And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better'"

 

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

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

 

- Luke 5:27-39 

 

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

 

  After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  My study Bible comments that Levi (Matthew) answers Christ's call, "Follow Me," and leaves his occupation to become a disciple.  From the beginning of his ministry Christ has been a friend of tax collectors and sinners, which is one of the Pharisees' complaints against Him, as we read in the verses that follow these.  My study Bible adds that Levi may also have been one of the tax collectors prepared for Christ by John the Baptist (Luke 3:12). 

 

Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  This feast expresses Matthew's joy and gratitude, according to my study Bible.  It says that the guest register is a stirring demonstration of the fruit of Jesus' love and forgiveness.  

 

 Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved."    My study Bible comments that Jesus' earthly life is a time of joyous blessings.  But there will come a time when His followers will practice the fast.  In Jewish life, there were both regular fasts and occasional fasts which were proclaimed.  Most solemn was the Day of Atonement, and in times of mourning.  But the time of the Messiah was a joyous wedding feast -- a time of great celebration and gladness.  My study Bible comments that Jesus proclaims that day, effectively calling Himself the Bridegroom -- and the guests the friends of the Bridegroom.   Times of Christian fasting, on the other hand, are considered not to be gloomy but desirable, called a "bright sadness" by my study Bible, for we gain self-control, and prepare ourselves for the Wedding Feast through specific periods of fasting as a community.

"And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  This saying occurs only in Luke's account of this story.  According to my study Bible it is illustrative of the difficulty with which the Jews would accept the new covenant.  It also represents the inner resistance which a person faces in turning from a sinful way of life.  Additionally, it describes the general stubbornness of the human heart. 

At this stage, perhaps we could say that the hostility of the religious leaders isn't quite in full bloom, hasn't reached the great peak it will reach later.  As such, their criticism focuses on what looks different from what they are used to; that is, what is surprising to them about Christ's ministry.  In yesterday's reading, the Pharisees and scribes criticized Jesus (at least in their thoughts!) for declaring that someone's sin was forgiven.  "Who can forgive sins but God?" they reasoned, thinking He blasphemed.  But then the astonishing happened, and He healed the paralytic.  Here in today's reading, the surprising and possibly unnerving thing (to them) is that even the disciples of John the Baptist (as well as the disciples of the Pharisees) fast often, but they're watching even tax collectors having a feast with Jesus and His disciples!  Jesus offers a very simple explanation -- that their Bridegroom is with them.  If we think of it even in modern terms, this analogy makes sense; for how could the friends of a bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away.  This rejoicing at having found Christ is revealed as something truly new, a deep change in the reality that people know.  Wine is symbolic of covenant, and this is new wine and a new covenant that has come to be -- and if it looks completely different from what they're used to, there's little wonder.  It must do so.  And there must be new wineskins for this new wine -- it must have time to do what new wine does.  It will grow and ferment with hidden, mysterious enzymatic action -- the energies of the Holy Spirit forming and shaping a new covenant and a new people within that covenant.  Jesus seems already to have grasped the impossibility of pouring this new wine into the old wineskins (so to speak) that cannot expand to take them in and hold them.  Even sewing a patch on the old -- some sort of augmentation or modification, even a sort of "band-aid" to breach the tears -- won't work, either.  We must assume, therefore, given this imagery, that Jesus already knows there will be no compromise on these issues, but a new vessel is necessary to contain the great expansion that is going to happen, even the multitudes who will be caught in the net of the apostles, like the fish in the apostles' net in yesterday's reading (above).  But this final verse that is only in Luke tells us also about the perspective of the scribes and Pharisees, and their attitudes to this "new" thing they observe happening.  It will never look "right" to them.  It hard to give up what one is used to in order to try something new.  Let us consider Christ's words as a metaphorical teaching also for the changes we might go through in our lives, especially a maturing in our own faith, a new time of renewal and repentance and "change of mind."  What is around the bend can feel alien and unknown, making changes means we step into new territory and break new ground.  We need to "expand" to accommodate it.  There are times when growth in our faith will ask us to go forward and do this, just as we watch the disciples doing throughout the Gospels.  So let us not simply think of this story as only a "tell" on the scribes and Pharisees, but a surprising metaphor for our own calling going forward.  Can we be like Matthew the tax collector, or the fishermen in yesterday's reading, and leave all behind to "Follow Him?"  Sometimes it seems to me this is the whole of the ongoing life of faith in Christ, and our participation in it, in His communion, for He expands in us, the new wineskins.  Let us go forward with the saints, and Christ's call in our lives.  Today's reading also makes it clear that these changes are meant to heal ("Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance").   Quite often, to heal after one has been sick for a long time requires the acceptance of change as well, a new way of life, and a new perspective on life.  Let us then consider the call of our Physician, and the changes that His new life and new wine will bring for us to accept and to live.

 

We have seen strange things today!

 

Byzantine fresco, Platytera Ton Ouranon, "More spacious than the heavens," 14th cent.  St. Demetrius Church, Patriarchate of Pec, Serbia

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

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

 

- Luke 5:12-26 

 

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

 

  And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  My study Bible explains that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of Jesus' time.  It brought great physical suffering, as well as total banishment and isolation from society.  So, the person would be cast out from community.  It is also a symbol of our sin.

Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."   The priests were in charge of the care of lepers and leprous houses, including issuing a certificate of cleansing, so that the people could again participate in community (see Leviticus 13, 14).  My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who comments that Jesus gave the command to show yourself to the priest in order to convince the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, yet Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  However, when Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Let us note that even Christ needs regular time for withdrawal in solitude in order to pray.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.   Here the text introduces us to members of the ruling establishment of the Jews, and they have come from all over Israel.  They will be witness to what happens, and are no doubt present to observe the ministry of Jesus, which by now is well-known.

 

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

It's quite interesting to begin to observe the responses of the scribes and Pharisees to Christ.  The good news of forgiveness is met with indignance.  "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  Well, I suppose it is a reasonable theological objection, although by now everyone must be aware that Christ is no ordinary Man.  But Jesus Himself responds to this criticism seemingly as if He understands how it seems reasonable to them, and within their own "bailiwick" of regulating the faith and training and instructing the people.  So He responds with a deeper challenge, plunging right into His own way of responding with the truth.  "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  We can simply imagine the response of the religious leaders.  One imagines they were simply stupefied and unprepared for what they saw, possibly responding with the rest of the people, "We have seen strange things today!"  That word that is translated as "strange" (in strange things) is παράδοξος/paradoxos in Greek.  And yes, that is the root of the word we use in English, "paradox."  In Greek the form is plural, as in strange or remarkable things, but "strange" and "remarkable" don't quite get the full impact of paradox.  What they've seen are things that are totally unexpected and out of the ordinary, as if right smack into the middle of normal life is something so inexplicable as to be seemingly contrary to all we think we know.  That's what it's like to witness one of the miracles or signs of Christ.  And the word is significant, because for the early Christian Church, there was nothing which so defined the divine, and especially the workings of the Trinity, especially the signs of God working among us, as paradox.  In the Eastern Church, hymns are filled with paradoxical images in order to open to us the things of God.  One of the names for the Virgin Mary, for example, is Platytera.   It is the name of a particular icon as well.  It means "wider" or "more spacious."  But because she held the Creator of the Universe in her womb, she is called Platytera ton ouranon, meaning "More spacious than the heavens."  The ultimate paradox, of course, is Crucifixion and Resurrection.  They are inseparable enough so that the Cross means for us Resurrection, and all that this entails, including the banishing of the evil one.  The Eastern Orthodox hymn in the Resurrection service of Easter declares, "Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, granting life to those in the tombs."   How can we understand this in purely human terms or from worldly expectation?  We can't.  And yet it is true, by dying on the Cross, He trampled death ("the last enemy" - 1 Corinthians 15:26).  And this is not so only for those who would come, but for those "in the tombs" awaiting their own liberation.  What we see on the Cross, which looks like horrific shameful defeat in human terms, is truly the greatest victory of all over the most lethal weapons of the enemy and accuser.  So powerful is the notion of paradox, and so central to our faith it is, that this is the way the early Church found to express the deepest wonders of God, and to open up to us what is ultimately unknowable in its fullness.  But that is precisely what Christ has brought to us -- the strange, unexpected, paradoxical reality we cannot just blink away or rationalize in some odd kind of "reasonable" explanation.  In Shakespeare's "Hamlet," Hamlet is told by his father's ghost of the treachery of his mother and uncle.  His friend from the University of Wittenberg (which was known for the shift from theology to humanism), Horatio, responds with words which might be taken right out of our text, calling this encounter "wondrous strange."  Hamlet responds, "And therefore as a stranger give it welcome. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."  Paradox is the one way to describe the surprising work of God, even in our midst, which surpasses our expectations and defies all categories and limitations.  For just as Christ is both God and man (another extraordinary paradox), so even we carry the kingdom of heaven within us and among us (Luke 17:20-21).

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 5:1–11 

 

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

 

 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  My study Bible explains that the Lake of Gennesaret is also known as the Sea of Galilee.  It is about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide.  

 

 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  My study Bible explains that sitting was the traditional position for a teacher.  Some early Christian preachers, such as St. John Chrysostom, sat while the people stood.  In Matthew 5:1, Jesus is described as "seated" just before He begins to preach the Sermon on the Mount to His disciples.  

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  My study Bible tells us that St. Ambrose sees a spiritual meaning in the command to launch out into the deep, as an invitation to give one's life over to the deep mystery of the knowledge of the Son of God.  

 

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

 

 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  My study Bible says that Peter's cry in the face of divine power is not a rejection of Jesus (contrast this to Luke 8:37).  Rather, he suddenly sees himself in the light of Christ.  My study Bible explains that holy people such as Peter become keenly aware of their own unworthiness (compare Isaiah 6:5; Revelation 1:17). 

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.  My study Bible explains that the great catch of fish is an image of the apostles, who bring mankind to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, and it fulfills the prophecy of Jeremiah 16:16.  In the Eastern Orthodox festal hymn of Pentecost, it is sung, "Through the fishermen, You drew the world into Your net."

 

There are a few interesting elements in today's reading which we might call poetic.  It is something of the poetry of Scripture, or perhaps we might simply say the poetry of God.  First of all, the text says that they are at the Lake of Gennesaret, where Simon Peter has his boat, and is fishing along with James and John Zebedee.  The etymology of the word Gennesaret is disputed and unclear. But many suggest that the basis for the name is a word for "garden."  Some say it means possibly, "garden of the Prince," or suggestive of Paradise (long associated with a beautiful garden).  The Lake of Gennesaret (also known as the Sea of Galilee) overlooks a very fertile plain called the plain of Gennesaret.  This area was known for its abundance:  abundant fertility and variety of crops, good soil and conditions for growth, as well as the abundance of fish the lake provided here.  So, all of this combines with the poetic imagery of the disciples whom Jesus says will become fishers of men.  They will go out to bring an abundant harvest, an abundant catch, symbolized in the great catch of fish in their nets, and they bear the kingdom of heaven with them, the "Paradise" suggested in the name and the abundant beauty and fertility of this region, evidently great conditions for the sustaining of human life.  Think of the impossibly great multiples of faithful created through this beginning of Christ's ministry and this handful of early disciples.   Finally we come to the end of our reading, in which we're told that these early disciples brought their boats to land, and then forsook all and followed Him.  We know they were already disciples before this point (in yesterday's reading, we read how Jesus came to Peter's house, and healed his mother-in-law of a fever).  But now they are called by Christ to a new life, a new métier, a new way of life and work to do, so they forsake all and follow Him.  When we think of that net full of fish to the point of breaking, the boats full to the point of sinking, we can think of this fertile plain, and the surprising variety of crops that grew together, usually requiring varying conditions, because that is what the future Church would look like.  That abundance of the fish is the abundance of the countless number of people since who have come to know Christ because of the apostles.  These men, too, will give it their "all," for they have been called, and they will respond, nearly all of them holding nothing back, including even the sacrifice of their lives.  Jesus told them to "launch out into the deep," and so they have -- deepening their faith, moving toward the deeper mysteries of God, and expanding their commitment more deeply into their hearts and lives.

 

 

 

So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them

 

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

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

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

 

- Luke 4:38–44 

 

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

 

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  My study Bible notes that this passage and also 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) indicate that Peter was married.  It points out that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  In this case, He heals by touch; in Matthew 8:13, He healed by a word.  This healing is immediate and complete, while others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of his loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  The passage in Matthew's Gospel which describes this healing adds the following:  ". . . that it might that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses'" (quoting from Isaiah 53:4).  As this indicates, my study Bible comments, all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.   St. Cyril of Alexandria comments on the phrase that tells us Christ rebuked the fever:  "That which was rebuked was some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it, for it is not reasonable to rebuke a thing without life and unconscious of the rebuke.  Nor is it astonishing for there to exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Here we're given this ending of a particular day in Christ's ministry, as we read that the events in these verses took place when the sun was setting.  Note how yet again, the demons recognize and seek to reveal Jesus' divine identity, calling Him "the Christ, the Son of God."  But it is not time for Jesus to reveal Himself in this way, and so He rebuked them and did not allow them to speak.

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

Once again, as we've observed over the past few readings in Luke's Gospel, Jesus sticks to His mission.  He knows what He must be about, and the mission upon which He's been sent by the Father.  (It is in Luke's Gospel, after all, that we read of the twelve-year-old Jesus telling His frantic parents, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?" See Luke 2:41-52.)  Let's note that Jesus says He must go to other cities, "because for this purpose I have been sent."  There are also times when He is "moved with compassion" for crowds, and so stays to teach (Matthew 9:36) or to heal (Matthew 14:14).  But He knows His purpose (the purpose for which He's been sent), and to that He is dedicated above all.  Also, once again, in today's reading, we observe the demons making known His identity, and Jesus telling them not to speak.  So, while Jesus lives out His purpose, His mission in being sent, He is careful not to openly -- or perhaps we should say, literally -- declare Himself.  Jesus will show what it is a Messiah does, and reveal who He is in this sense, but not by declaring Himself openly as the Christ, until it is the proper time.  He must let the world know what that mission is by doing, by example, and by the signs that accompany His ministry.  He will not be a worldly king in the sense in which the people expect that of the Messiah.  In a sense there are three "rebukes" in today's reading.  Insisting that He move on to teach elsewhere is a kind of rebuke to the people who beg Him today; and we're told that He rebuked the demons.  But we began today's reading with the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, and that was facilitated by Jesus "rebuking" her fever.  As St. Ambrose of Milan observes, this would seem to indicate "some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it."  A dark force, able to "inflict harm on the human body" is certainly suggested by the word "rebuked" here, and so we must consider one more aspect of Christ's power and authority in this context.  In this case, we see a malevolent force:  the text literally says that the fever "afflicts" or "seizes" her.  This force oppresses, inhibiting the capacity of Peter's mother-in-law to hold her rightful place in the household.  Moreover that rightful place isn't just a domestic figure of a woman elder in the household.  That place is ministering to Christ, the same blessing Peter and his brother Andrew have as disciples, if we understand it in this sense.  She is one of the ministers to the ministry, to put it succinctly.  And therefore, when she is able to immediately arise and serve them, she becomes -- as the image suggests -- upright, holding her own proper place of authority and honor.  In fact, in the Greek, when it says that she "arose," this is the same word that is used  the Resurrection, even to "rise again."  It is this word Jesus uses in John's Gospel when He says, "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" (John 6:39).  So what we see, in effect, is Christ restoring people to their rightful places, a fulfilled identity within the greater context of the salvation plan for the world.  This is true healing on its deepest level within us, spiritual deliverance, and a defeat for the evil that would afflict and keep us enslaved to ill health or other maladies, from the fullness of our capacity to glorify God with out lives.  Let us consider the power of Christ and His mission, already being revealed in this beginning of His ministry.  

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 4:31-37 

 

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

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.   My study Bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan, who comments that Christ here begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths in order to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."  Jesus teaches with authority, and the people were astonished, because unlike the prophets of old and the teachers of His day who taught in the third person ("The Lord says"), Christ taught in the first person ("I say to you").  See also Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount.

 

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word is this!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.   My study Bible comments that Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  There are various reasons for secrecy given here.  First, there is the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders (if He's preaching in the synagogues the rulers are bound to take notice, especially after this event).  Second, the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah has led to expectations of an earthly, political leader, which Christ is not.  Finally, Jesus' desire is to evoke genuine faith, not based solely on marvelous signs.

Let us note Jesus' authority and power.  My study Bible comments on the authority with which Jesus speaks, teaching in the first person ("I say to you"), and how this is distinctive for the people.  In today's reading, Jesus not only teaches, He commands the unclean spirits, thus expressing authority in an even more astonishing way.  This is a kind of sign, in which not only does Jesus command the unclean demon to "come out of him!" but the demon also speaks, identifying Jesus as "the Holy One of God."  Of course, the healing of the man by the exorcism of the demon is another sign of Christ's authority, as the people exclaim, "What a word is this!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  So in these first episodes we're given of Christ's public ministry, we see a common theme of declaration of authority, and acting with authority.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus announced to His neighbors in His hometown of Nazareth that Isaiah's prophecy (Isaiah 61:1-2), which He read in the synagogue, was fulfilled in their hearing on that day -- a decisively authoritative thing to declare!  Moreover, when they responded by rejecting Him, He declared that "no prophet is accepted in His own country," and furthermore proceeded with the examples of Elijah and Elisha, who were sent by God to foreigners. This further enraged the people in His hometown who then proceeded to attempt to throw Him from a cliff!  But Jesus speaks with authority, and is not afraid to do so, and this is His public ministry.  He does not openly declare that He is the Christ for the various reasons given, but the "signs" -- His speaking and teaching with authority, and His casting out of the demon (also the demon's exclamation that Jesus is the Holy One of God) -- are all things that point to the presence of deity, the root of His authority and power.  In this context, let us think about how Jesus in some sense declares His identity without openly stating it.  He teaches with authority, speaks with power, casts out demons and gives them commands which they must obey.  Let us consider, then, how we may show the world our identity as followers of Christ simply by living the Christian life and following His commands.  In what ways do we tell the world who we are without actually literally telling anybody a name or title?  For this is the unafraid example He sets for us, unabashed to act, but prudent enough to know when it is "time" to go further.

 

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD

 

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

 

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

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me 

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

 

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

 

- Luke 4:14–30 

 

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

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  Jesus returns from the time of testing in the wilderness to His home region of Galilee, and His public ministry begins.  Note how His reputation grew as He taught in the synagogues, and was glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.   Jesus' "hometown," where He had been brought up, was Nazareth in Galilee.  A source of confusion arises later on in His ministry, among those who do not know that He was born in Bethlehem of Judea, although brought up in Nazareth.

 

  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  As Christ is the eternal Son of God, He did not become the world's anointed Savior, but rather has always been our Savior from before the foundation of the world.  My study Bible explains that it was Christ who spoke through Isaiah, as Isaiah said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (see Isaiah 61:1-2 from which Jesus reads).  My study Bible asks us to note that He does not say, "The Spirit has come upon Me."  It explains that when the Spirit of the LORD descended on Jesus at His baptism (Luke 3:22), this was a sign revealing an eternal, not temporal, truth to the people.  The acceptable year is the time of the Incarnation, when the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).  

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in our hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  My study Bible comments that this double response of marveling (verse 22) and rejection (verse 29) occurs frequently in those who encounter Christ (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Christ's saying, that no prophet is accepted in his own country, appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; John 4:44).

My study Bible says that this rejection fulfills the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha (verses 26-27), and is a foreshadowing of Christ's rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Here, the hour of Christ's Passion has not yet come (see John 8:20).

It's very interesting to note how outspoken Jesus is.  It's as if He has come out publicly into the world with His ministry with a commitment never to mince words, to hold nothing back.  There are times we know when He seeks to withdraw, to avoid clashing with the authorities before the time of His Passion.  There are times just after He has had a particular conflict with the religious authorities when He will seek to be out of the way for awhile.  For example, in Mark's Gospel, we're told that when He went through the Gentile territory of Tyre and Sidon, "He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret," and so has an encounter with the Syrophoenician woman who wants His help casting a demon from her daughter (Mark 7:24-30).  Similarly, in Mark's 9th chapter, just before Christ warns the disciples for the second time that He will be killed and rise the third day, we read, "Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know  it" (Mark 9:30-32).  But in this case in today's reading, when Jesus goes to His hometown of Nazareth, it's almost as it if it is time for this particular meeting, this particular objection, this response upon which my study Bible remarks of both marveling and rejection.  He boldly announces to this congregation in the place where He grew up, that the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled in their hearing on this day.  Note that He has already established Himself in Galilee with a prominent public ministry, and clearly has done great works elsewhere.  Jesus says to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  In this place where they know Him and His family is where the demand for proofs begin, and it is seemingly as if Jesus has anticipated this type of objection, this obstacle to belief, and the rejection that comes among "His own."  In His own hometown of Nazareth, the people are so outraged at Him when He responds that it was only foreigners who received the word of Elijah and of Elisha, that they attempt to rush Him off a cliff to His death.  His time has not yet come for His Passion and death, but many rejections will come before that also.  Jesus wastes no time mincing words, or seeking to appease, or to find something acceptable to say.  He tells the truth -- the very blunt truth that one supposes He must know they will react to in this hostile way.  After all, we can imagine they say to themselves, who does He think He is?  "Is this not Joseph's son?"  Where did He get those gracious words?  At any rate, Jesus knows the fate of prophets, saying that "no prophet is accepted in his own country."  Therefore what is bound to happen must happen, and Jesus will not change His mission and ministry, His gospel message, nor His obedience to the Father.  Whatever is going to conflict with that is simply what He will accept as He must.  What comes first is following the Father's will and acting in the Father's name -- even if that means rejection in His hometown.  So what can we ourselves learn from Christ's ministry here in His hometown of Nazareth?  There are times when we might face rejection among "our own" because of our faith, because we follow where we think God is leading us.  We might express the "wrong opinion," or perhaps we ourselves are led to develop skills and talents such as "gracious words" that spark both marveling and rejection at the same time.  After all, envy is not something confined to Christ's time, and a truthful prophet no doubt may still find the same response "in his own country."  But for the meantime, let us ponder Jesus' role.  It is not to shrink back, or fail to do His mission.  If rejection of His message will come, that does not mean He will avoid that message.  The last thing Jesus seeks is popularity; He has a job to do, a mission to fulfill, a ministry to make known, a message He must proclaim, and a certain end to fulfill.  It is "the acceptable year of the Lord," and He is the fulfillment of prophecy.  He knows what He is doing, where He is headed and what He is about, and to whom He is loyal above all.  Let us follow His example and accept what we must with His faith and His courage.  

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil

 

 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  

 

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written,  'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you, 

To keep you,'

"and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up,

 Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

- Luke 4:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."  

 

  Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  My study Bible comments that this exodus of Jesus into the wilderness after His baptism has a dual symbolism.  First of all, it fulfills the Old Testament type, in which Israel journeyed in the wilderness for forty years after its "baptism" in the Red Sea.  Second, it prefigures our own journey through the fallen world after baptism as we struggle towards the Kingdom.

 

 And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."   Note how Christ's temptation comes first in the midst of desires that are natural to human beings; in this case, He was hungry.  The temptation comes as the devil challenges Christ's identity as Son of God.  That is, the identity proclaimed by the Father's voice at Baptism (see yesterday's reading, above); the identity of Christ in the sight of God, and Christ's loyalty to the Father.  My study Bible says that the devil wants Jesus to act independently, and to detach Himself from the will of the Father.  It explains that in His divine nature, Christ shares on will with the Father and the Holy Spirit; He can do nothing of Himself (John 5:30), apart from the Father.  But in His humanity, Christ possesses free will, and at all times must choose to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father.  This is a model for us and for our own choices.  Although we do not have the identity of Christ, we also are given an identity from God (Revelation 2:17), which we pursue through a lifetime of working out our salvation (Philippians 2:12).

But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Jesus counters each temptation with a quotation from Deuteronomy, the time of Israel's temptation in following God to the Promised Land.  Here He quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3.  Each quotation calls for loyalty to God.  My study Bible says that Christ fasted in order to overcome temptation, giving us an example of our own power and limitations in the face of temptation.  The hunger of His flesh does not control Him; instead, Jesus controls His flesh.  His forty day period of fasting is the foundation of the Church's historical forty-day Lenten fast before Holy Week and also before Christmas.  While Adam disregarded the divine word to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), Christ is the New Adam, who conquers temptation by the divine word, giving human nature the power to conquer Satan.  My study Bible adds that Christ's response using Scripture teaches us also to study Scripture to help us in times of temptation that call for our resistance (Psalm 119:11).  

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written,  'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."   My study Bible explains that God's Kingdom is not one of earthly power and possessions.  In this test by the devil, Jesus was being asked to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God.  The devil, it says, is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).  Jesus is refusing the road of earthly glory, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13.

 

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  As Christ successfully used Scripture against the devil, Satan tries to use the Scriptures to God's power of protection to the test (see also 2 Peter 1:19-21).  In John 7:52 we also see the Pharisees trying similarly to do the same to counter Christ.  But the devil understands neither the truth nor the power of the Scriptures, my study Bible explains.  To know and quote Scripture without true understanding is worthless at best, and ultimately condemnable, it says.  Without true understanding through the distilled, centuries-old wisdom of Holy Tradition, the Scriptures are robbed of their authority.  The devil quotes from Psalm 91:11-12.

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16.  An opportune time:  see Luke 22:40-46; 23:35; Matthew 16:21-23.

As we read that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted forty days by the devil, we are given a certain orientation as premise, before we read about those temptations.   We should ponder this, and ask ourselves why the Holy Spirit would do this.  Why was it important to Christ's mission?  How would being tempted help someone on a holy mission?  How would it help Jesus?  Of course, we ask ourselves these questions so that we can understand what Christ does in order to understand better what takes place in our own lives.  There are times when many of us who seek to follow Christ seem to believe that no temptation should happen in our lives.  Or if it does, we might be doing something wrong.  But as we can see, this is not so.  It is human to be tempted, to have needs and desires and passions, such as hunger, for example, as Christ does.   Note that the devil also attempts to tempt Jesus with wealth and power, and also to test God the Father.  In the mission of Christ's public ministry which He is about to begin, He will again find Himself at the center of controversy in which His own needs are put to the test, such as a need for rest, and the people will seek for a Messiah who will be a worldly king.  His own family are among those who don't believe (John 7:5), or seek to pull Him away from what He does because of the stir He causes (Mark 3:21).  John's Gospel also tells us that He lost many disciples because of His teaching (John 6:66-68).  Jesus will give the same response He gives to the devil in today's passage when St. Peter insists that He not be crucified:  "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (see Matthew 16:21-23).   Of course, the temptation will be to resist the Cross, and this is the thing to which Jesus refers in His response to Peter.  But just a sample of these experiences in the Gospels is enough to tell us about the purpose of this period of temptation -- and even about our own potential experiences of times of temptation.  They serve as preparation for what is to come.  As my study Bible explains, the traditional practice of the Lenten fast (and other traditional periods of fasting) comes out of this inspiration as well.  It seems similar to training the muscles, in physical therapy or in athletics.  Discipleship is beneficial for those who train themselves for something, our resistance to temptation helps us to become stronger, and we are in this journey with Christ and the disciples as a part of a lifelong establishment of something within us, and building up our lives.  It is truly meant to be seen as a struggle, one in which we engage together with Him, as He shows us the way Himself, first.  As those who seek to follow Him, to live a prayerful life, to learn the kind of discipline (or discipleship) that He offers, we "fight the good fight," like St. Paul, in which no contest is an opportunity wasted.  In the context of our faith, even the times we stumble serve as lessons, experience that prepares us for the future.  Perhaps it is the consumer-oriented social milieu in which we live, the always-available products to suit seemingly every desire, that leads us into a false notion of perfection -- or to expect some sort of model of perfection from ourselves.  But the Gospels tell a story of difficulties and struggles, of great spiritual miracles and joy, and also disappointments and tragedy.  Altogether, we understand Christ's mission that lays ahead of Him as dependent upon one thing for our perspective:  faith.  When we proceed with faith, then we know that we are on a road somewhere.  It doesn't matter where we start.  We, like Christ, are taken on a journey for purposes known to God, to help us also to develop our own identities within that great economy of salvation.  We might reject this road and this struggle, but that might also turn into a learning experience, depending upon how we come to understand where we are in life.  The notion of "perfection" can be yet one more example of temptation, for it is in humility that we come to know ourselves and build up spiritual endurance, strength, and overcoming.  Let us follow His lead, and know that God seeks to prepare us in ways we truly need.

 

 

And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased"

 

Baptism in the Jordan, 15th century, Kythera. Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece. (Author photo)

 Now as the people were in expectation and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  

 

But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

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

 

- Luke 3:15–22 

 

 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."   

 

 Now as the people were in expectation and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.   Note, as we did in yesterday's commentary, the people were in expectation not only because the fulfillment of prophecy was at hand (as the ruling family are sons of Herod the Great, a non-Jew who claimed to be king of Judea - see the prophecy of Jacob at Genesis 49:10), but also clearly because of preaching of John the Baptist, who was held is wide esteem as a holy man.  My study Bible comments on this passage that fire, in the context in which John speaks as that which distinguishes the Baptism of Christ, has the primary meaning of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is given to the world at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).  Moreover, this also declares the judgment of Christ, in which the faithless will burn (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2:8).  It is important to understand that this fire is one.  It is the same Power and the same Spirit which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.  

 

 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  My study Bible explains here that Herod (also known to us as Herod Antipas) had divorced his own wife and married his brother Philip's wife Herodias while Philip was still living.  

 

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  My study Bible comments that Jesus Himself does not need baptism.  In being baptized, however, our Lord accomplished several things.  First of all, He affirmed the ministry of John the Baptist, whom we know as the greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  Second, He was revealed by the Father and the Holy Spirit to be the Christ, God's beloved Son.  Additionally, He identified with His people by descending into the waters with them; and He prefigured His own death -- thereby giving baptism its ultimate meaning.  Jesus also entered the waters, and thus sanctified the water.  Moreover, He fulfilled the many "types" given in the Old Testament, such as when Moses led the people from bondage through the Red Sea (Exodus 14), when the ark of the covenant was carried into the Jordan so that the people could enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3; 4).  Finally, through His Baptism, Jesus opened heaven to a world separated from God through sin.

There is quite a lengthy note in my study Bible regarding Jesus' Baptism which is worth reporting here.  His Baptism is celebrated on January 6th in the Orthodox world, and is commonly known as Epiphany ("manifestation" or "showing forth"), or more properly, my study Bible says, Theophany, which means "God revealed," or "manifestation of God."  The Son is revealed by the descent of the Holy Spirit and by the voice of the Father.  This is the greatest and clearest public manifestation of God as Trinity in human history, as in the words of a hymn of this occasion, "The Trinity was made manifest."  My study Bible adds that the words spoken by the Father also apply to everyone who is baptized and lives faithfully, as sonship (implying "heirs" regardless of gender) is bestowed by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  The Holy Spirit appearing as a dove is not an incarnation.  It is rather a visible sign for the people.  This appearance further fulfills the type prefigured at the Flood (Genesis 8:8-11).  Theophylact is quoted:  "Just as a dove announced to Noah that God's wrath had ceased, so too the Holy Spirit announces here that Christ has reconciled us to God by sweeping sin away in the flood waters of baptism."  It's worth noting here also that in the very early Church, both the Nativity and Baptism of Christ were celebrated on the same day, January 6th (a practice which continues in the Armenian Apostolic Church today).   We can see the idea of the manifestation of God in the world -- an "appearing" to the public gathered of Father, Son, and Spirit -- and the birth of Jesus Christ coming into the world in the flesh, as being celebrated in one event.  Moreover, this event is the birth of Christ's public ministry in the world, the coming forth of the gospel message to all.  In that sense, it is truly the "revelation of God," God showing forth into the world, and we are prepared to follow Him on His journey, His way to teach us the way.