This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many

 

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

 

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

- Mark 14:12–26 

 

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

 

  Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  My study Bible has a note that tells us that while the synoptic Gospels date the Crucifixion on the first day of Passover, John's Gospel dates it to the Preparation Day, the day before the Passover.  So, therefore, in the synoptic tradition, the Last Supper (which is part of today's reading) is the Passover meal.  But in John's Gospel, Jesus, as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), dies at the exact time the Passover lambs are being slain in the temple.  While it is not possible to determine which is historically accurate, we must keep in mind that both traditions are theologically accurate.  That is, the Mystical Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal (the synoptic tradition) and Christ death is the fulfillment of the Passover lambs being slain (John's tradition).  

And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and they came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  These two disciples are Peter and John (Luke 22:8).  Let us note once again, as in Christ's instructions for the preparation of His Triumphal Entry, the careful and deliberate planning by Christ even of the details that go into preparations for the Last Supper.  

 

 In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish."  My study Bible comments that Christ emphasizes here both that His betrayer is one of the twelve an that he is one "who dips with Me in the dish."  This is not so much to identify the person as to emphasize the deep level of this betrayal -- that this was one of His closest friends (see Psalm 55:13-15).  

"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  My study Bible says that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal takes away neither Judas' moral freedom nor his accountability.  For God, all things are a present reality; He foresees all human actions, but does not cause them. 

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  When Jesus took the cup, He gave it to the disciples only after He had given thanks.  My study Bible comments that the verb translated as "give thanks" (εὐχαριστέω) has the Greek word "eucharist" as its root.  This immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Before the end of the first century, it notes, a manuscript called the Didache ("Teaching") refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  Also, my study Bible comments, in the year AD 150, St. Justin says of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  Jesus also says, "This is My body."  In the Orthodox Church, it has always been accepted that Christ words are true.  St. Justin writes that "the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."  Let us note that this is a mystical reality of the sacrament; it is accepted that it is true by the power of the Holy Spirit, but without explanation as to how this happens.  This was the viewpoint of the unified Church of the first millennium, and remains the perspective of the Orthodox.

 

 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  This hymn is a psalm from a group of psalms traditionally sung after the Passover meal (Psalms 113-118).  

In today's reading, we can discern the sacrificial nature of Christ's impending death, both through His words and teaching, and also the events of the Passover and particularly the killing of the Passover lamb.  In modern perspective, especially perhaps in the West, even the word "sacrifice" tends to have negative connotations.  That is unless, of course, there is a payoff to be reaped, where sacrifice is an investment for a good return.  One "sacrifices," for example, to pay for schooling which hopefully will return the investment with a good job or career.  But perhaps we need to understand sacrifice in a different context and within a different definition in order to see more clearly what sacrifice, in this sense in the Gospels, meant to the ancient peoples.  Primarily sacrifice was an act of community, with the sacrifice making a communal meal which included the deity of the people.  In our context, we therefore call the Mystical Supper, the Eucharist, "Communion."  We share in the Body and Blood of Christ, who became the Lamb of God for us.  He became the One sacrifice that replaced all, so that we have communion in Him, and we as faithful are called the Body of Christ, denoting that communion.  So we give thanks, in effect, for that which brings us communion, makes us one body.  The Lord's sacrifice and subsequent Resurrection makes this possible for us, and we are to understand it in this sense.  It is akin to the slaughtering of the Passover lambs in that the blood of the lambs saved the ancient Hebrews, freeing them from death, and enabling their liberation from slavery.  Perhaps we could more closely understand this in a modern context if we considered the sacrifices people make for their families, for the life of the communion or body of the family.  So we see Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, and our communion as we participate by partaking of His body and blood, mystically present in the Eucharist.  This is not a question of defining how precisely this happens in a physical sense, but rather asks of us a true understanding of the nature of His sacrifice and His gift of the Eucharist so that we may participate in His life, including His Resurrection.  It is very important that we understand this as a mystical reality, for it is not possible to accept without faith and the work of God present within all of it, and the work of the Holy Spirit present with us and in the midst of our worship.  Our communion is not simply ourselves as faithful, but also the whole body of the saints, which includes the angels and heavenly hosts, as well as Father, Son, and Spirit.  It is for this communion that we give thanks, for this sacrifice of Christ, who became human by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may fully participate, in turn, in the life He offers through this cup and bread. Its mystical reality is made possible through God and God's work in the world, including the Incarnation, which incorporates the Cross and the Resurrection.  For God will experience human death, and as such He will defeat the death that would seek to enslave us in many forms.  In this way, the whole "family" of God is nurtured, built, expanded into the inexpressible knowledge of God's infinite perspective.  We give thanks in the communion, the Mystical Supper that allows us to be a part of His Mystical Body that is also the Church, in which we each may play a role and participate in God's saving work.  Jesus says, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many," meaning for all.

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her

 

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

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

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

 

- Mark 14:1–11 

 

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

 

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  My study Bible explains that the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan (on the Jewish calendar), and lasts seven days (Exodus 12:12-20).  Combined, these feasts commemorate Israel's being freed from slavery in Egypt.  The word "Passover" refers to the angel of death "passing over" Hebrew hones when killing the firstborn of the Egyptians, as the Jews had put lamb's blood on the doorposts (Exodus 12:13).  My study Bible tells us that Unleavened bread is a reminder of the haste with which the Hebrews left Egypt (Exodus 12:39).  This Passover, it teaches, was fulfilled in Christ, whose blood was shed to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.  

 

 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  My study Bible explains that Simon the leper must have been healed by Christ earlier, for lepers were forbidden to live in towns.

 

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

 

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

 

 What is quite appealing in today's reading is Jesus' insight and perspective on the gift of this woman who brings to Him an alabaster flask of what we're told is very costly oil of spikenard, a fragrant oil sometimes said to be similar to lavender in scent.  According to some sources, this spikenard was costly partly because it had to be imported from far away, as it was made from a flower that grew in the Himalayas, a part of the honeysuckle family.  So this is indeed a treasure that she is bringing to Jesus, something considered to be extravagant and a form of luxury.  But let us consider that she does not use it for herself (as St. Chrysostom commented), and neither does she give it as treasure, but uses it to anoint Jesus.  Let us remember also that the title "Christ" means "Anointed One."  So, in a sense, she is declaring her faith that He is indeed the Christ, the Messiah.  But it is Jesus' own perspective on what she has done which is the most impressive here, and the most insightful, for Jesus also gives us clues about how we, also, might more properly form perspective on various occasions or events in our lives.  For Jesus sees this as purely an act of love and care, and even one that is prophetic in and of itself, making it a sign of a true gift of the spirit.  For Jesus sees this -- and explicitly corrects the disciples in saying so -- as an anointing for His burial.  She has brought Him, in effect, a prophetic gift, an act of love and mercy at the death of one who is Beloved.  For this is what people do for their loved ones.  This is the way to give care in death.  This is what the women go to do at the tomb who will be the first to be given the good news of the Resurrection (Luke 24:1-12).  This is the way that Jesus teaches us to see this act, the way He teaches the disciples to see with His eyes, for He has the deeper insight into the prophetic, and His perspective renders great praise to this woman.  Let us examine His words:  "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  In other words, she understands the time and the preciousness of the life of Christ, so that this is her opportunity to do something good for Him.  In this sense, "she has done what she could."  And His praise is so great that "wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Imagine the honor He declares is due to her that she has a permanent, universal memorial to her "wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world!"  Jesus not only gives praise, He commands a memorial such as this.  In so doing, He also reminds us what it means to "watch and pray" as He has repeatedly taught during the past three Gospel readings concerning the end times.  To watch is the opposite of sleeping; it is to be alert, awake and aware as possible, to be vigilant.  In her own vigilance of this time, she has brought an anointing to prepare for His burial; she has found the spiritual possibility of this moment.  She, walking into this home in Bethany near Jerusalem, in this dinner where no doubt Christ was the guest of honor at the time of the Passover when so many pilgrims had come to Jerusalem -- she among all of the others knows the time and the opportunity to do what she could.  She has found and understood this moment, and expressed her devotion and faith, as Christ is One whom "you do not have always."  She has done a good work for Him in this time in a proper way.  Let us consider the time and moments of our lives in which to do a particular good work is proper and right.  For this is what it means to be truly watchful and prayerful.  Over the previous three readings, we have been following Christ's discussion of end times -- that is, from the time of His Resurrection until His Second Coming, which we now await.  Throughout, Jesus has repeatedly punctuated His teachings with admonitions to "watch," to "pray," and to "take heed."   For it is a time of upheaval, of things being exposed, unveiled, revealed, and the old things passing away.  She has discerned this time in which the leaders plot against Christ, and she has given Him the anointing in preparation for what is to come, where He goes voluntarily, even as Judas plots betrayal.  May we each be so wise and bear the fruit of our awareness and the gift of His praise.

 

 

 

 

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away

 

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

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

 

- Mark 13:28-37 

 

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

 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the door!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  Let us remember that Christ's words in today's reading continue His discourse on the end times from the past two readings.  So, in this passage, when He refers to this generation, it's important that we keep in mind His words that alluded both to things which would happen in the immediate sense of history (such as the destruction of the temple and the Siege of Jerusalem) and also His prophecies about the entire age as we await His return.  My study Bible says that "this generation" refers to all believers at all times (in other words, the generation of the Church) and not only those alive at the time of Christ.  In other words, His prophecy is that the Church will continue to thrive until His return, regardless of how desperate things may sometimes appear.  

 

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"  My study Bible comments that, although Jesus declares that the Son does not know the day of His own return, St. John Chrysostom teaches nonetheless that this is not to be understood literally.  It is rather a figure of speech.  Its meaning is simply that Christ will not reveal the precise day to anyone, and that believers should not be so brazen as to inquire of Hm.  Again, we note that the focus here is not on timetables, but on preparedness day by day.  We are to take heed, watch and pray.  

 

From the beginning of the Bible with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden and our earliest ancestors, there seems to be a history that continually repeats itself.  This is a history of God doing everything in order to bring God's creation back into embrace, into community, with God.  Human beings are even made mortal so that we may be able to repent and to return to God, and this story continues through the New Testament, where Christ comes into our world to call us into communion, and becomes one of us to draw us up with Him.  In today's reading, Jesus is emphasizing the nature of importance that we not forget who we are and what we're supposed to be about.  His repeated warnings about His return, and the judgment that will occur at that time, are not made to simply chastise, but to teach us to continue to be in communion with Him as best while can during the period of this age, in which we await His return.  We are to understand the difficulties, the "birth pangs" of this world as the age progresses, and the apocalyptic ("revealing") nature of the things we witness.  Christ calls us to "take heed, watch and pray."  So important is this message, that Jesus repeats the command to "watch" four times in today's reading.  We need to develop our discernment, and be alert to the opportunities that present themselves for doing as Christ asks of us (and also when to refrain from doing as we're not to do).  This calls for prudence and alacrity, the capacity to be aware, to study His word and the things available to us to help us to understand our faith.  Prayer is indispensable for coming closer to God, for remaining in communion and finding our way, and to enlighten our minds as to the things we need to open ourselves to, and the ways in which we might need to change and to discard what we think we know that is not good for us nor for community.  Perhaps there is a good reason we are not to know when His return is to be, so that we remain in this state of seeking how He wants us to live our lives in faith.  In short, this time of tribulations and upheavals, of "revelations" and things that may shock or surprise, is also a time of opportunity to follow Him, to abide in His word, to endure in faith and in the things Christ calls us to do and to be aware of.  Let us follow His word and remember, especially when we see the chaos of what might be revealed to us, and to seek the good order He would set us into.  Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."   In so doing, He reminds us again that this language, this discourse, is "apocalyptic" in the sense that in this time, of this age, old things are passing away to reveal the new, the fullness of which comes with His return (Revelation 21:1-2).  

 

 

 

 

 

And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven

 

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

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

 

- Mark 13:14-27 

 

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

 

  "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the christ!' or 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand."  The first half of this discourse on end times is given in Saturday's reading (above).  As we discussed in the commentary on Saturday, this end times prophecy is given by Jesus in reverse parallel or chiastic form (from the word for the Greek letter Χ which is "chi").  That is, the warnings to take heed come in the beginning and in the last warning.  The second warning is elaborated on in the second-to-last part, and the third warning is in the "middle" of the discourse and also elaborated upon third-from-last.  So, the warnings to take heed regarding false christs came both at the beginning, and here where He tells us that false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible even the elect.  The first several verses in today's reading seem to apply directly to the destruction of the temple itself at the Siege of Jerusalem, with the 'abomination of desolation' referring to Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11), fulfilled when the Roman general Titus entered the Most Holy Place and erected a statue of himself there, before having the temple destroyed.  This is an indication that among those to whom Christ spoke there would be witnesses of this event, and they are to "understand" about the prophecy and be encouraged despite their experience.  Then Christ speaks again of the tribulation as mentioned in Saturday's reading, elaborating that it is so severe that it is "such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days." 

 

 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."   After that tribulation, then Christ's return will occur.  According to patristic commentary, the sun will not be destroyed, but rather darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  In other words, the sun will look dark by comparison when Christ returns in the fullness of His splendor, once again reminding us of the light revealed at the Transfiguration.  At His first coming, my study Bible comments, Christ came in humility and mortality.  But at His second coming, He will be revealed with great power and glory.  

Jesus says that after the intense tribulation, His return will commence.  He says that just prior to His return, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. It has the strange quality of apocalypse, or apocalyptic writing, particularly in that the events Jesus describes seem to image the very meaning of the Greek word ἀποκάλυψις/apokalysis.  This word literally means uncovering or unveiling.  The scenario He describes seems to be precisely that, with the sun and moon darkened, and the stars of heavens falling.  It's as if the entire cosmos falls like a blanket to reveal the "new" that Christ's return will bring.  To think of these images in such a way becomes more interesting, when one considers that the word "cosmos" (Greek κόσμος/kosmos) for the creation or universe, can also mean "adornment," and is the root for the Greek word for jewelry, and even cosmetics.  In this sense, the creation or "ordered existence" created by God in the beginning falls away, so that Christ may reveal the new creation, the new heavens and the new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).  This ties in with what we have read.  On Saturday, we were given Mark 13:8,  "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows."  The word that is translated as sorrows literally means "birth-pangs."   And these events of upheaval and conflict, the frightening specters of earthquakes and famines and all manner of disruption, even including the betrayals and tribulations, are a part of a process of the birth of something new, the new heaven and new earth.  When we see such things, we should remember, and we are meant indeed to remember what we must be about.  We should think about the struggle of something new being born, and how such experiences are signs that point to Christ's return, but especially how we are meant to be faithful amidst them, not to forget that these are included in His warnings.  Perhaps even when we personally go through difficulties, we can pause to consider that something old may be falling away in order to reveal something new, and we ourselves are feeling those birth pangs.  There is undoubtedly an ongoing process of repentance, or change, in living a prayerful life, with God presenting to use things we need to discard such as ways of thinking we must revisit, and behavior that need to conform to the new.  As such we are a microcosm of the events Jesus describes as a whole cosmic arc of the present age, and the beginning of the age to come.  Everything, we should be assured, is being revealed, and the process looks to us in this disarrayed, messy form of upheaval.  Let us consider most important and precious to us His words, teaching us what He wants and expects.  We're to take heed, and not to be fooled.  We are to remember who we are, that we are His.  We're to abide in His word, and endure to the end -- which is a new beginning at His return.

 

 

Take heed that no one deceives you

 

 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down." 

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

 

- Mark 13:1-13 

 

 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls  Him 'Lord'; how is He then His Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

 

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."   Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed in the Siege of Jerusalem.  Not one stone was left upon another, as there were rumors that there was gold between the stones.  Only one retaining wall remained, long known as the Wailing Wall, or today as the Western Wall.

 

 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.  But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."  Here Jesus begins His discourse on the end times (to be continued in Monday's lectionary reading).   My study Bible comments that Christ's account of the end times in Mark (Mark 13:1-23) occurs in what is known as chiastic (mean "cross") form.  That is, it is in a kind of reverse parallel order, where topics mentioned in the first half of this passage are then repeated and amplified in reverse order in the second half.  Today's reading begins with a warning to take heed about false christs, and we will see this repeated at the end of the passage.  The second warning here in today's passage is about wars (and Jesus will teach about tribulation in the second half of the passage we'll read on Monday).  The third warning here is regarding being delivered up to councils, whereas the third-to-last regards being delivered up (betrayed), but by family members, also in today's reading.  At the very center of this chiastic form is verse 10 of today's reading:  the prophecy that the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  My study Bible calls this the heart of the apostolic ministry and mission of the Church (see Matthew 28:19-20). 

My study Bible comments that the Scriptures describe the end times in a variety of ways, so that there is no precise chronology laid out neatly.  But what is important is that we notice that our Lord's emphasis is rather on what we do during these times.  We can say "these times" as the Church has understood the end times to be continuing from the beginning of the apostolic period, until the time that Christ returns.  Therefore, the elements that we see noted by Jesus in this prophecy here are things that are with us, and have been with us from the beginning of what we know as the Christian era, and will continue to be with us until the time Christ returns in what we know as the Second Coming.   In my study Bible's words, then, Jesus' emphasis is not on us knowing when and how things will happen so much as it is a warning to us, plus an emphasis on how we conduct ourselves.  He asks us for watchfulness and the practice of virtue through these difficulties, and He prepares us for these times.  If we see persecutions in the world for our faith, He has warned us about them.  If we see and hear wars and rumors of wars, He has told us this.  Then and now, this is true -- certainly for the people He was addressing who would witness the horrific Siege of Jerusalem, but also for us today and clearly in recent history.  Yet, both of these things are true.  But Christ's first words (as well as His final warning which we'll read on Monday) are that we should take heed that no one deceives us.  This is a clear emphasis on our own need to be alert and aware to deceptions.  We are not meant to be like children in the sense that we are unaware of the dangers He's teaching us about, and the things to come.  We should, in fact, expect deception or those who will attempt to deceive us.  He teaches us about wars between nations, a characteristic of this time in which we have lived and continue to live.  He teaches us about earthquakes and famines and troubles as but the beginning of sorrows.  His prophecies do not make these things happen, and yet neither has He told us that we can necessarily fix or prevent them from happening, for until the time of His return there will be this struggle in the world not only affecting natural forces but also continuing in a spiritual sense.  He does not tell us which side to take, or which sort of political or other acts to take, but He does teach that these are but the beginning of sorrows.  The real tribulation for His followers comes from persecutions, and betrayals that may come even from those closest to us, with the most extreme forms of punishment meted out through even the closest and more cherished of relationships.   He even goes so far as to say that we will be hated by all for His name's sake.  The most important thing through all of these things, however, is our endurance, that we endure to the end.  That is our endurance in obedience and loyalty to His commands, to living our lives in the ways that He has taught us through the Gospels.  Most of us have not experienced the most extreme forms of the tribulation and wars He names, but nonetheless in living memory there are those for whom vicious genocide and horrific war remain clear memories in recent times, with threats of the same hanging over their heads.  Let us do what we can to uplift our brothers and sisters in the faith, to sustain those whom we cannot physically help through prayer, to strengthen our own faith so that we can help others both to take heed and to endure.  Let us be faithful to Him and strengthen faith through the ways He teaches us to live.  Let us take heed that we are not deceived into complacency or fantasies that we will not need to struggle in our own ways for Him and for the faith He gives us.

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood

 

 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:

    'The LORD said to my Lord,

    "Sit at My right hand, 

    Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'

Therefore David himself calls  Him 'Lord'; how is He then His Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.

Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

- Mark 12:35-44 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the scribes came, and having heard Jesus reasoning together with the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:   'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.   

 

Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand,  till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls  Him 'Lord'; how is He then His Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  My study Bible comments that Christ asks this question in order to lead the religious leaders to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God incarnate.  (In Matthew's Gospel, He directs this question to the Pharisees, with whom, of course, the scribes were closely associated.)   My study Bible further explains that they supposed the Messiah to be a mere man, and therefore the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David.  But David, as the king of Israel, could not and would not possibly address anyone as "Lord,: except God.  Here Jesus quotes from Psalm 110, in which David refers to the Messiah (in verse 1) as "Lord."  So, therefore, the Messiah must be God.  The only possible conclusion is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to the flesh, but is also truly divine, and sharing Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Note that the text tells us the common people heard Him gladly.  Christ's following remarks tell us something about why they did so.

Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Christ points out the hypocrisy of the scribes, who put on a show of piety, grasp their positions of authority, and yet harm the powerless.  For a full expression of Christ's condemnation of this hypocrisy, see Matthew 23, and Christ's grand critique of the scribes and Pharisees.

 

 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."  My study Bible comments that according to patristic understanding, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  Therefore, this poor widow is accounted to have given a very great gift, for she kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance, but who keep plenty for themselves have not given as much as she.  In the conversion of Cornelius, my study Bible adds, we learn that God takes note of our giving (Acts 10:4).  

The poor widow is an important contrast to the authority and show of piety and honor so coveted by the scribes.  She is powerless.  In this society, she has likely no protector, no one who is going to fight for her if she needs a judgment or rectification of a harm done to her.  Neither has she the means to hire someone to do so.  Christ's noticing of her generosity, her obviously whole-hearted giving, is an image for us of the God who sees (Genesis 16:13), the same God who cares for the widow and the orphan (Psalms 68:5, 146:9).  He is the same Lord who commands us to "learn to do good":  to "seek justice, rebuke the oppressor"; to "defend the fatherless," and to "plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1:16:18).  Here Jesus Himself sets the example, in that He is pleading for the widow before His disciples in the treasury, and to all of us who read or hear the Gospel.  This is a clear example of what is frequently called God's condescension, an example of His compassion.  But it is more than an example, He actually does what He commands us to do; He pleads for the widow.  His action here stands in absolute contrast to the things for which He condemns the scribes.  They, on the other hand, desire to go around in long robes (signifying their place and piety), love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts (signifying their standing in the community), who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. They are antithetical to the image of the poor widow who puts all she has in the treasury (note how in Christ's observation of their behavior, there is no mention of donations or gifts, only accrual by devious means from the powerless).  What we find in their hypocrisy is not only their lack of a sense of justice and of "doing good" in this sense, but of a heart not truly devoted to God.  It is for this they receive their condemnation.  There is a sense in which the real fruits they bear (or lack of them) show who they truly are, whereas the widow's gift is weighed very heavily in the sight of God.  It's not that we're just supposed to "feel" things in our hearts, but rather that both action and faith go hand in hand.  We're meant to be "faithful"; that is, we're meant to really live our faith, not just believe or feel something.  To be whole-hearted is to bear the fruits of who we claim to be.  This is not so for the judgment of others, but it is God telling us the judgment of God here.  If we live only for the judgment of others, this is the very definition of what is commonly called "pharisaism," meaning to behave in accordance with Jesus' description of hypocritical practice.  In John's Gospel we read, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  That loving "the praise of men more than the praise of God" is what hypocrisy is all about.  In that specific example from John's Gospel, let us note they believed what was correct about Christ in their hearts, but nonetheless, they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God, and therefore put their trust in the former, and lived out that particular placement of trust.  In Mark's 8th chapter, Jesus says, "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38).  This goes directly to which one of these things we love more.  In Christ's repeated warnings about the final judgment, He tells us about living our faith, acting in accordance with it.  This is particularly clear in the parable of judgment, that of the Sheep and the Goats, found in Matthew 25:31-46.  There He names specific actions taken in accordance with compassion, not the mere feeling of such, and therefore a lived faith.  Some might call it a "faithful faith."  But what might always trip us up is the difference between the scribes, as described here, and the poor widow -- and that is in how much we care about making an appearance before others, how much we love the praise of men more than the praise of God.  Jesus says, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).  It seems that mammon can be understood not simply as wealth or treasure, but even a purely materialistic perspective on life, which naturally translates into a life lived for accumulation and competition, whether that be for clout, power, any form of wealth, or indeed the "praise of men" as a form of currency which displaces God in priority.  Let us remember once again that the whole of the Old Testament, and Christ's most common emphasis and teaching, is the creation of community, and what a community centered around God is supposed to be and to reflect.  The God who sees does not ask us to live in a community where social hierarchy is the only thing that matters, not to emphasize merely the "praise of men," or what looks good to everybody else and gets us social merits.  Christ asks us to live in accordance with putting God first, the God who sees the widow and all that she gives, and asks us to live in accordance with that way of seeing.  Let us consider what it means to be made in the image of that God, and to grow in accordance with that image.

 

 

 

 

 

You are not far from the kingdom of God

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:   'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him. 

 

- Mark 12:28-34 

 

Currently, we are reading through the events of what is known to us as Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' earthly life.  Yesterday we read that the ruling Council sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him. Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 

  Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:   'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.  Here Jesus responds to one of the scribes, who seems to be asking his question in earnest.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is the greatest Jewish confession of faith, called the shema' (which means "hear," the first word of the confession).  But Jesus doesn't stop there.  To complete His answer, He adds Leviticus 19:18.  In this way, as my study Bible notes, Jesus combines what is already present in the Old Testament to create a new understanding:  love of neighbor is an expression of love of God.  

When Jesus answers this scribe (or lawyer) in Matthew's Gospel, He caps off His giving of these commandments with the statement, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:40).  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus turns the question back upon the one who asks, in what we might call a Socratic manner, and asks the lawyer what his reading of the law is.  The lawyer then responds with these two commands.  But not content with that, the lawyer asks, "And who is my neighbor?"  To this question, Jesus responds by giving the parable of the Good Samaritan, an illustration of what it is to be a neighbor. (St. Luke's Gospel is the only place where we find the parable of the Good Samaritan; see Luke 10:25-37).  From these slightly varied versions of this story, we get a full feel for where Jesus is headed in His teaching, for what is important here is the fullness of the Law in the sense of the full communication of its aims.  For at the heart of these two commandments put together is a teaching on love, inseparable from the compassion of the Good Samaritan.  "What does it mean to be a neighbor?" or "Who is my neighbor?" become key questions because at the heart of Christ's teachings is the heart of God who longs to be and to create the very center of our community here in the world.  God, who is love, in this sense defines what it is to be a neighbor, or how we know who is a neighbor, and how to be a neighbor.  For in this sense, we cannot truly participate in community without God -- who is love -- at the center of community and indwelling that community through each of us.  The aim of the Law and the Prophets, therefore, is the establishment of true community, and in this way we know our Lord longs to be with us and among us in the center of that community, and teaching love as we learn also to be a neighbor and to participate in community God's way.  It's quite easy to think that we can have this all worked out in our own sense of what love is, or what compassion is.  It's simple to conjecture that we all know how we'd like others to treat us, so we can just figure this all out by ourselves.  But then comes a day when one finds that indulgence of whatever our particular desire is does not actually constitute love, or perhaps we see that for others who are stuck in the throes of addiction, or other self-destructive behaviors.  Comes the day as well when we learn that to say "no" to something is the only way to preserve our own well-being, and perhaps that of the community at large.  Love becomes not the simple four-letter-word we tend to think of it as being.  Love then becomes something complicated, something requiring wisdom, and a wisdom that can come only from the true Source of love who truly knows what is best for us and for community.  Then we get into a far more complicated area indeed, as love ultimately becomes recognized as a mystery, that can only be learned through experience with God who desires to lead us to great union with that mystery, with God who is love.  So let us ponder Christ's answer, for in it is the secret of what we are doing in the world, and the secret of the wisdom and knowledge God would have us learn through lifetimes of struggle to learn and to grow through our own deficiencies and unknowing, and even wrong-knowing.  Let us consider God's love, for in that love God welcomes us to become truly neighbors, among those who can love with all their heart.  For this is what it means to dwell in the Kingdom, and even to see God (Matthew 5:8).

 

 

Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?

 

 Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him. 

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 

- Mark 12:13–27 

 

Yesterday we read that once again Jesus and the disciples came again to Jerusalem. (The events in our current readings  take place during what we commemorate as Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.)  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing,  and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"  And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.

 

  Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him.   My study Bible explains that the Herodians were Jewish political supporters of the ruling house of Herod the Great.  Therefore, these are willing servants of Rome.  Jesus understands that this is a test, and the text also lets us know that He is wise to their hypocrisy which is involved here.  The trap is that if Jesus answers "yes," it would turn the Jewish people against Him.  But if He answers "no" it would bring a charge of treason by the Romans.  My study Bible comments that Christ's answer defeats their cunning, and it shows that a believer can render the state its due while also serving God (Romans 13:1-7; contrast Acts 4:19).  Christ's brilliant response, holding the coin to illustrate, shows the image of the emperor and so is properly paid to him.  But at the same time, each person also bears the image of God and therefore belongs to God (Genesis 1:26-27).  My study Bible says that conflict arises only when the state demands that which is contrary to God.  Moreover, the distinction between things that are Caesar's and things that are God's does not imply the division of a believer's life into the secular and the sacred.   On the contrary, God is Lord over all of life, including the secular.  But we fulfill governmental requirements that do not conflict with our first responsibility to God.  To pay taxes and similar civil duties are not detrimental to holiness.

 

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."  My study Bible says that the Sadducees represent landowners and other wealthy families in Jerusalem.  They held many high offices in Israel.  They controlled the temple and the Sanhedrin.  They were different from the Pharisees, in that they were politically prudent, and they adapted to the presence of the Romans.  My study Bible adds that they interpreted the law more rigidly than did the Pharisees; and unlike the Pharisees, they rejected belief in angels and in the resurrection from the dead at the end of the age.   The Sadducees completely disappeared after the destruction of Jerusalem.  Jesus tells them that they do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God; they accepted as their Scriptures only the Pentateuch (the first five Books of what Christians call the Old Testament).  Their scenario which they present is absurd, and Jesus tells them that the resurrection is not what they imagine, a simple continuation of earthly life.  The Scriptures in fact reveal a complete transfiguration of life in the resurrection.  Moreover, Abraham and his sons, as the Lord's voice testified to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:15), are alive in God even if they are physically dead.   The Sadducees fail to know how this is true.  My study Bible says that it is the clear teaching of Christ that the souls of the faithful who have departed this life are sustained before the face of God in anticipation of the final joy of the resurrection.  

 

 Jesus asks the Sadducees, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?"  It is important to consider this question in light of our own understanding of Scriptures.  A very literalistic sense of Scripture is a limited way to approach the Scriptures, for example.  That limits the ways that we can look at Scripture and think about the truths revealed within Scripture.  It is not that there is nothing "literal" in the Bible.  But to limit oneself to that single way to understand would be tantamount to the limitations of the Sadducees in this sense, that they cannot apprehend the resurrection nor the qualities which Jesus teaches here.  It's important that Jesus reveals that in the resurrection, there is not a simple continuation of earthly life, but one that is transfigured, changed.  When we think about what that means, it should take our minds to what is called the Transfiguration (see this reading), in which something of that heavenly reality was revealed in quality to Peter, James, and John.  Through such a revelation, Christ gives us glimpses of the changed life He's talking about here.  He says also that people in the resurrection are like angels in heaven.  What does it mean to be like angels in heaven?  In what way are people in the resurrection like angels in heaven?  Are they holy?  In the eyes of the Church historically the answer is yes, and a saintly person is one who reflects such similar qualities to the angels.  With that consideration, a whole host of qualities open up as possibilities regarding life in the resurrection.  But without knowing the Scriptures, and without knowing the power of God, what can we imagine this means?  Like the Saduccees, we would have no idea, and would be utterly limited in our understanding and expectation.  And finally there are also the words of the Lord to Moses at the burning bush, in which God identifies to Moses as the I AM (Exodus 3:14), the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:15).  If we cannot understand that the phrase "I AM" conveys a state of timeless pure being, if we cannot wrap our understanding around how God can be -- in the present tense -- the God of Abraham and his descendants, at the same time, then we will not be able to understand the Scriptures -- nor the power of God -- as Jesus presents them here.  We won't be able to understand or to accept Christ, for this is His teaching regarding how we are to understand such things.  Therefore Christ Himself is testifying here to the many ways in which we're to approach and understand the Scriptures, to open our hearts and minds to them, and to see more than is simply literally on the page.  So, we need to be steeped in the Scriptures.  We need to have a wide understanding of them, and a complete one, if we're going to approach passages with a sense of how Scripture texts work, and what the God is like who is being presented to us through Scripture.  For this we turn not simply to our own reading, which should be ongoing, but to what are known as the Church Fathers (and Mothers as well).  That is, those who have come before us, dedicated their lives to a holy way of life, to the Scriptures and their understanding, and who have stood the test of time with their insights.  These early scholars and saints of the Church are the ones upon whose writing the commentary in my study Bible is based, and that forms an important part of how we understand and receive the Scriptures as well.  Everything is not simply redone every decade or so and started from scratch.  In fact, such approaches usually miss enough so that substance is lost.  In such saintly tradition, we have a tie to the earliest Church and its receipt of the gospel message from the apostles themselves, and we have the advanced learning not only of brilliant scholars but as those who sought the holy as the one prize worth having in life, and to sustain a life beyond, those who understood the wisdom of the Scriptures and the word of God as true treasure.  We have a lived experience of dedicated lives, even to the point of martyrdom for their faith.  This is something to recognize and respect, for although life may change on the surface, the spiritual enemies of those who love God have not really changed in the ways that we are all tempted. Neither has the basic spiritual struggle of human beings changed in substance, for we struggle against our own self-centered vision for a larger one based on where God calls us.  And these things mentioned are only a taste of what "the Scriptures" and the "power of God" hold for us if we approach with the respect due to these things, and to a holy way of life, a struggle for humility in the face of God and those who would point the way for us.  Let us consider how much remains that we don't yet know, and open our minds to both the Scriptures and the power of God which Jesus names here in our reading today.