Did I not see you in the garden with Him?

St. Peter, 6th century encaustic icon, St. Katherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.  Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside.  Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.  Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"  He said, "I am not."  Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.

*  *  *

Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?"  He denied it and said, "I am not!"  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"  Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

 

- John 18:15–18, 25–27 

 

On Saturday, we read that, at this last Passover Feast of Christ's earthly life, there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the round and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves His life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.  Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside.  Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.   This other disciple is John, the author of this Gospel.  My study Bible explains that it was a common practice for an author to conceal his name in the details of his story (see John 13:23; compare Mark 14:51-52; Luke 24:13-18).   

Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"  He said, "I am not."  Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.  My study Bible comments that a girl being the first to test Peter is an icon temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  This fallen state is overcome in Christ, when a woman is the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (John 20:1, 11-18).  

Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?"  He denied it and said, "I am not!"  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"  Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.  After his three denials, Peter will be restored through his three affirmations of love following the Resurrection (John 21:15-17).   We must keep in mind for this reading that this event occurred after the Last Supper, at which Jesus prophesied Peter's denial of Him (John 13:38).  

Today is the beginning of Lent for the Oriental Orthodox Churches.  For most Western Christian denominations, Lent begins on Wednesday, which is Ash Wednesday.  For the Eastern Orthodox Lent begins a week from today. Therefore, in preparation for Lent, the lectionary skips from chapter 12 (yesterday's reading, above) to give us the story of Peter's denial of Christ.  It is fitting insofar as it teaches us about our failures by giving us the example of Peter, de-facto leader among the apostles (the "first among equals," and his own fallibility and shame.   We should keep in mind that, just before Christ's prediction of Peter's betrayal, Peter said to Him that he would lay down his life for Christ's sake (John 13:36-37).  It's important to know that Peter's own susceptibility to overconfidence in his own strength is something we're meant to understand as common to all of us.  We are offered in the Gospels the stumbling blocks of the disciples (their wavering faith, their inability to understand Christ, their overconfidence such as in this case, their mistaken zeal, and so on) so that we might become aware of our own.  It makes us aware that our faith is a journey and not a one-time slogan of belief.  It also reminds us that faith or trust in Christ is far, far more than merely an intellectual acceptance of a doctrine.  It is much more than simple belief.  The active engagement in our faith becomes what is termed an ontological reality; that is, our faithfulness, or faith in action, becomes something that works inside of us, exposing our flaws, transforming us, growing us in strength, as we come to terms with God work of grace within us, and grow in that faith.  We really cannot know what profound depths of transformation and repentance this experience wrought in St. Peter, to turn him from one prone to exclamations of zeal that so often missed the mark (such as here and here) to the leader and martyr for Christ that he would become.  Indeed, this man who so often stumbled in his over-exuberant declarations would become one who fulfilled his mission of feeding the lambs of Christ, and also fulfilled the prophecy of what kind of death he would suffer, a journey of tremendous self-sacrifice, service, and the great humility required to be so revered.  What we can learn from Peter is a lesson that is never exhausted:  that we will always have something to learn, and especially a way that we need to grow, on our journey of our faith and the fulfillment of God's calling for us in our lives.  Peter teaches us that our faith is much, much more than belief.  Rather it is a journey of transformation in our most inward reality, of personality, of places within ourselves that we don't know, and potentials we can fulfill that we cannot even imagine we have.  This is transformation through grace and it is the true process of faith, our "yes" and our trust to the power of God -- Father, Son, and Spirit.  As we begin the journey of this Lent, let us consider our own tongues, our exclamations and expressions.  We live in a time when it seems that the whole world is lost in declarations of absolutes, of conflicts in which all sides are utterly certain of their righteousness, and we can see the dangers of escalation within such convictions.  Let us learn from St. Peter, and trust to humility before Christ first.  We would do well to learn from Him, to bear our cross, even to submit our human will to the will of God (John 21:15-19).  This is especially possible through prayer, so that we become aware of our flaws, where we are mistaken, our constant refinement in repentance, and our experience of the love of God.  Let us remember Christ's prayer in the Garden and do our best to stay awake, especially at times of great stress and violence and therefore temptation, to "watch and pray" with Him.  For this is what Lent is for. 

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the round and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the round and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves His life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20-26 

 

Yesterday we read that a great many in Jerusalem knew that Jesus was there for the Passover; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.   The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.   Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible explains that these Greeks were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and that they have come to Jerusalem to participate in the Passover feast.  That they are still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full converts to Judaism.   It notes that since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5, 15:24), the disciples approach Jesus first before bringing these new inquirers to Him.  Glorified is a reference to Christ's death on the Cross.  Moreover, my study Bible adds, Christ's obscure response indicates two things:  first, the answer these Greeks seek won't be found in words, but in the Cross; and second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles.  Let us note also that this is the first sign in the Gospel that inquirers from the wider, Greek-speaking world are coming to hear of Christ; perhaps it also serves as a sign for Jesus.  Greek was the "international language" for communication of this time; and, of course, the New Testament will be written in Greek for this reason.  It is the language in which the gospel of the Kingdom will travel through the highways of the world.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the round and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain,  He who loves His life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."   Jesus gives the image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit -- my study Bible comments that this signifies His death will give life to the world (John 6:51).  It is a tradition in many Orthodox churches to serve boiled wheat, sweetened and spiced, at memorial services for the departed faithful, a gesture which affirms God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  This passage is read in the Armenian Apostolic Church as part of every requiem.

 

Jesus speaks in vivid language, saying, "He who loves His life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."    Elsewhere He uses similar bold language, such as when He says, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26).  He follows with a statement similar to the pattern He establishes in today's reading, "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."   In each case, He contrasts the extremes of loving or hating one's life in this world (including family members) with loving and following Him.  These are difficult things to reconcile, possibly unimaginable to most of us.  But for the times that come down to spiritual choice, these statements might not be so extreme.  This vivid and colorful language used by Christ is quite possibly meant to shock, in order to make a point:  that loyalty to God ultimately takes precedence over the rest of our priorities in life.  St. Paul writes, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  There are times when our prayers will lead us to make choices for which we may need to break with rules or habits learned at home in our natal families, or to disagree with a loved one over a particular path or opinion.  It is in this sense that choice is offered to us in our spiritual lives, a truth we must choose to love even when others whom we love do not approve or do not like our choices.  There comes such a time when a love of God, and the truth we must accept, trumps all else we care for.  Jesus goes to the Cross Himself certainly understanding this and making such a hard choice.  We know of His love for His mother, and for all of His disciples, and yet He will go to the Cross in obedience to the Father, seemingly abandoning those who love Him and for whom the prospect of His death is unmitigated tragedy (see St. Peter's response to Christ's prophecy of His Crucifixion, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" - Matthew 16:22-24).  Jesus goes the Cross in order to give us an abundant life, one that we may claim even if we die a human death.  Many people separate a life in the world from this life after death, but that is a false conclusion, as Jesus indicates here.  In a recent reading, Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."  This offer is not about an afterlife, but about the quality of life we choose in the here and now, and this is what Jesus is trying to clarify by His deeply powerful and stark statements.  He offers us to participate in His power of immortality, but participation in that life is a choice that is always with us now, and we come face to face it in our lives when our deepest loyalties and truths are tested.  In today's reading, Jesus speaks of offering Himself and giving His life as a sacrifice, in order to produce abundant life.  Even His own deepest human impulses do not take priority over the choice to offer us this life in abundance through His willing sacrifice in following the Father's will.  May our own sacrifices to follow a prayerful life of faith also produce much grain.

 

Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt

 

 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. 

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

"Hosanna!

'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

The King of Israel!"

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:

"Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey's colt."

His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 

 

Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 

- John 12:9-19 

 

Yesterday we read that the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.  Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

 

 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.   The Gospel emphasizes for us the significance of the raising of Lazarus from death; many of those from Jerusalem have now begun to believe in Jesus.  This is the home ground of the chief priests and the religious rulers, where people begin to have faith in the authority of Jesus.  So great is the perceived threat that the chief priests plot to put Lazarus to death also.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  The people's cry is from Psalm 118:25-26.   These verses are associated with messianic expectation.  They were recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles, which is the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means "Save, we pray!"   It is a plea to the Messiah.  In this context, the pronouncement of Caiaphas that it is "expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish" takes on heightened significance, as we can see the growing tension of the religious rulers as Jesus is greeted as Messiah and Deliverer. 

Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."   His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.   My study Bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  But Jesus does not come as conqueror with horses and chariots and army to establish and earthly kingdom.  He rides on a young donkey, a sign of humility and peace.  The quotation is from Zechariah 9:9, which the disciples only later come to understand as fulfilled by Jesus when He was glorified, and upon receipt of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"   Again, the text emphasizes for us this peak of tension with the religious rulers.  The people welcome Jesus as liberating Messiah, and are filled with expectation and hope, especially because of the testimony of those from Jerusalem who had been with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead.  This final and seventh sign of John's Gospel has sent the people to Christ, as the Pharisees say to one another, "Look, the world has gone after Him!"

John's Gospel builds up for us the political tension in Jerusalem and especially among the religious establishment toward Jesus.  Jesus is now hailed and received into Jerusalem as a Messiah, and we know that political tensions are high because of the Roman occupation.  The expectations of the people clamor for a political Messiah, one who will liberate them from occupation, and restore David's kingdom.  It is in this context that John seems to ask us to understand what is happening.  Jesus has come into Jerusalem riding on a young donkey, a "donkey's colt," as the quotation from Zechariah says.  He has come as the Messiah or Prince of Peace, and not to establish an earthly kingdom.  As He will say to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36).  But the people expect something else, await something else, deeply desire a kingdom that is "of this world."  The religious leaders, who have positions of authority and are entrusted by the Roman rulers to keep the community in order, also fear the people's faith in Jesus, that "the world has gone after Him!" also for political reasons.  They want to guard their places, and they fear Roman response and repression because of the popularity of Jesus.  So what we seem to have in this story are false expectations all around about Jesus.  Neither those who welcome Him as conquering Messiah nor the religious rulers who fear loss of their own authority because of Jesus truly understand what He is about.  Let us also observe the disciples who follow Him in faith.  John's Gospel makes it clear that at the time when this event occurs (which we commemorate as Palm Sunday), the disciples really do not understand what is happening.  They don't understand the significance of the young donkey, for example.  It is only after Jesus is glorified, John tells us, that they begin to more fully understand Christ's gospel of the Kingdom.  But they show us a way through times of great tension and confusion, when all about us seem to be caught up into movements of the day, and especially times of conflict and violence.  In today's reading, we're given a picture of the mixed motivations that are all around in such times, and that would also include the story of Judas and the role He will play, even the betrayal that will come from among them.   But the way the disciples show us, when we are caught up in such times of confusion ourselves, is to follow Christ in faith, even if we do not have sufficient knowledge of the fullness of the time to understand what is happening.  For it is our God of peace whom we truly need; it is Christ who shows us the way to true order and true justice; it is His way and His love we need to seek for ourselves, for through Him we are also the children of God's house by adoption, and there is one Lord we serve and in whom we trust.  The people of Jerusalem greet Him as material Savior and Deliverer, but we have been shown the greater meaning of those titles.  There will be all kinds of people who present themselves to the world as liberators, but it is Christ who truly cares for our souls, and who has suffered for (and with) all of us.

 

 

Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always

 

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

 

- John 11:55-12:8 

 

Yesterday we read that, after the resurrection of Lazarus from death, many of those from Jerusalem who had come to Mary in her mourning, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.   

 

And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.   The events in the Gospel now head toward the final Passover of Christ's earthly life, and the events that will come in what we commemorate as Holy Week.  My study Bible comments that because Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), he connection between the Passover, when lambs were slaughtered to save the Jews from death (Exodus 12:1-13), and the death of Jesus, which saves mankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized.  

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  This Passover is the third mentioned in John's Gospel (see also John 2:13, 6:4).  As mentioned above, it is the setting for the final week of Christ's earthly ministry, which John will narrate in careful detail.  My study Bible comments that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words, but it remained for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  

There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.   Once again, we observe Martha, the sister who is noted in the Gospels for her practices of hospitality.

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  My study Bible notes that the other disciples said the same thing that Judas did, but with a very different motivation (see also Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas, it says, spoke from greed, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity.  Moreover, it adds, that Jesus put a thief in charge of the money shows that by every means He attempted to save Judas:  He fulfilled Judas' lust for money; He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority (John 6:11; see also Mark 6:7); He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples (John 13:5); and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (John 13:26).  Yet, my study Bible says, Judas could never overcome his greed.

It's very interesting that my study Bible highlights how Christ has tried to, in some sense, put Judas' tendency toward greed to good use.  That is, in an effort to save Judas, He has given Judas opportunities to transform the way that his tendency toward greed operates within himself, to transform this desire or passion to good use.  If we wish to use a different example, consider a person who is of a quick temper.  We can take a look at the two brothers, James and John Zebedee, and the hints the Gospels make in terms of their own quickness of temper and fiery tongues.  It is Jesus who gives them the names, Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17), to put their capacities to good use.  When the disciples observed others, not of their group, who were casting out demons in Jesus' name, it is James and John who asked, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  Jesus turned to them with a rebuke:  "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of" (Luke 9:54-55).  Eventually James would be the first among the Twelve to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2).  John is called "the beloved disciple," and to him is attributed this Gospel, three Epistles, and the Revelation.   Therefore, we have brilliant examples of what we might call a tendency to a particular passion which has been put in service to God, transformed through faith and grace.  My study Bible says of Judas that Christ sought to save him by putting to use his particular tendency to greed by allowing him to be in charge of the treasury as a way to positively assuage and put to good use that tendency; moreover He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority; He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples; and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper.  As we shall see, it is Judas' response to the bread dipped by Christ that will seal his decision to betray Jesus (John 13:26-27), and perhaps this also gives us a hint about human nature and our interaction with the holy, with the Lord.  We will either accept the road to repentance and respond positively to a form of grace, or we will turn away in the opposite direction.  In one way, we take the path toward Christ, in the other way we take the path in the opposite direction.  In terms of repentance, everything seems to be a matter of degree, until one reaches a point of no return, where repentance becomes impossible for lack of will, through a hardness of heart only God can know about us.  The same is true of our capacity for repentance, only God can know where we have potential to turn back toward faith.  But what strikes me as most important is this significant observation about Judas and his opportunities for change.  Perhaps it is also pride that gets in his way, as Jesus publicly rebukes them all, but it is Judas who spoke up to condemn Mary's act of love for Christ.  There are many things we can discern from today's reading, such as the capacity for hypocrisy and how it may work in underhanded ways to pose as charitable, especially in chastising others.  We need also observe that it can be said about Mary's act of love (which amounts also to tacit acceptance of Christ's coming death), that, like all the fruit of the Spirit which includes love, "against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  For now let us consider the potentials of each one, even in our worst tendencies, to be redeemed, transformed, saved -- and the unfortunate consequence of the failure to accept all means of salvation offered.  Let us remember it is Christ who stands up for Mary and her act of love, when others chastise -- and the loudest with the false face that still nurtures greed and betrayal.

You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish

 

 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. 

 

- John 11:45-54 

 

Yesterday we read that, after delaying upon hearing that Lazarus was ill, and after meeting Martha at on the road to their home, Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

  Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.   The witnesses to the raising of Lazarus had come from Jerusalem to mourn with Martha and Mary.  The text notes that many of those who had seen the things that Jesus did at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, believed in Him.  But some went to the Pharisees, who had already opposed Jesus, and who now know of the raising of Lazarus.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  My study Bible comments that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.   The emphasis is on the office:  the failings and even wickedness of the office-holder do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Here, my study Bible says, Caiaphas means only that the death of Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  God's meaning, however, is that all people will be saved through the death of the Son.  

Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.  The choice has been made, and from this day when Caiaphas addressed the council as high priest, they plotted to put Jesus to death.   We note that Jesus stays away from Jerusalem as a result, and went into the country.  It is, as we are reminded many times in John's 

Gospel, not yet His hour.

 

Jesus has moved toward ever-deepening conflict with the religious authorities as John's Gospel has unfolded this story.  One by one, the seven signs He has performed, in John's telling of the story of Jesus' ministry, have opened up deeper and deeper problems with the religious authorities.  They were upset and challenged that He healed on a Sabbath, and wrangled with Him over questions of His authority and especially His declaration that He and the Father are one (John 10:30).  They have understood perfectly well His claim to equality with God the Father, and they call it blasphemy.  They have already sought at least once to stone Him, and to seize Him at one of the religious festivals, but to no avail, as it is not yet "His hour."  But the resurrection of Lazarus from death will seal His fate, as we can read in today's reading.  The authorities have decided that if Jesus has a great following of the people, the occupying Roman authorities will come down hard on them:  "If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  This sad action would take place eventually in 70 AD, at the Siege of Jerusalem, as the Roman authorities responded to an armed rebel uprising against them.  But our Lord will come riding into Jerusalem not with chariot and horses or army, but on an animal of peace, a donkey, as we will see in our following reading.  For now, the religious authorities have made up their minds that they must put Jesus to death, so that they will not lose their places.  However, as my study Bible teaches us to observe, Caiaphas, in the office of high priest, unwittingly makes a prophecy we take to be true as those who are faithful to Christ.  He says to the Council, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Our Lord will be that one Man.  But let us observe the ways that things work, and especially how God works with even the evil events of our world, at least as we can see through the Gospels and the life and ministry of Jesus.  It is Jesus who has been revealing God to the people, and therefore to the authorities.  God is present through the "signs" He does, God's kingdom is present in the word He teaches.  And part of that word goes to the authorities regarding Jesus' identity and His divine authority as Son, including His complete devotion to the will of the Father.  Each revelation is meant to save, it is meant to teach and to offer salvation through faith.  But each one will respond in his or her own way, some to salvation, and others to a deeper and deeper darkness, even a murderous hatred and envy.  The same will be said even for one of Christ's disciples, who will betray Him.  But all builds up to Jesus' "hour," His "time."  In our own lives, it seems to me, we can but do the same, and follow Jesus.  There are times to speak and to confront, and times to withdraw.  All of this must be discerned through prayer.  And even those who respond to us in evil ways -- even when and if what we do is good and discerned through careful prayer -- will be creating conditions through which God can still work.  Even when we are defeated, God will still have a prayerful and holy way for us to go forward with our lives, to make good of our lives.  Indeed, what Christ says He offers is abundant life, which we may have even if we experience death.  As He said to Martha, "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."  The early martyrs understood this, and we should understand it in our own time and through our own lives.  While most of us do not live in conditions under which we feel a threat of martyrdom and violent persecution for our faith, there will nevertheless be ways in which we are challenged to endure, to persist, to have patience, as we follow His commands and do our best to live prayerful, and holy lives, even when the hand we're given might be against us.  God provides us a way, if we can but see it.  But the key Jesus teaches us is discernment, to be alert to truth, to God's way for us, as paradoxical as that might seem sometimes.  And we endure in our faithfulness, in living our faith, as did He who came first and set the example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me

Raising of Lazarus, 12th century icon.  St. Katherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai

 

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

 

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:30-44 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came toward the home of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You as of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 

 

  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."   My study Bible notes that Mary approaches Jesus with the identical words used by Martha (see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus engaged Martha with words ("I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?" ).  But He engages Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead.

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"   My study Bible comments that John emphasizes that Jesus wept and groaned in spirit to show that He had fully taken on human nature, and was subject to grief as any human being would be.  Weeping, it says, is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  On the Saturday commemorating Lazarus, an Orthodox hymn declares:  "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of your heartfelt love."

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Although Martha's faith had increased, my study Bible says, she till understood neither Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oils used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time.  In many icons of the raising of Lazarus, bystanders are portrayed as covering their noses, which illustrates both the reality of his corrupted flesh, and the fact that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead (see the figures near Lazarus in the 12th century icon, above).

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."   Christ says that He prays aloud for the sake of the people who are standing by.  By doing so, He shows to them that His divine will is one with the Father's, and that His human will is freely subject in every way to the Father's.

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  My study Bible notes that Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  This shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  See also John 5:28-29.

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  Many patristic commentaries see Lazarus bound in graveclothes as an indication that he will need them again -- his resurrection continues an earthly life which will again end in death.  By contrast, Christ's graveclothes will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike this resurrection of Lazarus, Christ's Resurrection is a transfiguration of human nature; He will never die again.  My study Bible further notes that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but, in the words of the hymn commemorating the day, it "confirmed the universal resurrection," proving that Christ has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that all the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).  

In today's reading, Jesus says, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Those people who are standing by are people who have come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters.  John has called them the Jews which in this Gospel is most often used as a type of political term, an indication that they are among the ruling parties of the religious establishment in Jerusalem.  (Everyone in today's reading is a Jew, including Jesus, His disciples, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.)   It seems that this family who are beloved by Jesus is prominent; they live close to Jerusalem and so these others have come to mourn with them -- and it will be these mourners who return to Jerusalem and inform other members of the Council and the ruling parties of the temple about what has happened with Lazarus, this seventh and final sign in John's Gospel.  It is this sign, of the raising of Lazarus from death, that will truly seal the fate of Jesus, so that the rulers of the Council will decisively choose to put Him to death.  We must assume that He already know this.  So, why does He make this statement "because of the people standing by"?  Why does He absolutely affirm His identity and authority, that He is sent by the Father.  Certainly He is already in the midst of conflict with the religious authorities and knows what great impact this impossible news will make.  We also know that He does not produce signs on demand, He has refused to "prove" His authority and identity in so many conversations with the religious authorities already.  It is important to understand that Jesus' efforts are directed at salvation, and important for us to note that when He speaks for the sake of those who hear Him and are from Jerusalem, He is doing so in order to save, for this is His true calling, the real goal for which He has been sent by the Father.  In John 3:17, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a Pharisee who comes to Him to be taught by night, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (see John 3:1-21).   Until the very end, Jesus' prime concern will be the salvation of those who will hear and respond, and that includes everyone, even those who have opposed Him.  For, in accordance with His own testimony, that is the true purpose for which He was sent into the world.  That there is conflict is something He accepts.  That there are those who wish to put Him to death and not recognize His identity and authority is also something He accepts.  But He is not done with His mission, and His mission is to save, to come for those who will believe so that He can offer a life abundantly, the kind of life that has power over death, and transcends death.  And this is what He shows to the world in the raising of Lazarus -- that in His identity as Son is the power of life and death.  Or rather, to put it more truly, the power of life over death, the power of immortality, so that, as He said to Martha in yesterday's reading (above), "he who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."  This is the power of the Christ, the power to defeat and trample death, the last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26).  In His power of immortality, Christ opens up an abundant life to us in which we may participate in the here and now, in His Kingdom, for this indeed is His saving mission, which He will never give up, for it is this for which He has been sent by the Father (John 10:28-29).  Let us remember these words are not only for those standing by, but for those of us who hear today (John 20:29).

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am the resurrection and the life

 

 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You as of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

 

- John 11:17-29 

 

On Saturday, we read that a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

 

  So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  We remember from our previous reading on Saturday (see above) that Jesus had delayed His trip to Bethany after hearing the news that Lazarus was very ill.  John the Evangelist tells us that Jesus loved Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus, and so this delay is intentional, "that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (again, see Saturday's reading, above).  My study Bible says that there was a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  My study Bible tells us that mourning began on the day of a person's death.  Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week, and general mourning lasted 30 days.  Here we are told that many from the temple in Jerusalem, likely from the religious Council (John's Gospel frequently uses the term "the Jews" to indicate members of the religious leadership, especially those among them hostile to Christ), came to comfort Martha and Mary and to mourn with them.  Therefore they will be witnesses to the sign that is to come.  From this passage we can possibly understand that Martha and Mary and their brother were from a prominent family, certainly known to many.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  My study Bible comments that, not unlike the incident of Luke 10:38-42, the two sisters react differently to Christ's arrival.  Martha, who is inclined to active service, rushes out to Meet Jesus, while Mary is in mourning until she is called by Christ (verses 28-29).  Sitting is the traditional posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14).  

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You as of God, God will give You."  While Martha possesses great faith, my study Bible says, her statements indicate a lack of understanding about Christ.  In saying, "if You had been here, my brother would not have died," Martha reveals she does not fully see that Christ is God, thinking He needed to be present to effect healings (contrast this with John 4:46-54).  By saying, "whatever you ask of God, God will give You," she shows her lack of understanding that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as He wills.  

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  Jesus says of Himself, "I am the resurrection and the life."   This powerful statement is a declaration of divine authority, even to raise the dead at the last day, but also applies here in this world.  This corrects Martha's misunderstanding:  my study Bible comments that such is the power of these words that Martha is immediately led to a great confession of faith.  Do you believe this? becomes a question directed not only to Martha, but to all of us. 

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Again, we note the differences in character of Martha and Mary, whom we note arose quickly once she is told the Teacher "is calling for you."  We can understand this as responding to a command.

We can't help but remark upon the differences in character between the two sisters, shown to be consistent throughout the Gospels -- especially in the context of the story in Luke which is noted by my study Bible (see Luke 10:38-42).  Martha is conscientious about performing the duties of hospitality; she goes out to meet Jesus as He approaches their home.  Mary is more concerned with the duties of piety; it is she who sits in mourning according to custom and tradition, and yet it is also Mary who responds quickly when she knows she is being called by the Teacher.  In the story in Luke, it is Martha concerned again with the duties of hospitality, no small thing in the context of culture (and indeed, all the cultures of the Middle East), as well as in the eyes of Christian monastic tradition that would follow, in which the duties of hospitality to visitors at the door would take precedence even over prayer.  It is important that we not minimize hospitality to a concept of mere social nicety or form, and understand it in the context of charity that shaped and defined cultures of the Middle East, and also in the tradition of the story of Abraham, who "entertained angels unawares" (Genesis 18:1-10, Hebrews 13:2).  Hospitality, especially in a desert climate where conditions could be harsh, was a tenet of mercy, especially toward strangers (see also the parable of the Good Samaritan, also in Luke's chapter 10 -  Luke 10:25-37).   Mary, on the other hand, sits at Christ's feet in the story of the two sisters in Luke, which Jesus calls "that good part, which shall not be taken away from her" (again, see Luke 10:38-42).   In that context, while Martha served and performed duties of hospitality, Mary sat as a disciple, listening to Jesus teach, something considered to be possibly outside of the norm, as evidenced by Martha's complaint to Jesus about her sister not helping her.  But in both sisters, we can read facets of Christianity and Christian service; each has a way to Christ, Christ loved both, as well as their brother Lazarus.  Martha and Mary have quite different personae, as sisters often do, but each one has her own way of learning from Christ, of being a friend to Christ, calling Him Teacher, and coming to Him in faith.  Each has her own way to a confession of faith.  What we should learn from these sisters, it seems to me, is of the many-faceted living jewel that the Church is, that our faith is, and that each one has a way to come to Christ unique to personality.  Each is called, but our direct path is not necessarily the same even though the goal is the same.   As we have had many occasions to remark of late in our commentaries, when St. Peter made his confession of faith, Jesus told him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).  Perhaps our Father in heaven, who has created each one of us in unique manner each with unique soul and spirit, also has a way to draw each of us in important ways so that the expression of unique personae becomes a part of our pathway to faith.  One might say that we can see in the saints unique ways that each is called to express faith, that holiness becomes a dynamic expression of potentials that are in that personality, as one is called by God.  For today, the Teacher approaches with His own plan and under the Father's guidance; Martha, the one skilled in hospitality duties, comes out to meet Him, while He calls Mary to Himself.  Each is called to a confession of faith, to the realization of who Jesus truly is.  Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life."   This is an offer of the fullness of life, of life which transcends even death.  He says to Martha, "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"   This is the path of faith, to which we are all called -- but in each unique life that faith will work with us to reveal Christ's power of immortality, like light hitting the facets of a jewel.  For we each need the power of His life in our life.

 

 

 

 

This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

 

- John 11:1-16 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke to them in the temple, the religious leaders took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  They answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods'"?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  This is the beginning of chapter 11, the setting for Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus.  It is this sign which sealed the decision of the Jewish religious authorities to put Christ to death.  The raising of Lazarus traditionally celebrated in the Church on the day before Palm Sunday.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which means "God helps."  Mary and Martha and Lazarus are very close to Jesus; they are His friends and He loves them, as we will read repeatedly in this chapter, and as is apparent in other stories about them in the Gospels.  By the language here, we can see that they were clearly known within the early Church.  In the second verse here, John makes reference to Mary in an unusual way, for the story of her anointing of the Lord with fragrant oil, and wiping His feet with her hair, will occur in the next chapter (John 12:1-7).

Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Let us note that Jesus gives a similar response here as He did regarding the subject of the sixth, previous sign in John's Gospel, the healing of a man blind from birth.  There His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  Here Jesus proclaims Lazarus' sickness to be for the glory of God,  that the Son of God may be glorified through it.  My study Bible comments that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in Christ's words.  It notes that the Son of God being glorified must not be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying; it indicates rather that Christ will be glorified as a result of his death (which occurred from natural illness) and his being raised from the dead.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Christ delays so that Lazarus will be dead long enough that the corruption of his body will set in (11:39).  Therefore there will be doubt of this miracle, and the might and "glory" of the Lord will be seen by everyone, including those who come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters.

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  In our readings from the previous chapters, we read of Christ's disputes with the religious leaders and their various attempts to seize Him and to stone Him (see John 10:29-39; yesterday's reading, above).   Once again, John returns to the language of light; Christ walks by the light of God, following the will of the Father in all things (John 5:30; 8:12, 28, 50; 12:35-36).

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Jesus says that their friend Lazarus sleeps; compare to Acts 7:60, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  My study Bible says that Thomas's statement is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  It adds that this also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24).  

 

In Monday's reading and commentary, we explored the themes opened up by Jesus' statement that a man blindness from birth was not due to any sins, but, as He responded to His disciples' question, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  It opened up issues of salvation for us to understand that Jesus would declare an obvious affliction to be an occasion for the manifestation of God's presence in the world.  In today's reading, as noted above, He makes a similar indication.  He declares to the disciples, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  The sixth sign in John's Gospel was the healing of the man blind from birth, and the disputes with the religious leaders following that healing have led already to their attempt to stone Christ.  But at this juncture, the affairs leading to Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, set the stage for something even greater than healing a man blind from birth.  The circumstances under which this seventh and final sign will occur literally involve life and death, with the power of immortality featured as God's manifestation even in this world.  Jesus begins to set the stage for this final miracle of the Gospel by delaying His journey to Bethany upon hearing of the illness of Lazarus.  He is making certain, as my study Bible noted, that the corruption of Lazarus' body will have begun by the time He arrives at the home of Lazarus and his sisters, for Lazarus will have been dead for four days.  In our commentary on the healing of the man blind from birth, we commented extensively regarding Jesus' statement that the affliction of blindness was, in that case, an occasion for the manifestation of the glory of God.  It tells us something quite important about what kind of a Savior Jesus is, and what method of salvation is offered to us through Christ.  The Law and Prophets came before Christ, and of course there were all kinds of systems of pagan morality and laws and ethics in the ancient world.  But Christ comes with an entirely different message and power; His is the power not simply to separate good from evil, or truth from lies, but rather to take even what has been corrupted by evil in this world and use it as occasion for the glory of the God of love, of truth and beauty and goodness.  As He previously manifested God's glory through the blindness healed in the sixth sign John gave us, so Christ steadfastly begins the journey with a decisive delay, in order to more fully manifest the power and glory of the immortal God even in this world, even in response to natural human death, which St. Paul calls "the last enemy" (1 Corinthians 15:26).   This final sign will be that of the power of immortality which is a quality belonging to God, the extremes of life and death, corruption and incorruption.  It will lead us to the Cross, and give us a preview of the fullness of what kind of Savior Christ really is, who comes into the world to turn death to life, sadness to joy, mourning into comfort (Matthew 5:4).  Let us consider our Savior, as we continue with Him on the journey to Bethany through John's 11th chapter.