What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

- John 6:27-40 

 

On Saturday, we read that, after the miraculous feeding of the multitude, when evening came, the disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  To understand this passage better, we might consider what it means that Jesus says God the Father has set His seal on Him.  A seal is an imprint; it was also a representation of an important person, something that conveyed more than image in a physical sense, but the presence and authority of that person.  In this case, it is the seal of God the Father, meaning that Christ acts for the Father, fully represents the Father to us in all ways (see John 14:9), and therefore gives this food which endures to everlasting life.  Christ speaks of labor, and therefore people as about the works of God they may do for this eternal food.  But to receive this food is something that comes from faith, from following Christ's word and participation in His life, and that faith is the union we seek to grow within all of our lives, for this is the true life of faith.   St. Augustine has a very interesting comment on this passage.  He first quotes from St. Paul:  "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4).  Then he remarks that therefore Christ "did not wish to separate faith from work, but he said that faith itself is a work. For this is the faith that works by love" (Tractates on the Gospel of John 25.12.1-2).

 

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."   Although these are the people who were fed in Christ's fourth sign given in John's Gospel (see Friday's reading), when it comes to Christ's teaching about faith, they demand another sign.  They refer to the manna in the desert, which they say was given by Moses.  But Jesus once again points not to Himself, but to the Father.  The manna in the desert was given by the Father, and now the Father is giving another gift of the true bread from heaven:  Christ Himself.  Jesus describes Himself as the bread of God, who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."  The people still seem to misunderstand Jesus, and it seems that they ask yet again for what they believe in some form of physical food or bread.   By asking to receive this bread always, they even seem to be confusing His earlier statement  about food that perishes and food that endures to everlasting life with a sense in which somehow they may receive this bread always.  But Jesus clarifies.  It is He who is this bread, and it is faith that is the "work" for this bread of life.  Even so, "he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

 

"But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  My study Bible has a note on Jesus' phrase My own will.  It explains that since Christ has two natures (that is, human and divine, which are indivisible and united in His Incarnation), He also has two wills; one divine and one human.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, held in Constantinople in AD 680-681, it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but rather "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and His omnipotent will."  But what we can read here for ourselves is Christ's repeated turning to His relationship with the Father.  Whatever Christ has or will have, whatever He does, all has been given to Him by the Father -- and this includes those who will come to Him in the future.  In fact, it is the Father's will that He should lose nothing that is given.  

In these last few verses, Jesus' words are very interesting.  He speaks of all that is given Him and will be given Him by the Father, and that of all this He should lose nothing.  Earlier, Jesus spoke of Himself as the bread of God, who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.  In these statements, it is not specified that the things which are given to Him by the Father are only human beings; nor is the "life of the world" specified to mean only for human beings.  In the Revelation, we're told of the vision of a "new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation 21:1).  There is similar language used in the vision of Isaiah, and also in a letter of St. Peter (Isaiah 65:17,Isaiah 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13).  With so much testimony (and prophecy), we must accept that in the spirit of the language Jesus uses here, He speaks of the renewal of the world and all that it contains, and that His mission as Son of Man, as the One who is sent by the Father, is crucial to the  renewal of all of life, this new heaven and new earth, whatever that entails and means.  The phrase "for the life of the world" uses not the word for the planet earth, but the word that means all of the created order, the whole universe and everything in it; that Greek word is κόσμος/kosmos.  But then Jesus does something very interesting, and speaks again of human beings, and it is again using the connection between faith and work, or perhaps, as in the comments of St. Augustine, faith as work.  Continuing from the connection to all that the Father has given Him, Jesus says, "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  This promise of everlasting life for human beings -- and we must infer, the new heaven and new earth -- is linked to the life of faith, and faith means so much more than simply an espousal of a particular belief system.  Faith means living out the life Christ offers by participation in all that He offers.  In the Greek, the word for faith is rooted in the word for trust.  To have faith in Christ is to put one's trust in Christ, and thereby to live by His teachings, to live the life He offers, to participate in that life through all the ways we're given to do so, including through worship and sacraments, of which the Eucharist is particularly and expressly significant in this same sense.  For in the Eucharist, Christ becomes our food to nurture us for this eternal day to which He has taught us to look, the food which endures and does not perish.  For the life of the world most surely depends upon our understanding of what it is to live our faith, and thereby faith is inseparable from work -- for to truly live that faith encompasses everything we do, a prayerful life that entrusts to Christ guidance for what we do, safekeeping for our lives, the direction we need, and the particular kind of blessedness that He offers to us.  All of this is inseparable from living faith, a prayerful life in which God becomes closer than our heartbeat, the word of God a sword that pierces between everything and enters deep into the heart (Hebrews 4:12), a sense of self in which soul and spirit and mind and strength become participants in the life He offers.  For faith involves our whole being, and not merely an intellectual reasoning out of what one might call a belief system; it touches us in places we don't know, encompassing so much more than intellect.  We entrust to Him all that we are, including our responses to life, our hurts and pains, our desires, our goals and dreams, our trauma, and even the things we don't yet know.  This is what it is to live faith, and why it is inseparable from whatever "work" we do in life, just as Christ's works are inseparable from His understanding of His closeness to the Father who has set His seal on Him.  

 

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him

 

 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

- John 6:16-27 

 

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

 

 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  This is the fifth sign of seven recorded in John's Gospel.  My study Bible reminds us that, in Greek, It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (Exodus 3:14).  We remember that the text has told us that it is the time of Passover, and that John's chapter 6 parallels the story of Passover and the Exodus in many ways.   My study Bible notes that in the Exodus, Moses leads the people across the Red Sea, walking on dry ground in the midst of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  Here,  Christ sends His disciples across the sea and then walks on the sea as if it were dry ground.  

 

 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  We recall that these were the same people who so desired an earthly Messiah that they declared Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19), after Christ's miraculous feeding in which they were filled with earthly things; when Jesus understood they wanted to make Him king by force, He left for the mountain alone.  Here He begins to urge them regarding His true purpose and origin, of which the miraculous feeding was but a sign, and directs them to the greater things He offers.

Jesus says, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  He sees how strenuously they seek Him, looking for Jesus, having come across the sea to Capernaum (the "headquarters" of His ministry, where Peter has a family home).  They don't know that He has walked on the water, and wonder when He came there.  But Jesus directs their attention not to His fifth miraculous sign in John's Gospel, and away from their motivation at having been fed with food which perishes.  Instead He directs them to His greatest gift, which is the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give them, "because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Clearly, in the miraculous feeding of this multitude, Christ (and therefore God) has acknowledged that human beings need earthly nourishment for our well-being.   But He reminds them that there is a more important reason to seek Him, and that is for the food which feeds an everlasting life, which does not perish, and this must be their primary goal.  It does not mean we cease living our earthly lives or that our very human lives don't matter.  But Christ uses once again this mysterious term for Himself, the Son of Man, which seems to indicate the Incarnation itself:  God who has become human and lived among us.  It implies that this is His very mission, to give the food which endures to everlasting life, and that the most important thing is that we realize that God the Father has set His seal on Him.  Just as the incarnate Son of Man is both human and the divine Son of God, so our lives must follow a purpose and goodness set in heaven which permeates and guides our worldly lives.  Jesus sets down a priority here, and not a separation.  We are, in fact, meant to prioritize this higher good as an overall goal of our earthly lives, and merge the two as does His Incarnation.  In yesterday's commentary, we pondered what it meant to feed ourselves, how we can pick and choose in a discerning way what we choose to consume, to take into our lives and, effectively, make a part of ourselves.  Here, Jesus reinforces the point that there are things we can pursue which nurture that greater potential within us for everlasting life, for life in abundance which can permeate even our earthly life in the here and now.   It seems that if we set our sights on this overarching goal or pattern, it sets the tone for our lives -- and the things we do, and the things we "take in" or consume in our worldly lives then become aimed under that goal, and supportive of that life in abundance which Christ promises, and advises us to seek.  It becomes a question of setting a pattern of goals and priorities, and then our worldly life may be guided to support a blessed life in the here and the now.  Everlasting seems to describe a quality which applies not only to life beyond the worldly, but also intermingled with the here and the now, our earthly life, just as the Incarnate Jesus Christ is both human and divine, indistinguishably and inseparably so.  It is a quality of life that is enduring and eternal, and includes today but is not limited or perishing.  And it is the food of this life that we are asked to seek, and of which we are invited to partake by Christ.  In Greek, the word translated as "eternal" or "everlasting" is αἰώνιος/aionios, meaning of an age.  Strong's Concordance describes it as "partaking of the character of that which lasts for an age, as contrasted with that which is brief and fleeting."  Christ has come to establish a Kingdom, and He invites us to participate in that Kingdom, even as we live in this world -- and it is the bread of the Kingdom which He teaches us to pursue, and that Kingdom begins today.  He has taught us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread," meaning the today's bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom, which is here with us.

There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?

 

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

 

- John 6:1-15 

 

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

 

  After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  My study Bible highlights for us that the entire chapter 6 of John's Gospel parallels the story of Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt in several important ways.  Regarding these verses here, we note that in the Exodus account (Exodus 11 - 17), God first performed God's signs against Pharaoh, then gave instructions on how to be saved at the time of Passover (Exodus 11:1-12:14).  Here, the multitudes follow Christ because of His signs, and this also takes place at Passover.  This is the second of three Passover feasts recorded in John's Gospel.  

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  My study Bible comments that Christ tests Philip to increase his faith, for Philip needed help in understanding Him (John 14:8-10).  Two hundred denarii corresponds to more than six months wages for a laborer.  Andrew, my study Bible says, has greater faith than Philip:  knowing that prophet Elisha had multiplied bread for 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44), he offers the food brought by a certain lad.  Nonetheless, Andrew is still weak in faith, however, questioning what only five loaves could do for the large number of people there.  

Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  This feeding of the multitude is the fourth of Christ's seven signs reported by John.   Significantly, it is recorded in all four Gospels.  My study Bible notes the description of Christ as He took the loaves, gave thanks (Greek ευχαριστω/eucharisto), and distributed them prefigures the celebration of the Eucharist.  In another parallel to the Exodus, the Jews at that time were said to eat unleavened bread because they were hastily driven out of Egypt and had brought no provisions for themselves (Exodus 12:39).  Here, Jesus feeds the multitudes with earthly bread because they had brought no provisions, having rushed out to see Him.

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

Today's reading invites us to think about many things.  It opens up for us questions about how Christ feeds us.  We look at the reading, and we understand that people have followed Him into the wilderness.  St. Mark tells us  that Jesus had compassion on them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd (Mark 6:34).  That implies the people looked to Christ for leadership, guidance, instruction, and indeed, He taught them before this miraculous feeding.  But John places great emphasis on this food, and my study Bible points out the language that ties it with the Eucharist, the gift of Christ Himself, which implies all that He offers to humankind.  Personally, in today's reading of this Scripture, it is striking to consider the things with which we feed ourselves in our daily lives.  How much of our life do we spend "consuming" things that are edifying to us, or that remind us and help to uphold for us the teachings of Jesus, His love and care for us?  Are there things we do or share that remind us of His compassion?  Do we share that compassion with others in an expression of our understanding of His love for us?  Do we create community on that basis, and in His name, as we remember and know that we are loved and cared for, and guided in a good way?  So much of popular entertainment seems to do the opposite.  It is divisive.  It feeds us not with things that are truly nurturing, and not with things that nurture what is good for us.  We are fed with violence, with a great deal of arrogance and pride, with things that teach young woman they're only valued for their appearance, or worse, that lead some very young teenagers to want to change their female bodies out of fear of what it means to be a woman.  (See journalist Abigail Shrier's book on this current phenomenon and its dramatic increase).   Popular literature and entertainment seem to celebrate victory over others more than the value of finding meaning even in suffering, which is what the Cross of Christ shows us is always present to us, in all circumstances, with God's help.  It is important that we use our own capacity for choice, for real decisions to pursue that which is truly good for us and for our families and communities.  The Gospels do not present to us a picture of a perfect world.  In fact, it is quite the opposite, they present to us a world beset by bad influence, temptations of all kinds, and an understanding that we are engaged in a struggle for our salvation.    In John's Gospel, Jesus will tell His disciples, just prior to His Crucifixion, "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30).  It is important that we understand the clear picture we're given that we have a great need for discernment, for things that build us up, and to avoid that which tears us down.  In the Gospels, it is the demons who are destructive and merciless, causing pain and oppression, and Christ who liberates us.  Let us pay great attention, therefore, to what it is that we choose to feed ourselves with in this life, and reject whatever puts out a message that reflects the nature of that pain and evil and its merciless nature.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus teaches, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  Well, in our great, huge, universal world of entertainment and technology, there is an ever-increasing array and expansion of influence that asks of us our discernment about what's going to be truly good for us to take in and to dwell on and grow on, and the same is true for our children and communities.  That wide gate and broad way seems only to grow with our capacity for new technologies and platforms.  To be sure, there is also our fortunate way of the Savior and the influence of God's grace that inspires people to use these new platforms and technologies to feed people with what is good, saving, gracious, true, and merciful.  But it is, as it always has been, up to us to take refuge in the good things we're given, to grow in that grace and truth, and to share it with others.  For those seeking to turn away from destructive habits or influences -- no matter what they are -- a reliance on God is essential to find the good and narrow way through their difficulties and temptations.  Let us remember, we've been given all we're taught in order to show us the way, for He is the lamp unto our feet, the light we need so we don't walk in darkness.  Let us persist and endure to the end in this good fight.  In this struggle, let us not be discouraged. St. Andrew asks, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  All we need is a little bit, and it is God who does the rest and magnifies the result.

 

If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true

 

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

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

 

- John 5:30-47 

 

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

 

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study Bible explains that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for all fully share the same divine nature.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, this refers to His human will, which Christ assumed at His Incarnation.  Christ freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father, and we are called to do likewise ("Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" - Matthew 6:10, The Lord's Prayer excerpt).

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

Jesus gives several witnesses to His identity, after the religious leaders express their outrage that He has made Himself equal to God by calling Himself God's Son.  What this passage invites us to do is to think about Scriptures in a particular way.   Christ's teaching, and the witnesses He offers, invite us to consider the Scriptures not simply as writings that come from and concern the past, but which speak to us about something.  They tell us something.  Moreover, as Jesus says, they point to Someone.  They bear witness, so that we can recognize evidence and action of that same Someone in the present time.  If this seems confusing, let us look at the way that Jesus uses the word of God, the word of John the Baptist, the testimony or evidence of His own works, and finally the Scriptures through which Moses and others (such as the prophets) gave testimony.  In this way, Jesus points to sources that testify not only to these religious leaders of His time, but to us also.  Moreover, we have even more Scripture to draw upon now to consider the things that point to Christ and to God's work in the world and in our lives today.  We have the Gospels, and the whole of the New Testament, including the Epistles and the Revelation.  Throughout all of these Scriptures there is testimony about God:  about God the Father, about Christ, about the Holy Spirit.  We have the stories and testimonies of the disciples in the stories of Christ's ministry, His acts and works and His word, we have the letters of St. Paul, St. John, and others, and finally we have the Revelation which also gives us the words spoken in another revelation of God.  In all of this literature, we have a living sense of what God is and what God does, and from it, we can understand and recognize God's work in our own lives.  Do we know that Christ is merciful?  Do we understand our need for His word in our lives, for grace in our lives?  Do we understand that we are helped in our faith, that there are fruits of the Spirit that can manifest in our own lives -- such as, for example, a capacity for forbearance we didn't think we had which manifests through prayer and through faith?   Do we find ourselves growing in love, or in patience?  Do we develop a sense of what it is to abide in Christ, and to endure through difficulties?  All of these things are pointed to and testified to by the witness of Scripture, and they tell us so that we can recognize God's surprising work in our own lives.  They are testimony to what we can discover and witness for ourselves.  Perhaps this is the most important thing we do when we read and study Scripture, especially within the tradition of those witnesses over the past twenty centuries:  we may come to discover and recognize where and how God works in our own lives, even the small surprises that are revealed in response to prayer, the insights that are gifts to us.  Most importantly, we come to realize the results of dependence upon God, a life of seeking to live in Christ's word and truth, and how transformational that is, how we may be guided through adverse and difficult circumstances.  Let us keep our eyes and ears open for witness testimony, through the voice of the Word, the Scriptures, through those they have recorded for us, the saints and the faithful we come to know, to the witness of our own lives which echo what we can recognize.  If we have ears to hear and eyes to see, our God is a living God, and God's grace is alive and at work, always with us.

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

 

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

 

- John 5:19-29 

 

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

 

  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."   Jesus' response to the charges of making Himself equal with God is to emphasize the relationship between Himself and the Father.   In fact His emphasis is on the love between them, which results in the gifts of Father to Son.  My study Bible comments that as the Son can do nothing of Himself, it is proof that Christ's every act and word is in complete unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It says that the discourse which Jesus begins here reveals that the Father and the Son are completely united in nature, will, and action.  Thus, the Son fully shares the divine attributes of both giving life and executing judgment.  Christ's judgment, as we read hear, is based on both faith ("he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me") and works (verse 29, at the end of today's reading).

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."   Jesus says, "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God."  My study Bible comments on this verse that the dead refers both to the spiritually dead, who will find life in Christ, and to the physically dead, who will rise in the general resurrection.  Christ will confirm this statement in the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44) before going to His own death.  

 

In today's reading, Jesus expresses His depth of relationship to the Father:  all that the Father has, He has granted to the Son.  In particular, Jesus mentions that the Father has life in Himself, and has also granted the Son to have life in Himself.  Moreover, the Father has given Christ authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Let us take these two statements and look closely at what Jesus is saying for us (for clearly, these words are for us; Jesus needs no one to declare Him to Himself).  This great gift of life, of being a creator and giver of life, is a gift to us.  He says that the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth.  This speaks of the Resurrection and also of Judgment.  But how often do we realize that this power of life in Christ is a gift which He shares with us also day to day?  Christ's nature remains His nature; that is the power of life, the power of Resurrection, the power to always be making all things new (Revelation 21:5).  But as we are able to participate in His life -- through prayer, through worship, through faith and its many expressions -- so we are also able to pray for this renewal of life that is in Christ.  Do we need a second chance?  Do we need forgiveness?  Did we take a wrong turn and need a new path?  Do we need to start over, or to give up a bad situation for Christ's guidance through it?  All of these things are part of the power of life and resurrection in Christ, in which we may participate.  Moreover, Jesus says that the Father has given Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.  What is the Son of Man?  This is a mysterious title from the Old Testament apocalyptic literature.  But what it seems to imply is that this Son of God is also Son of Man as He has lived His life as also fully human.  Therefore He knows us thoroughly and He knows our lives and struggles and what it is to live in this world.  As Son of Man, He can be a true and just judge.  He has lived life fully as one of us.  In that sense His judgment is true, and we may seek that judgment for ourselves and not be afraid of it.  We may reach to Him as He has reached to us in every possible and thorough way, as one of us.  And let us look to the love of the Father and the Son for one another, and understand that this is the pattern that is set in heaven, the pattern through which Christ lives and reaches to us, in this love that rules in heaven (even as He has taught us to pray to Our Father, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven").  So we may turn and participate in the life He offers, and find that love not only for ourselves, but to learn and to share it with others as we learn from Him. For this love and life constitute the greatest gift of all, from Father to Son, to us.

Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you

 

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

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

 - John 5:1-18 

 

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

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  The healing that takes place in today's reading is the third sign (of seven) in John's Gospel.  My study Bible says that it exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness.   Patristic tradition teaches that this feast is the Old Testament Pentecost (which is also called the "Feast of Weeks").  It celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  The references to the Law of Moses later in chapter five confirm this interpretation.  We note Jesus behavior that fulfills all righteousness; He faithfully attends east feast in John's report of His three year ministry.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.   My study Bible tells us that this double-basin pool, believed to have curative powers, has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.  The water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs and was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  My study Bible further explains that this pool functions as a type of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it.  These waters were special in that they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, since the animals were washed in the same water.  But the grace was limited to the first person to enter.  Under the new covenant, however, baptism is given to all peoples as a direct participation in Christ own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6) without the mediation of angels.  Baptism, my study Bible concludes, thus grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body, and its grace is inexhaustible.  

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

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  My study Bible says that the Lord's question (Do you want to be made well?) is relevant for several reasons.  First, it made public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in a situation that was seemingly hopeless, for how could a paralytic ever be the first into the water?  Second, Christ draws attention away from the water and toward the need we have for a man to help us.  This is Christ Himself, who became a Man in order to heal all.  Finally, not everyone who is ill actually desires healing.  There are those who may prefer to remain infirm for various reasons:  to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue to excite the pity of others.

Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."   He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"   The Law itself, my study Bible explains, did not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath.  But this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22 and explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.   It is made clear that Christ is Lord over the Sabbath by His command and also by the man's obedience (see also Matthew 12:1-8).  As is frequently the case in John's Gospel, we must clarify, the term Jews here refers to the hostile leaders and not to the people in general.   And the malice of these particular religious authorities is made clear in the Gospel, as their sole focus is on the Sabbath violation, asking the man, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?" while they ignore altogether his miraculous healing.

But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  My study Bible comments that the fact that the man was found in the temple shows his great faith, as he had gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than departing to someone's home or the marketplace.  Jesus tells the man to sin no more:  My study Bible comments that there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), but that connection is not always one-to-one, for the innocent frequently suffer, and the guilty are often spared earthly suffering (see also John 9:1-3).  Nonetheless, it is true that at times our sins do lead directly to our own suffering in this world.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that this was the case with the paralytic.  Christ's warning here, according to my study Bible, is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  Thus, the only hope is to flee from sin altogether.

 

 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  My study Bible comments that the man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, but as a witness to Christ's goodness.  Even though these leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, and does not speak about carrying his bed.

 

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

Jesus teaches this healed man, "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  My study Bible comments that while there is a general correlation between sin and suffering, there is by no means a sense that this is always the case, as often the innocent suffer and the guilty do not.  While St. Chrysostom comments that this connection existed for the paralytic, my study Bible nevertheless says that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than his bodily affliction.  But I feel that there is yet another aspect to Jesus' teaching here we must also add, and that is the importance of gratitude.  It seems that if this man were to go out now and lead a profligate or evil life in which God and his faith did not play a key role to guide him forward, then this would be a kind of spiritual spurning of the great gift of healing he's been given.  At this time, he is in a high good state:  he is not only healed of his affliction, but his faith has set him on a good road.  He was found in the temple giving thanks, and moreover he has found Christ.  But to turn away from this and begin to lead a dissolute life would lead him to a state worse than the first, as the life of willful sin would now be a spurning of the great gift Christ has given, and the enlightened state possible for a person in his position.  Therefore to ignore God and the commands of God would be to turn his back on a much deeper awareness of the goodness of God than he had before.  He has kept his faith all this time through his illness; now that he is well he is in a new state of life, and it is therefore all the more important to be aware and persistent in his faith.  As we commented in yesterday's reading, it is often the case that when things go poorly for us, we seek out faith to help us.  But when things are going well, that is when we are tempted to forget about God and rely upon ourselves and our good fortune instead.   It seems to me that this is the great lesson in Jesus' teaching to this man to "Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."   We often have a tendency to attribute good fortune to ourselves, and to rely on that good fortune as if it is something we personally own, a part of us.  In this case, the healed man clearly knows who healed him; nevertheless Christ finds it prudent to give him a warning about his future conduct.  Let us consider the power of gratitude, for whatever good thing we have, and how this very consciousness of gratitude keeps us in a good place, and stands us in good stead for our future.

And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee

 

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

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

 

- John 4:43-54 

 

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

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (see John 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  There were Galileans present at Jerusalem during the Passover feast (John 2:13-25), when Jesus performed many signs.  My study Bible comments that while the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom gives greater credit to the Samaritans for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  For the story of the Samaritans, see the readings of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (above).   This saying to which Jesus Himself testified, that a prophet has no honor in His own country, appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, John 4:44).

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  This setting for today's reading is Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.   My study Bible comments on these verses that Christ is admonishing the people in general (you in this last verse is plural both times) and not only the nobleman.  It remarks that faith based on miraculous works alone is insufficient for salvation; this kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (see John 19:15).

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study Bible notes that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, even though his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, and neither does he grasp that Jesus would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  In the end, he asks about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting Christ's authority.  Only after everything is confirmed do he and his whole household believe.  Therefore, in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not just the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.  The text notes for us that this is the second sign of seven included in John's Gospel.  

It's quite interesting that my study Bible remarks that in the healing of the body of his child, the nobleman's soul is also healed by Christ.  This is the remarkable thing about the mysterious workings of God's power.  We don't know by what means or roundabout ways God's effective grace works in the lives of people, but ultimately there is a very significant factor that is always pertinent, and which we so often discount -- and that is the effect of God's work on faith itself, on those who come to faith.  My study Bible has also noted in today's reading that faith based solely on miraculous or marvelous works is a false faith, because if the miracles cease, so an incomplete faith turns to scorn.  We should keep in mind that ultimately it is not marvelous or miraculous signs that form the substance of faith or its purpose.  Jesus has stated that His purpose in being sent is for salvation:  "that the world through Him might be saved" (see John 3:16-17).  Although nominally speaking, today's passage tells us about this important second sign in John's Gospel, perhaps a greater purpose is served in the saving faith rendered in the nobleman and for his whole household, as the text tells us.  This is an important filter through which we might look at many things in the world, including our own lives and the others that we touch through our faith and through the grace that can be at work through us, whether or not we realize it.   There are times when even adverse circumstances can work to help bring about a saving faith; oftentimes it is only when things are not going well that people may turn to prayer, and it is in such a time when their hearts will turn to God and respond to the comfort and care mysteriously found there.  This article at the blog of Oxford University Press cites studies that show growth in people's reliance on religion and the importance of God in their lives in times not only of natural disasters but also man-made disasters such as war and conflict.  Adversity in childhood can often be a factor in the development of a strong religious faith in adulthood.  Psalm 27:10 reads, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up" (KJV).  There are many who have found that less-than-perfect parenting is deeply healed through a sense of the love of God as Father, Son, and Spirit, as good guidance and support replace what was destructive and chaotic during upbringing.  Through the prayers of the saints, such as the Virgin Mary, many have experienced an inexplicable motherly tenderness that helps guide adult life; and the virtues of the saints as described by St. Paul as fruit of the spirit become a firm ground for the responsibilities of maturity, as opposed to what was poorly presented by natural parents in childhood.  I heard a very wise speaker say the real danger in a life of ups and downs is that when things are going well we will forget to pray, forget our need for God.  We should remember that the signs given in John's Gospel are just that:  they are "signs" of the presence of the kingdom of God with Jesus Christ.  They manifest in some way the presence of the Kingdom, the work of God present to us and among us.  But it is a life of faith that saves, that sometimes rugged journey that asks of us to grow and to struggle and to work and to pursue our faith; in the words of St. Paul, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).   Even as we read the magnificent and significant signs in John's Gospel, we must remember that they are called "signs" for a reason, they point to something.  And it is that deeper "something" that is the substance of faith and of salvation, in whose life we participate through prayer and worship, and in Whom we find ourselves.

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

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

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

 

- John 4:27-42 

 

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

 

  And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  My study Bible claims they marveled not only that Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with a woman who was unaccompanied, which potentially could cause scandal in this time and place.  For more instances of Christ's dealings with women, see John 7:53-8:11, 11:20-33, 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).  

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  This Samaritan woman becomes an early evangelist, as here she testified to the advent of Christ and brought others to Him.  In the Church, she is known as St. Photini.  According to an early tradition, after the Resurrection she was baptized with the name Photini, which in Greek means "the enlightened one."  Along with her two sons and five daughters, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later she was martyred with her family under the emperor Nero by being thrown into a well.  In the Orthodox Church her memory is celebrated on March 20th and the fourth Sunday of Easter/Pascha.  

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."   In a pattern found in the interactions between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, here it is the disciples who misunderstand Christ.  My study Bible comments that He fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father; therefore this is His food.  It says that also teaches us that we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares (John 6:27; see also Matthew 4:4, 6:25-33).

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  According to St. John Chrysostom, the command to look ("Behold . . . !") was given because the townspeople were approaching them, ready and eager to believe in Jesus.  Christ compares these foreigners (in relation to the Jews) to fields ready for harvest.  My study Bible says that this command is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone wanting to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity.  A field white for harvest reflects the appearance of wheat when it's ready for harvest; some of the heads of wheat take on a whitish appearance.  It is also said that these villagers were traditionally dressed in white clothing; hence, as they approached, we understand Jesus' allusion to the image of a wheat field ripe for harvest.

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

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

The gospel is for all people in every nation:  I wonder if we can understand how revolutionary such a concept was and is.  Jesus lived in a time when God or "gods" were considered to be local for every people on one level or another; usually that meant within our concept of "national."  But we can read stories in the Bible about pagan peoples for whom there were household gods.  But however we want to understand it, the idea that God is spirit and must be worshiped in spirit and truth opens up worship and communion with God to an entirely different expression and understanding, and for all people everywhere, in all times.  "God is spirit" (these are Christ's words to the Samaritan woman in yesterday's reading; see above) teaches us that God cannot be confined or defined by a place, and cannot be restricted even to one time or even one dimension.  God is present through all things and in all places, is timeless without beginning and without limits, since everything we know as created (including our entire universe) was created by God.  Therefore when we enter into worship with God properly understood, we enter into a place which has no normal human limits as we conceive of them; we enter into participation with what is far beyond us, includes us, and expands us to know more beyond what we already know.  We enter into mystery.  In fact, we might make note that the Armenian Apostolic liturgy, which traces its tradition to ancient times, begins with this hymn to God while the priest is vesting in preparation for the service:  "O Mystery Deep, inscrutable, without beginning.  Thou hast decked thy supernatural realm as a chamber unto the light unapproachable and hast adorned with splendid glory the ranks of thy fiery spirits" (O Mystery Deep/Khorhoort Khoreen).   The words to this hymn reflect a very ancient understanding of God as Creator, who begins and remains first and last Mystery for us, but who has adorned the created world with beauty, such as the glory of the angels, described as a flame of fire in Psalm 104:4, a psalm which is a hymn of Creation as the glory of God.  Therefore the depths of the mystery of God are opened up by Christ to this Samaritan woman, so that it could be understood as a gift to all peoples everywhere and in all time that communion and worship of this God is open to all.  No one is restricted or kept out except through their own rejected of the light and truth of this God (see John 3:16-21).  In the communion of this God of Mystery Deep, Jesus as a Jewish man may converse and teach this Samaritan woman; as Son He reaches out to all, and teaches to all who will receive, describing even these hated foreigners (to the Jews) as fields white for harvest, those who will come to believe.  There are so many "boundaries" broken in this story that it is explosive in the ways that it opens up the gospel to all -- Jesus speaks to a woman alone, a Jewish man speaking to a Samaritan woman, and that He would preach to and receive Samaritan townspeople are enough to make that statement.  But perhaps the most astonishing of all is His revelation -- to her, of all people -- that He is the Christ.  As far as we know, this had not even been stated at this time to any of His disciples, especially using the divine name I AM.  All of this is extraordinary; to get a sense of just how much, all we need to do is to look at the reaction of the disciples when they find Him speaking to her.  They're nonplussed:  they marvel so that they cannot even ask Him a question about it.  Perhaps, like the disciples, we need to pay attention to His answer to them:  that others labor, and we enter into their labors -- and we always need to look around to find the fields which are white for harvest.  The gospel works in its strange and mysterious way, just as the Holy Spirit travels like the wind.  In the end, these Samaritans hear Christ for themselves, and declare they believe Him to be the Christ, the Savior of the world.  We should understand that the desire for the gospel will come from the most surprising directions, and the most surprising people, for there is no limit or law about its spread, and be prepared to share our own testimony when others are interested.