the world, and the prince or ruler of this world responsible for such hatred of the good, the true, and the beautiful which is embodied in Christ.   This one Witness provides all that is needed to liberate us, even from the last enemy, death (1 Corinthians 15:20, 26).  Finally, through His suffering, Christ gives a meaning to our suffering, for He invites us in to join Him in His mission and work through the Church.  This mission involves struggle of which St. Paul has said, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  We may share in the work of holiness, which turns us also into witnesses, those who may give testimony in the deepest and truest struggle for the world and for the life of the world.  Let us turn to Him for He suffers for us and does not turn away.

 

 

I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled

 

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

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

 

- Mark 14:43–52 

 

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

 

  And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."  As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.  The phrase one of the twelve once again indicates (as in verse 20 of this chapter) the depth of betrayal involved here, that this was done by a friend and one of Christ's closest disciples.  The fact that a kiss is needed to signal the mob, my study Bible points out, is a commentary on those who comprised the mob!  The Jewish leaders and even the most common people would have recognized Jesus, as we have observed from the times of debate in the temple (see, for example, Mark 12:37).  It shows that these particular soldiers were mercenaries, dispatched by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders, a group with included Roman soldiers according to John's Gospel (John 18:3).    My study Bible notes that Orthodox Christians pray at every Liturgy for the strength not to kiss Jesus in betrayal as did Judas, but to be like the thief who confessed at the Cross (Luke 23:42).

 

And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  Then they all forsook Him and fled.  In John 18:10, we learn that it is Peter who has used the sword.   In Matthew 26:52-54, Jesus rebukes him for using the sword, as he still does not understand that Christ is going to His death willingly.  But here Jesus affirms that salvation for mankind, as indicated in the Scriptures, will be fulfilled through the Cross, and He goes to His death willingly.  It is at this point that they must give up ideas of defending and protecting Him from arrest, and they all forsook Him and fled.  That His death was foretold in the Scriptures, my study Bible says, served to strengthen the disciples at their hour of greatest test.

Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.  My study Bible explains that to flee naked is a great shame and humiliation (Ezekiel 16:39, Amos 2:16).  Some teach that this young man was James, the brother of the Lord (Galatians 1:19), while others say it is the apostle John, who was the youngest of the twelve.  But most others believe that this was Mark, the author of the Gospel, as it was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13, John 21:24).  Also, my study Bible adds, the other evangelists do not report this incident.  They would not have been inclined to humiliate Mark, but Mark would have been more likely to relate such an event concerning himself.  To my mind, it is a testimony to the humility of the disciples, and of Mark in particular.

Again, in today's reading (as in yesterday's, above), Jesus shows His great strength.  He has a most difficult, almost impossible, mission to complete.  It is a mission solely for the Son, for the Christ, as He indicates when He says, "But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  It's important to understand the notion of prophecy and the fulfillment of the Scriptures, as my study Bible indicated in a note on a passage in Thursday's reading.  In Mark 14:20-21, Jesus prophesies to the disciples the one who will betray Him is "one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish."  He then adds, "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."  In a note on this passage regarding prophecy, my study Bible states that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal doesn't take away Judas' moral freedom, nor does it take away his accountability.  For God, all things are a present reality:  God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them.  So it applies also in today's passage, when Jesus speaks of the fulfillment of the Scriptures.  It is in this context that we can almost hear Jesus marveling that they did not manage to take Him as He openly taught daily in the temple.  He asks, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?"  And as my study bible notes, clearly the people they've brought with them are mercenaries, and include Romans as well, for even the temple police were unable to arrest Him as they listened to Him preach.  They came back empty-handed, telling the chief priests and the Pharisees, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:45-46).  The added statement, that the Scriptures must be fulfilled, is a testimony to the vision of God, that although this event seemed so unlikely given Jesus' ministry, openness, and popularity among the people, God's vision is supreme.   The prophecy is written in Scripture because a future event is revealed in a divine way by God -- the event does not happen because it is in Scripture.  When Jesus makes this remark, we can only conclude that He is affirming God's supremacy and omniscience regarding the life of the Christ, such as God revealed to Isaiah who wrote of the Messiah as the Suffering Servant.  It's in some sense an affirmation that no matter how things look to us as human beings, we can trust to God's vision and word.  Moreover, it is an affirmation to His disciples that this is so, and that He goes voluntarily to His death, even after having prayed for God to take the cup of death from Him in yesterday's reading:  "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."  In all ways, we can rest assured, Jesus does not go to His death as One who seeks death, nor who simply wishes to emulate something because it has been written.  There are several times that Jesus flees persecution in the Gospels, and evades those who wish to kill Him, or travels even to Gentile areas to avoid the scrutinizing and increasingly hostile eyes of the leadership, especially after an open conflict with them.  Right to the end, Jesus prays that, if possible, God can make another way for the salvation plan of the world to be fulfilled.  He is here, now, in this circumstance because it is absolutely certain that this is the way that God the Father allows to happen, and He will acquiesce to that will simply because He is assured that this is the hour and the way the Father allows and wishes for Jesus to accept.  It is impossible for us to know the mind of God; it is only by revelation that this can happen, and even then what a person such as a prophet or saint is given is just a glimpse of that reality.  It isn't until Christ goes to the Cross that anyone could know how the Scriptures would be fulfilled, or what the complete picture of the plan for salvation would unfold, or what the life of the Messiah would be like.  It isn't until the Passion that we can understand what the notion of the Kingdom means, or that the Scriptures would be fulfilled in a way that the faith of human beings becomes an essential part of its fulfillment and the ongoing plan of God after the time of the Messiah.  It isn't until these events unfold that the Scriptures regarding Christ's divinity could be manifested and understood.  The signs of the Incarnation may fill the prophetic writings in the Old Testament, but the fulfillment of such could only be fully understood after the life of Christ in this world.  And so it is in today's reading:  the Scriptures must be fulfilled, even if the leaders have gone so far as to hire mercenaries to bring Him in, including Roman soldiers (in other words, paid Gentiles), to do it.  It is, if we but take a closer look, a testimony to the shocking and surprising depth to which evil will go; but nonetheless despite the depravity -- which includes Judas, one of the Twelve, betraying Him with a kiss -- even this evil was foreseen by God and becomes part of a plan through which the salvation of the world will be achieved.  These are complex paradoxical concepts, but they are nevertheless testimony to the nature of God.  For human beings, paradox becomes the one way in which we can approach God whose ways are not our ways and whose thoughts are not our thoughts.  For despite the evil that continues in this world, we are assured that our faith in God is not misplaced, and that, as great saints of the Church have taught, with God infinitely more good can come of evil than the sum of the evil alone.  That, in a nutshell, characterizes the salvation of this world, and although seemingly paradoxical to our minds, we must understand that this is the way of God for us.  God does not come into the world as a "conquering hero" and fixes everything, eradicating all evil permanently so that we can live in a kind of perfect peace and prosperity and infinite health.  Instead, we human beings are invited to the Cross, to take up our own crosses, and to participate in this struggle with the Son, who is the suffering Messiah.  It is paradox that invites us into the ways of God, into faith and prayer, and to participation in the life of Christ who loves us and asks us to follow Him.  The risen Christ stands at the door and knocks and desires for us to invite Him into our hearts, where He will dwell to show us all things to do so (Revelation 3:20).

 

 

 

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation

 

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

'I will strike the Shepherd,

And the sheep will be scattered.'

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

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

 

- Mark 14:27–42 

 

Yesterday we read that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  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 it and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And they all said likewise.  Jesus quotes from the prophecy of Zechariah 13:7.  Speaking also prophetically, He tells Peter that, despite Peter's vehement assurances to the contrary, "today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."

 

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch."  Gethsemane means "oil press."  It is an orchard of olive trees at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  My study Bible comments that Christ intentionally came to the place known to His betrayer Judas, one of His disciples (see John 18:2).  This shows that He was going to His Passion willingly and voluntarily.  It reveals Christ went to find Judas rather than Judas finding Christ.  Taken together in this context, we understand Christ is fully aware of this night as the beginning of His Passion, His way to betrayal and the Cross.  Hence He is troubled and deeply distressed, and His fully human identity is revealed in His words and His need for His closest disciples (Peter, James, and John), the ones of greatest faith.  There is no doubt that the sorrow in His soul is also connected to His concerns about His flock, what they will undergo, how they will respond, and how they will fare without Him in the flesh as their Protector and Leader.

He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."    Abba in Aramaic is the familiar form for Father, my study Bible says.  It is equivalent to "Papa," and indicates Christ's intimacy with God the Father.  This cup is a reference to Christ's impending death, my study Bible explains.  According to His divine nature, Jesus goes to His death.  But as a man, He wishes He could avoid it -- for it is the mark of humanity to abhor death.   He prays to the Father, "Take this cup away from Me," showing His human nature; "nevertheless, not what I will but what You will."  He is without sin and completely subjects and unites His human will to the Father's divine will.  

 

Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.  And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.  Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  It is enough!  The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."  Jesus tells the disciples, "Watch and pray."  These are also the bywords He has given to all of us for the period in which we live, while we await His Second Coming (see this reading).   My study Bible calls this phrase the key to Christian spirituality and our struggle against temptation.  It says that by this, the Lord's human soul is strengthened, and He faces death with divine courage.  In contrast to the vigilance of Jesus, the disciples are sleeping.  Since body and soul are united, my study Bible says, the spirit is paralyzed by a lethargic body.  A willing spirit recognizes the weakness of the flesh, and struggles against its weakness, relying on God's presence and power.  

Jesus goes toward His death as a hero, in a heroic way.  This is not to say that He is a kind of conventional conquering hero -- one who slays His enemies in front of Him and dominates everybody.  On the contrary, He is prepared to go to His death on the Cross as a kind of victim.  That is, a victim of the plots of the religious leadership and their manipulation of the people, because He gets in the way of their power and positions.  But, on the other hand, a victim is not one with the power that Christ has, the miraculous powers witnessed throughout His ministry, or His compelling power to speak which subdued and daunted even the police in the temple who came to arrest Him (see John 7:45-46).  We also know of Jesus' testimony to the power of prayer (see Mark 11:23), and we certainly know the power of the Son to pray to the Father ("Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?" - Matthew 26:53).  No, this is not at all a victim, except to the eyes of those who know nothing about the Christ and His identity as Son and the compelling nature of His character, leadership, and popular ministry.  He only looks like a victim to the eyes of those for whom strictly material appearances have meaning without depth of any kind.  Christ faces death for one reason only:  out of loyalty to the Father's will, and because He knows that this is the way to defeat death for human beings, the final enemy, and to destroy the "prince of this world" who holds human beings in a kind of slavery.  That is the power of the Cross, and there is so much more that His Passion, death, and Resurrection holds for us.  This is the ultimate power of God to transfigure and transform life for human beings, and the one way to salvation.  Because the one thing that God will not do is to compel us to love God.  Our choices are still our own.  Coercion will not save anybody; only repentance can work in the heart.  It is the devil who enslaves and compels and manipulates, not our loving God.  So Jesus goes to the Cross as a hero who faces sacrifice for the sake of all:  in yesterday's reading (above) Jesus says, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many" (for many is an Aramaic expression meaning "for all").  He tells His disciples to "Watch and pray" and so we should remember these words in Gethsemane.  For Jesus' earthly and human soul is in anguish, but nevertheless He subjects His human will to the divine.  He gives us a model of love.  This is the love of a man who walks into battle against the odds because it is the one way others have a chance of being saved, or of a mother who endures all manner  of hardship to care for her children.  It is not the way that sees only prosperity as the reward for good behavior or a simplistic and materialistic sense of the good life to which all are entitled.  This is the heroism of those who understand that we don't live in a perfect world, and there are times when we need to stand up to a crowd, or be humiliated for the sake of those whom we love, or even to take one on the chin for the team.  Life is not just a set of simplistic material values but involves a deeper sense of honor and ultimately of love that is the real treasure without which our souls seem empty.  Christ's heroism is the heroism of the One who cares for us and seeks to nurture and protect us, even to the point of dying for us.  And we watch His example and honor Him by taking His word to heart:  we must watch and pray with Him, even as He goes to His betrayal.  As human beings, we know His agony and we know His torment, the human loathing and terror of death and the terrible anticipation of extreme suffering.  We also will face betrayal in life, and friends who stumble, and who sleep when we need them, and we know the struggle against the weakness of flesh.  Let us watch and pray with Him, for our Lord has descended into this world to face suffering and death with us, to liberate us through His love and compassion and sacrifice for us, and He leaves us with the gift of His word.

 

 

Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it

 

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  

 

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  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 it and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

- Mark 14:12–26 

 

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

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"   And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.   These two disciples are Peter and John (Luke 22:8).  My study Bible notes that the synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke) date the Crucifixion to the first day of Passover, while John puts it on this day, the Preparation Day (the day before Passover), on which they killed the Passover lamb (John 19:14).  Therefore in the synoptic tradition, the Last Supper is the Passover meal, while in John's Gospel, Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29), dies at the exact time the Passover lambs are being slain in the temple.  It's impossible to determine which is historically accurate, but both are theologically accurate.  The Mystical Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal (in the synoptic Gospels), and Christ's death is the fulfillment of the Passover lambs being slain (John's Gospel).

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?"  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."  Jesus emphasizes both that His betrayer is one of the twelve and also that he is one who dips with Me in the dish.  My study Bible remarks that this is not so much to identify the person as an emphasis on the level of betrayal involved here -- that this was one of His closest friends (Psalm 55:13-15).

 

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

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it 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."  To give thanks has at its root the Greek word eucharist.  This word immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  My study Bible reminds us that the Didache -- written before the end of the first century -- refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  In 150 AD, St. Justin said of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  Christ says, "This is My body," which the Orthodox Church has always accepted as true, "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus" (St. Justin).

 

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  My study Bible tells us that this hymn is a psalm from a group of psalms traditionally sung after the Passover meal (Psalms 113-118).

As Christ is surely on His way to His Crucifixion, He extends the final great gift to His flock, and to the Church.  He gives us the gift of the Eucharist.  Surely I am not going to be the most eloquent writer among all those, sainted and not, who have written and taught us about the significance of the Eucharist and all that it gives us -- nor among those to come.  But today it strikes me that this final parting gift (in addition, of course, to His Passion to come) is something we must never underestimate in its lasting impact and gifts to us.  We must understand the Eucharist as much more than simply a memorial or a way of remembering Christ and His Passion.  We must understand it as the first Christians understood it and as instituted right from the beginning in the Church.  It is inseparable from mystery in the fullest theological sense and in the context of the Church itself and its varied Mysteries.  A mystery in this sense is a kind of a door to the mystical Kingdom of Christ.  Here, His literal reference to His Body and Blood is also inseparable, it seems to me, from what it means to be part of the fullness of the Body of Christ, the entire mystical Church, and to be united within that communion, which is also the communion of saints.  To take the Eucharist is a way of affirming that we enter into participation in Christ's Body as fully as possible -- and the fullness of this is an ongoing mystery.  It is something into which we enter as a lifelong process of faith and its work within us.  And let us not forget that through Christ, we are also in the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit, for where One is, there is also the Trinity.  In short, in the Eucharist, Christ is offering us the gift of Himself, even as He goes to His Cross and His physical death as a human being.  In the Eucharist, He makes it explicitly clear this it is the very icon of His Incarnation, and as my study Bible indicates, His words, "This is My body" and "This is My blood" were from the beginning understood as solemnly true.  We may not understand at all how this happens, but it was from the beginning accepted as simply a mystery that could not be explained in worldly terms.  For the Orthodox Church, it has always remained so, and scholastic explanations were never a part of doctrine.   Whatever we understand about the Eucharist and its deep and enduring mystery, we understand that we are invited into Christ's Incarnational life, and that the Eucharist gives us Christ Himself, both fully human and fully God.  In our taking of the Eucharist, one way it is understood is as medicine.  Just as God became human in order to heal our brokenness, so the Eucharist is a kind of medicine for what ails us; we seek a deeper union with God in all ways possible:  through prayer, through worship, through the practices of the Church available to us, and through the Church's Mysteries.  In it, Christ offers His fullness for our own lives and we must consider, in my perspective, the fullness of the varieties of levels -- both known and unknown -- on which this might be at work within us.  What do we need help with?  Do we have a spiritual problem?  Do we have an emotional problem?  Do we have problems with relationships?  Do we need help finding God's way forward for us?  All of these and more questions are addressed and may be answered in the giving of this gift for which we give thanks, identically as we give thanks for the gift of His life, the Incarnation itself.  Let us not underestimate the extent of the gift with which He leaves us -- for the value of the gift is determined by the Giver, Whose sight is infinite and Whose horizon is so inexpressibly far from our own.  These immeasurable measurements also extend to the depths of who we are which only God knows, and to the full trajectory of our lives of which God only knows the fullness.  Let us be truly thankful for the gift whose value is so far beyond our capacity to calculate for ourselves.

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

 

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

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

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

 

- Mark 14:1-11 

 

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

 

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."   My study Bible comments that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan (on the Jewish calendar, and it lasts seven days (Exodus 12:12-20).  Together, both the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread commemorate the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt.  The word "Passover" refers to the angels of death 'passing over' Hebrew homes when killing the firstborn of the Egyptians, for the Jews had put lamb's blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:13).  (Let us keep in mind that this refers to those faithful to the God of Israel, not to divisions by ethnic or racial groups.)   Unleavened bread is a reminder of the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt (Exodus 12:39).  My study Bible reminds us that this Passover was fulfilled in Christ, whose blood was shed to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Simon the leper must have been a man who had been healed earlier by Jesus, as lepers were forbidden to live in towns.  He was clearly known to the early Christian community.

 

Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial."   My study Bible comments that Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith.  Most especially, He accepts it as a sign of His coming burial.  Nonetheless, St. John Chrysostom comments on the similar event described in Matthew 26:6-13 that the disciples were not wrong in principle:  mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40, James 1:27).  However, they didn't understand that once the gift was given, it was a greater mercy to accept it with love.  St. Chrysostom writes, "If anyone had asked Christ before the woman did this, He would not have approved it.  But after she had done it, He looks only to the gift itself.  For after the fragrant oil had been poured, what good was a rebuke?  Likewise, if you should see anyone providing a sacred vessel or ornament for the walls of the church, do not spoil his zeal.  But if beforehand he asks about it, command him to give instead to the poor."

"Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   Because of her fervent faith, my study Bible explains, Jesus promises perpetual public memory of this woman.  It's also noted that there is no consensus among the patristic writers as to her identity in relation to the accounts of similar events in Matthew 26:6-13, Luke 7:36-38, and John 12:1-8.  Some say that there were three different women in these four accounts, and others that there were only two.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.   My study Bible comments that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  It notes that his motives have been debated, but the patristic writers and also liturgical hymns of the Church express that greed was his underlying motive.  In John 12:4-6, it's made clear that Judas was particularly upset about the "waste" of the myrrh in the preceding story of the woman who anointed Christ, because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).   On Wednesday of Holy Week, the betrayal by Judas is remembered in the Church.  Many of the Orthodox liturgical hymns contrast his greed with the woman's generous anointing of Christ.  My study Bible also notes that it's a tradition dating to the first century (see the Didache)  that Christians fast on most Wednesdays of the year in remembrance of the ways in which we, like Judas, betray our Savior through our sinfulness.  

I'm always struck by the expression of love and gratitude in the story of the anointing of Christ by this woman.  One thing that's noteworthy is that she doesn't speak.  Everything she conveys is expressed through her extravagant gesture of anointing with this expensive oil.  In the ancient world, perfumes were made in the form of oils or other types of fat.  The most expensive were made with a very precious olive oil that did not add a scent of its own.  Her mute expression of love for Christ seems to be the deepest sort of gratitude for a life in which she's been saved from her own history, and from the path that was not good for her.  In that sense, she is returning with gratitude the love she has experienced from God that has given her everything that is truly valuable in her life, and a kind of joy that can't be bought or found elsewhere.  In this sense, the extravagant gift of the perfumed oil is nothing compared to the immense and irreplaceable value she's been given by Christ.  And although she doesn't speak, Jesus speaks for her, showing us His supreme sympathy and understanding.  He does not chastise except to tell those who criticize to leave her alone.  He does not misunderstand her action.  And neither does He accept it with the kind of self-centeredness we might expect from anyone else.  But He understands that she is communicating an unselfish message of love and gratitude, and even mixed here is an anticipation of mourning when He will be gone:  She is anointing Him for His burial.  In a prayer that is said at the end of every liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, we pray to the Lord "Who blesses those who bless You and sanctifies those who put their trust in You."  (The Dismissal Prayer of the St. Chrysostom Liturgy, or The Prayer Behind the Ambon, can be found on this page of Prayers.) Here Jesus returns her blessing of anointing with His blessing -- which in the original Greek word used for blessing in the prayer, also means to "praise" (εὐλογέω).   This, in short, is a scene which teaches us about the deepest communion we have with God.  The intimacy shared between Christ and this woman is the one we have in prayer; her anointing is her gift of praise and worship.  And the God who is love returns her expression of love to show us what love is like in its truest form. 

Take heed, watch and pray

 

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

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

- Mark 13:28-37 

 

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

 

 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  Once again, the two events of the destruction of the temple at the Siege of Jerusalem and the tribulation through the entire period of history to follow seem to be mixed here.  My study Bible says that this generation refers to all believers at all times (i.e., it is the generation of the Church), and not simply those who were alive at the time of Christ.  His prophecy is that the Church will continue to thrive until His return, regardless of how desperate things might sometimes appear.

 

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"   Although Jesus declares that the Son does not know the day of His own return. my study Bible says that St. Chrysostom teaches that this is not to be understood literally, but rather as a figure of speech.  The meaning here is that Christ won't reveal the exact day to anyone, and that believers should not be so brazen as to ask it of Him.

 

 As my study Bible emphasizes in its comments, the real byword in Jesus' warnings about end times is His final word here:  "Watch!"  The command to "Take heed, watch and pray" gives us a picture of the condition in which He leaves us.  These are the things He tells us to do, the attitude He wants us to have in His absence, and until His return.  The warning in the parable of the fig tree is clear:  we're supposed to keep our eyes open for the unfolding of these events and the signs He's given that they are coming.  This clearly applies to the people to whom He's directly speaking, as the "abomination of desolation" or the defilement of the Holy of Holies in the temple was something they would understand.  But it also applies to us ("And what I say to you, I say to all"), as we're told of deceivers who come in His name, of "wars and rumors of wars," of natural disasters such as "earthquakes in various places," and "famines and troubles," and that these are but "the beginnings of sorrows" (see Saturday's reading).  He also prophesies persecutions, tribulation, and betrayal by even believers' closest family members.  We can think of worldwide catastrophic events in which all of these things are present, including the persecutions and betrayals of events in recent history such as revolutions and the rise to power of those who would persecute the Church on both far right and far left.  But what Jesus essentially teaches us is that it is our job not to put on rose-colored glasses but always to be aware of our surroundings and to note the events that we see happening.  We are not to live in denial of the reality and possibility of all of these things, but rather to watch for them and be alert to them.  He teaches us to "watch out for yourselves."  Moreover, Jesus also emphasizes our preparedness for the day of His return, also known as the Second Coming.  We're to remember what it is we are supposed to be about as servants and disciples who follow His commands.  He's the Master who leaves the house for a long journey, and expects those whom He's instructed to follow His commands while He's gone, and to find them watchful upon His return -- no matter what unexpected time that occurs.  Our whole attitude is supposed to be one of watchfulness, and to take heed, watch and pray.  This is an effort He asks of us, and one that asks for constant vigilance, not forgetting who we are and what we're to be about, and for Whom we await while we knowingly go about the business of discipleship.  We're to put energy and effort into keeping our Master's house in order the way He wants it to be, our lives working at the things that He's told us are important, caring for the way in which our household runs and the ways in which we treat one another according to His expressed desires.  This attitude of watchfulness extends to mindfulness in prayer and awareness of our surroundings and situations.  In short, He gives us a life plan, a concept for living in these times as He's leaving the world, and we are preparing for His return.  In Luke's Gospel, Christ characterizes the day of His return as one that "will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth" (Luke 21:35).  As He indicates, we each have our work we're given, and He doesn't want to find us sleeping on our watch.

 

Take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand

 

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

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

 

- Mark 13:14–27 

 

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

 

  "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.   We continue Jesus' discourse on end times from Saturday's reading.  Here in the middle of what is called a chiastic pattern to this prophecy.  That is, it has a kind of "X" pattern, in that the earliest statements are repeated in the last part and amplified in the second part, in a sort of reverse order of topics.  See also Saturday's reading, above, for the first half of this prophesy.  Here in this section, Jesus speaks quite distinctly about the terrible destruction that is to come in Jerusalem.   The abomination of desolation is a term known from the prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 11:31, 12:11) and was fulfilled in AD 70, when the Roman general Titus entered the Most Holy Place and had a statue of himself erected in the temple before having the temple destroyed (described in Daniel 9:27).  My study Bible says that the Lord's phrase when you see is an indication that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time.  The phrase parenthetically inserted by Mark, let the reader understand, is understood as an encouragement to the early Christians who may have witnessed this event.  The first warnings here denote the immediate terror of the sacking of the city and destruction of the temple.  My study Bible comments that the severity of winter weather would prevent many from fleeing quickly in a time of desperation.  His warnings enforce the need for quick and immediate flight.

"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand."   These warnings repeat the beginning of the discourse:  they are against false christs and false prophets, and they repeat the emphasis on resistance to the attempts by the evil one to deceive, as He has told them all things beforehand.

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."  In the Scriptures, the end times are described in a variety of ways, and done so that no precise chronology can be determined (in addition to this chapter in Mark, see Daniel 7-12; Luke 21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10, and the Book of Revelation).  Here there is a reference to Christ's own return.  His emphasis throughout the discourse is on watchfulness, endurance in faith, and the practice of virtue rather than on constructing timetables of things that have not yet happened.  My study Bible comments that the period of the great tribulation includes the entire Christian era and is not limited to the final years before Christ's return.   The return of the Son of Man will be unmistakable to the whole world.  If there is any doubt, that alone is evidence that He has not returned.  According to patristic interpretation, the sun will be darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  Just as at the Transfiguration the divine light around Christ appeared to be more brilliant than sunlight, so it will be at His return in the fullness of His splendor.  The four winds, and the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven symbolically encompass all of the cosmos, all of creation.

The destruction of the temple at Jerusalem had to be one of the most terrifying acts of history.  Not only was the unthinkable event of the destruction of the temple part of this experience in Jerusalem, but the subsequent fire swept through the whole city.  Of the temple itself, Christ's prophecy that "not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (see Saturday's reading, above) would be manifestly true.  Only one retaining wall was left standing of the entire splendid and beautiful temple, known as one of the architectural wonders of the world.   That is today known as the Western Wall, and long referred to as the Wailing Wall, as it is the tradition through the centuries  to pray and mourn this event at that site.  It seems a fitting understanding that in the prophecies of the end times the destruction of the temple (and the abomination of desolation) should be tied to the return of Christ, the Son of Man, and the ultimate end of creation as we know it.  Or, it seems to me, we could truly say the ultimate transfiguration of all that is, the entire created order.  In that sense, it is a misnomer to call it "end times," because it is the end of what we understand as the world and our experience of it, but it is the beginning of something renewed and transformed -- and this is really our promise from Christ and the full manifestation of His Kingdom.  In this sense, it has always been understood in the tradition of the Church that the period of the great tribulation (and of the end times in full) includes the entire Christian era and is not limited to the final years before Christ's return.  In the fullness of our received understanding of these things, it is not surprising that the terrible destruction of the temple (and the violation of the Holy of Holies -- the "abomination of desolation" in the phrase from the prophecy of Daniel) should be tied to the fullness of the end and the ultimate coming of Christ's Kingdom.  We see this entire period as a struggle, a "war in heaven" taking place on spiritual levels we don't physically see but which manifest themselves in the events of the world that we do experience with great trauma, not only to humankind, but to the entirety of the world (Revelation 12:7, 19:11).  They are the labor pains of a new creation being born, and the struggle for its fullness (see Revelation 12).  As followers of Christ, we are born into the middle of this struggle.  We stand at its center, and we are told to each take up our own crosses daily in that struggle.   But, to quote St. Paul, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  We might see manifestations in these things in our experiences and understanding of the world, but ultimately this is not a battle against people (flesh and blood, as St. Paul says) but is about about hearts and minds, because it is a battle of values.  In the spiritual terms in which Jesus preached, it is a battle against the hatred of truth -- that is the truth of Christ the Logos.  Therefore it must be fought in the spiritual way we are taught, through faith, and our own willingness to endure through all things, to bear our cross in the practice of virtue He teaches us.  One cannot fight nor win such a battle for spiritual truth through conventional means of coercion, just as even God -- by God's own creation -- cannot compel us to love God and embrace God's truth.  We have a different way to walk through this battleground, and it is His way, His truth, His life He has shown us (John 14:6).  Just as the end times are mixed with wars and tribulations, with the fullness of the time from Christ's final week of human life to the present time, so the ways in which we are asked to carry our cross and live our faith will be as varied as there are individual lives and faithful people.  But let us understand the one way is through faith and through the things we've been taught.  St. Paul teaches us to fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12), to "take up the whole armour of God" (see Ephesians 6:13-20).  Our battles will intersect with the events of our lives the world; there will be times to stand up to say "yes" to some things, and to say "no" to others, and we can't predict what that will entail.  But we are rooted in this good fight, and His way of endurance and watchfulness right through to the end.