He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him

 

 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 

 

- John 6:52-59 

 

 Yesterday we read that the religious leaders in Capernaum complained about Jesus, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

 

  The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him."  My study Bible comments here that Christ was crucified in the flesh and His blood was shed on the Cross, and on the third day He was raised in a glorified state.  So we receive the grace of His sacrificial offering by coming to Him in faith and by receiving the Eucharist in faith.  This is what He indicates here, coming upon the sign of feeding the people with bread in the wilderness (see this reading from the beginning of this chapter in John's Gospel).  To eat His flesh and drink His blood therefore is a reference to the Eucharist, which grants the faithful eternal life.  Thus, as Jesus says here, He abides in us and we abide in Him.   My study Bible quotes St. Hilary of Poitiers:  "There is no room left for any doubt about the reality of His flesh and blood, because we have both the witness of His words and our own faith.  Thus when we eat and drink these elements, we are in Christ and Christ is in us."  

"As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.  Once again, as He has done throughout His discourse in this chapter, Jesus returns to the theme of His unity with the Father.  He insists that His life is thoroughly dependent upon the Father, so those who will feed on Him will live because of Him.  He is the bread which came down from heaven, and therefore the bread of eternal life.

It is perhaps important to recall here the history of the heresies of the Church, particularly in its early centuries and the various Ecumenical Councils which were called on account of them.  Many scholars and theologians will teach us that each heresy, in fact, involved a diminution of the divinity of Christ -- and in particular, therefore, His unity with the Father which He so emphasizes in this chapter of John's Gospel.  Throughout the past several readings, Jesus has spoken to us of the essential reality and power of faith.  But that faith only contains its power to work in us because of His unity with the Father (and the Holy Spirit) and that He can extend this unity to us.  Through the Eucharist, we may participate in this divine life, through the "bread of heaven" we may also, by grace, join in this communion as we are able.   As Jesus repeats over and over again, the life that He offers is a life that is inextinguishable and unending.  Therefore if we are really going to pay attention to His words, we must come to understand that as tempting as it might be for people to believe Christ was simply a very holy man, or a good person with good things to teach us, that is inadequate in terms of His actual preaching and teaching.  In this chapter of John's Gospel, as the quotation from St. Hilary of Poitiers indicates, it is made clear without reservation that all of this is possible through the power of the Father working in Christ, and through Christ's work in the world, His Passion and Resurrection.  Through these things the Eucharist comes to us as "flesh and blood" in this tangible spiritual sense.  As we discussed in Monday's reading, when Jesus speaks of faith as the "work of God" we may do, He's speaking of something much more substantial than a code we ascribe to, or a belief we may have.  Faith is, instead, the rock upon which He would build His Church, and it includes even the Father working in us ("No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day" -- see yesterday's reading, above).  How the Father can participate in us, even as we participate in the life of Christ, and He in us, is and remains a great mystery and paradox.  We can't even begin to explore the nature of the divine without wondering how a human being could be in communion with God without stumbling upon definitions and the limits of our nature.  But let us consider at once that the distinguishing character of God the Father, as shown in Christ ("He who has seen Me has seen the Father" - John 14:9), is love.  As God is love (1 John 4:8), so we understand that it is in the nature of love to transcend boundaries and work even across time and space and dimensions we can't understand.  It is love and devotion that characterize Christ's relationship to the Father.  It is within the fullness of this love that He makes His sacrifice on the Cross -- not only love for us, but also out of love for the Father who sent Him in turn, because the Father loves us, and loves the world.  Ultimately, no matter what messes we make of our world and our lives, it is the true nature of creation to be solidly couched in a Creator who is love and who creates from love and loves us and all the world.  Jesus has come, as He has said in the conclusion to yesterday's reading, to give His flesh "for the life of the world."  When we abide in Him, we abide in love, and it is that love which  gives life to the world. 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.

 

 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

 

- John 6:41-51 

 

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

 

  The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  Jesus quotes to the people from Isaiah 54:13.  We recall that He is in Galilee, where His family is known.  Here, He defends His declaration in yesterday's reading, above, that God the Father will bring others to Him who will believe, and He will raise them up at the last day.  Again, the forceful emphasis is on the tie He has to the Father, the unshakable confidence He has in the Father, regardless of the rejection He faces here among those who know Him as Jesus.  

"Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."   My study Bible has a note which focuses on this last statement by Jesus, and applies to the verses which (which will be in tomorrow's reading).  It notes the eucharistic significance of this passage, and calls that eucharistic sense indisputable here.  Christ declares that He is Himself the living bread, and that it is He who gives life.  My study Bible calls it a revelation of the Mystical Supper of the New Testament Church.  John does not include the details of the Last Supper such as are found in Luke 22:19-20, but instead the focus in this Gospel is on giving us the significance of these events.  We recall that they were already known to his hearers at the time of writing.  In reporting Christ's own words, John gives us these intended meanings.

Following upon Jesus' declarations in yesterday's reading (see above), He builds upon the relationship to the Father, even before these who scoff at Him.  He says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  Jesus emphasizes once again His complete confidence in the will of the Father.  But in so doing, He reveals also a deeper unity than the one we understand He has with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It is always something over which to marvel that this unity with the Father not only includes the other divine Persons of the Trinity, but here Jesus extends it also to human beings.  He clearly states that the Father will draw believers to Him, who will in turn -- and in this sense of unity of faith -- be raised by Christ on the last day.  While Christ may be divine by nature and substance, we may also be part of this communion by adoption, and through faith.  The closest reminder of these words by Jesus is found in St. Matthew's Gospel, when St. Peter gives his confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ.  Jesus replies to St. Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:17-18).  That rock is the substance of the faith Jesus declares is coming in those given to Him by the Father.  It is the substance which we discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary as spoken of by St. Paul, in writing, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  But what is truly astonishing about this rock of faith that Jesus reveals to us, and its substance, is that it includes the Father working in us, and teaching us.  We are used to thinking about Christ Himself as One who is always with us ("I am with you always, even to the end of the age" - Matthew 28:20), but to consider God the Father as not only in unity with Christ the Son, but also at work within us, even teaching us, is an extraordinary thing to contemplate. When Jesus quotes Isaiah in today's reading ("They shall all be taught by God"), He makes it explicitly clear to whom it refers.  He says, "Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  It is little wonder then, that St. Paul can speak of faith as substance, while Jesus refers to it as a rock.  St. Peter got his name, meaning "Rock" for the strength of his faith when he made his confession.  So the power of this rock and substance of faith makes sense in light of the connection Jesus makes between our faith and the activity of no less than God the Father.  This, therefore, as in the words of St. Paul, is a substance we can rely on.  So strong, in Christ's teaching, that "the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  In today's reading, Jesus teaches that faith connects us with the very power of life itself:   "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life."  Little wonder it can defeat death, even the "gates of Hades."

 

 

This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent

 

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

 

- John 6:27-40 

 

On Saturday we read that, after Christ fed the five thousand in the wilderness, when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, or His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endues to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God he Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."   Jesus says, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."  My study Bible comments here that since Christ has two natures, He has two wills:  the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, which was held in Constantinople in AD 680-681, it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another.  Instead, my study Bible quotes the Council, "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  

In today's reading, we once again see at work a common motif in John's Gospel:  misunderstandings of Christ's words that lead to deeper explanations of the mystical reality He brings into the world.  The people first respond to Christ's command to labor for the food which endures to everlasting life.  They ask Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  It's always very intriguing to understand that Christ speaks of faith itself as the work of God.   In today's lectionary reading is also included a passage from the Letter to the Hebrews, in which St. Paul speaks of faith.  He writes, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  As another way to understand St. Paul's language and meaning, it's suggested that we may read this as saying that faith is the realization of things hoped for, the confidence of things not seen.  This sense of faith emphasizes our capacity to live our faith, to act upon it and live in accordance with it.  When it comes to the words of Jesus, then, we understand the trust, hope, and confidence He asks us to put into Him, the way He will lead us to live. This is "the work of God" Christ advocates to us.  But the people, who have just been miraculously fed by Him (see Friday's reading), respond by asking Him for proofs before they will believe in Him, and they bring up the manna given as Moses led the Israelites.   Jesus again takes this language, and turns it into the spiritual meaning He brings with Him, saying that the true bread from heaven comes from the Father, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."   When the people, still not understanding, ask to be given this bread always, Jesus responds clearly:  "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."   But faith, as St. Paul's words teach us, is about perception, the capacity for eyes that see and ears that hear that which is hoped for, and and take confidence in what is not seen.  These people see Christ, even His works, and yet do not perceive, do not believe.  But it is Christ who responds with His own declaration of faith, in displaying His faithfulness in doing God's will.  With confidence, He replies, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  In so doing, He responds to the unbelievers, who demand (more) proofs from Him, by setting for us the ultimate example of faithful living, and declaring His absolute confidence in the Father.  So much so, that there is a unity of will in Him, so that even His human will is subject to the divine.   Christ's confidence is clearly in the Father, as He expresses here, for although these people do not believe, the Father will give Jesus others.  And in the Father Jesus puts His full trust.  In this vein, He assures all that of everything He is given by the Father, He will lose nothing -- and that everyone who similarly places trust and faith in Him will be raised up at the last day.  So, taking together the words of the Sixth Ecumenical Council quoted by my study Bible, the words of St. Paul, and the words of Christ, we ask ourselves, what is the substance of our faith?  What does that look like in our lives?  In particular, what kind of shape does that "work" take in our lives?  If we place our confidence and trust in Christ, if faith feeds and substantiates our convictions, then how does that build our choices and movement in life?  Both Christ and St. Paul speak of faith as something substantial within us, tangible, a kind of measurement of how we respond to Christ which in turn creates a similar unity of will within us.  Let us think about what it means if faith is more than belief, when it is instead a building block of hope and evidence of what is not seen.  

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life

 

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

On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, or His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

- John 6:16-27 

 

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

 

  Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  Here we are given the fifth sign of seven recorded in John's Gospel.  We are in chapter 6 of John's Gospel, in which there are repeated parallels to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt.  Pertaining to this passage, we recall that Moses led the people across the Red Sea, walking on dry ground in the middle of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  Here, my study Bible points out, Christ sends His disciples across the sea, and then He walks on the sea as if it were dry ground.  

On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, or His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Once again, the people seek Jesus, desperate for a type of political Messiah who will rule as king, deliver them from enemies, and one who will in particular provide all their needs.  But this is not the mission of Jesus Christ.  They recognize only that they ate of the loaves and were filled, but Christ's signs point beyond worldly reality, to the presence of God's Kingdom in the Person of Jesus Christ. 

 

In today's reading we witness once again how fervently these people desire for Jesus to be their king.  So much so, they continue to seek Him although they have no idea where He had gone, because He walked on the water toward His disciples rowing in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.  Now we might think of many reasons for this, not least of all because it is one of the seven signs given to us in John's Gospel.  As written in commentary above, it parallels another element of the story of the Exodus, when Israel escaped Egypt in the middle of the water.  But if we think of this parallel of escaping Egypt, we might also consider the parallel that applies to Jesus Himself, and the fact that the people wish to make Him king.  Egypt, in the story of Israel, can possibly stand for many things we can think of. But in this case we might recall the Israelites longing for while Egypt while they wandered on their journey following Moses.  Just prior to the Lord's miraculous feeding in the wilderness for the Israelites, they moaned, longing for Egypt again, "Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (see Exodus 16:3-4).  They longed for the "fleshpots" of Egypt, the material plenty in the midst of an oppressive rule opposed to their faith.  We could possibly view, from an entirely human perspective, what it means that Christ has escaped across the sea in order to evade the people who wish to make Him king.  To become king would surely be something widely desirable in strictly material terms.  One would have all the servants one wanted, all the goods one wanted, all the power one wanted.  In a sense, that collection of things:  material goods, power, servants, parallel Egypt, for when the Israelites left Egypt it was a powerful empire with Pharaohs who ruled absolutely.  But this is not Christ's mission, and it's not the mission for how He is going to lead God's people to the promised land of His new covenant.  The people in today's story would prefer that Jesus were king.  Think what such a Messiah could do with worldly power.   In purely material and earthly terms, this is a great temptation -- to believe that the world can be redeemed with worldly power.  But that is a human delusion, and Jesus will have none of it, for it is not His mission.  He has an entirely different reality to bring to this world, the presence of the Kingdom of God -- and all the material worldly gain He could command is not part of the mission.  That is not how He will bring abundant life into the world.  So let us consider the extraordinary lengths we read Jesus goes through to avoid being forcefully made king.  He walks on the water to assure the disciples that no matter where they are, He is with them.  He does not come to all the people this way, but only a handful of disciples, seemingly powerless, straining at rowing in the middle of the sea in the middle of a great windstorm. But it is that place -- isolated from the world, in the dark, a storm blowing, with these few men who follow Him -- where the Savior of the world chooses to be, where His mission takes its shape to bring life to the world.  This is the place Jesus must be, the place He chooses to be, reassuring His (at that time) tiny flock, telling them,  "It is I; do not be afraid."  Sometimes you and I may also be called upon to make choices to sacrifice the glamor of the world for the love of God and the few who desire that goal with us.  Let us be faithful to our mission as well, as Jesus gives us the mission:  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

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

 

 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  

 

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

 

- John 6:1–15 

 

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

 

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

 

 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"   Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting own; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Here is another parallel to the Exodus recorded in the Old Testament.  In the Exodus, my study Bible comments, the Jews were said to eat unleavened bread because they were so hastily driven out of Egypt, and could bring no provisions for themselves (Exodus 12:39).  But here, Jesus proceeds to feed these multitudes with earthly bread as they had brought no provisions,  because they had rushed out to see Him.   He tests Philip to increase his faith, for, my study Bible explains, Philip needed help in understanding Him (John 14:8-10).  Two hundred denarii corresponds to over six month wages for a laborer.  Andrew has greater faith than Philip.  He knows that the prophet Elisha had multiplied bread for 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44), he offers the food brought by a lad.  Nonetheless, my study Bible says, Andrew is still weak in faith, as he questions what five loaves could do for such a number of people there.   The twelve baskets of leftover fragments symbolize that which the apostles would carry into the world.  

 

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

 

This feeding of the multitude is the fourth of the seven signs of the Lord reported by John the Evangelist.  This feeding is so central to the story of Christ's ministry that it is recorded in all four Gospels.  My study Bible further comments that the description of Christ as He took the loaves, gave thanks (in Greek, Ευχαριστω/Euxaristo) and distributed them prefigures the celebration of the Eucharist.  Not only is it essential that we tie this important story to the Eucharist, and the feeding of the multitudes in the Exodus, it teaches us about the Lord's capacity to fulfill our needs.  Both the people who've followed Christ in this story, and the Israelites who hastily left Egypt in the Exodus, have done so in following the commands of God.  This multitude in today's story has followed Christ because of the signs He's performed which they've seen (so we are to understand there are many more signs done by Christ than the Gospel gives us), but they have also done so in haste and without thinking of provisions.  In this sense, Jesus is like the sun that draws those who need the light, and so "hungry" are they for what Christ offers that they follow Him up on the mountain.  They've put Him first before their need for food, and this is a sign of the search for something in which to put their faith.  So, just as the Lord fed the Israelites with manna, Jesus teaches the disciples to feed this multitude, and provides the miraculous sign in so doing.  Today's story also teaches us, however, that we need to be discerning in how we read and understand signs.  For not only is Jesus the One who can provide this multiplication of food in a miraculous way, He's also the One the signs point to as Lord -- the One who must teach them about the faith and the reality of God He is bringing into the world.  He does not come simply for material comfort, but to reveal God and how God will lead us forward in our lives, and teach us over the course of our lives to grow in dependence upon God, and also to learn what "works" God calls upon us to learn to do ourselves as we grow in that faith and dependence.  Opening up to Christ is a first step; He must also lead us the rest of the way up that mountain toward a deeper communion with God through our faith, and our lives.  Let us think about what it is Christ has with which to feed us.  We bring to Him our own meager or incomplete provisions as we seek to meet Him wherever we might, but from there we need also to follow Him forward on terms He teaches us, for He has come to lead and to heal.  Perhaps He asks us, in His way, about what we think we need, in order to teach us what it is we really need -- and what food there is that we don't know about (John 4:32).  The people at the end of this story today wish to forcefully make Him king, a political Messiah.  But Jesus has other plans, and greater things to achieve and to bring to us.  Jesus tells the disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  In Him, what there is that may feed us is never lost, and we may always turn to Him for more than we understood before. 

 

 

 

 

 

How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not see the honor that comes from the only God?

 

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

 

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

 

- John 5:30-47 

 

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

 

  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study Bible explains that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for they all fully share the same divine nature.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, then, this refers to Christ's human will, which was assumed at His Incarnation.  My study Bible explains that Jesus freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father -- and so are we called to do likewise.  

 

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

When Jesus names His four witnesses named by my study Bible above, He tells the religious leaders:  "I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not see the honor that comes from the only God?"  What are we to make of these statements?  Jesus draws a clear line here between what are acceptable witnesses and what are not, as He establishes His own choice of witnesses as to His identity as Son.  He says, "I do not receive honor from men."  In a sense, Jesus is challenging all of us to consider where we draw the line in terms of our own "witnesses" to our lives and identities.  By what (or rather, by whom) do we measure ourselves?  How do we take stock of who we are?  What gives a good testimony for us?  Is our honor from men; that is, from other people?  Or by what other measure may we measure ourselves?  Instead of depending upon reputation or the opinion of His contemporaries, Jesus establishes His credentials, so to speak, on the testimony of more highly esteemed witnesses with divine and eternal qualities of the holy:  God the Father, John the Baptist, His words through which His divinity is expressed, and the Old Testament Scriptures which testify to Him.  This invites us to think about what standards we use to measures ourselves.  Are the standards of how we evaluate ourselves those we learn from the Scriptures?  Are they from Christ's words and teachings in the Gospels?  Do we emulate or seek to live up to the conduct of the saints?  Do we follow what we know of God's will for us?  Do we seek to follow Christ's commandment to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34)?  Will these be our witnesses to the quality and meaning of our own lives, to our very identity?  Or will our popularity or reputation speak for us?  Will it be the "honor that comes from men" such as a position in the society, or our income and status or possessions?  If we give charitably, is it to be flattered by a public image in the eyes of others, or is it to help the less fortunate?  These are dividing lines that Jesus draws here, between the "honor that comes from men" and the honor that comes from God.  So much depends, really, upon our love for God, as Jesus claims here.  For what we truly love is what (or Whom) we seek to please.  Does our esteem come from pleasing God?  Or is it our own great name in the world that gives us esteem?  We must consider these measurements of our lives at every turn, because each answer will determine what we seek first, whom we seek to please the most.  Jesus gives His answer; let us carefully think about our own.  

Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live

 

 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

 

- John 5:19–29

 

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

 

  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."  My study Bible refers to Christ's teaching here that the Son can do nothing of Himself, and comments that this proves that His every act and word is in complete unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  This discourse (continuing from yesterday's reading, above) reveals that the Father and the Son are completely united in nature, will, and action.  So, therefore, we understand that the Son fully shares the divine attributes of both giving life and executing judgment.  My study Bible continues by saying that Christ's judgment is based on both faith and works, as the following verses in today's reading also indicate.

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

 

 Jesus' authority and unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit is allied with issues of life and death.  Life itself is therefore in His hands, for in the judgment the reality of the resurrection of life and the resurrection of condemnation are both included.  In the Revelation, the Lord says several times, " I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" (Revelation 1:8, 11; 21:6; 22:13).  These statements are also tied in with the authority of judgment, meaning also of life and death.  In Revelation 21:6, He adds, "I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."  It is this fountain of the water of life on which everything rests, for those who truly thirst and those who do not.  This is the same "living water" of which He spoke to the Samaritan woman at John 4:14, and revealed Himself to her.  She and her townspeople received Him gladly.  But here Jesus speaks openly to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, and they do not hear Him gladly.  This is already a type of example of the judgment, but in which time intersects with the eternal to give us a picture of what it means to reject the grace of Christ, and to refuse this water of the fountain of life.  Perhaps in each of our own lives we can see moments in which we also experience a sort of "intersection" of the eternal converging in moments of our own earthly time; in a moment of sudden insight, the perception of grace, a resolution for repentance.  It is this that is emblematic of the experience of participation in the life of Christ, who also underwent human death for us, and experienced His Passion.  We, too, might find moments of deep distress become pivotal moments when -- even in hindsight -- we realize our faith was at work and with us then, whether we recognized it or not.  Moments of deep prayer at such periods have such effects which often we only realize later.  God is with us through all of it, through life and death, moments of change and even deep distress -- for it is in those times that we may choose our faith, or run from it.  Which way does the paralytic in the story begun in yesterday's reading go?  Which way will the leadership go?  So much pivots on that offering of the fountain of life, the words of Christ, and how -- and whether or not -- we receive them. 

See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you

 

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  

 

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  

 

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

 

- John 5:1–18 

 

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

 

  After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  This pool was a double-basin pool which was believed to have curative powers.  My study Bible says that this pool has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.  It notes that the water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs, and it was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  Moreover, my study Bible comments, this pool functions as a type of Christian baptism, reflecting meanings which transition from the old to the new covenant.  Under the old, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it.  These waters, it explains, were special because they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water.  But the grace was limited in this case to only the first person to enter.  But under the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations, and it is a direct participation in the sacrificial death of Christ (Romans 6:3-6), without the mediation of angels.  Baptism, my study Bible comments, therefore grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body -- and moreover, its grace is inexhaustible.  We recall Christ's words to the Samaritan woman, from Thursday's reading, "But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

 

 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments here that Jesus singled out the man who had waited for thirty-eight years so that we are taught to have perseverance.  Additionally it is a type of judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a far shorter time. 

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  My study Bible says that Christ's question is relevant for several reasons.  First, it made public the fact that the sick man kept his faith although in a situation that was seemingly hopeless. How could a paralytic ever be the first into the water?  Second, Christ draws attention away from the water, and toward the concept that we need a man to help us.  Of course, it is Christ who fulfills this need, as He became a Man in order to heal all people.  Finally, not all those who are ill actually desire healing.  This is linked to a psychological preference to remain infirm in order to be free to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue to stimulate pity in others.

And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  We remember that in John's Gospel, the majority of the use of the term the Jews is used like a political term, to designate the leadership (Jesus and all the others in this story are also Jews, as well as John the author of the Gospel).  My study Bible comments here that although the Law itself doesn't specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, it is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22, and also explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  It notes that the understanding that Christ is Lord over the Sabbath becomes clear in His command to the man ("Rise, take up your bed and walk"), and then by the man's obedience to Him.  We may also observe the malice in these leaders, who focus only on the violation of the Sabbath, by asking, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?" and ignoring completely the healing of this man who'd suffered for such a long time.  

 

 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."   My study Bible notes that this healed man is found in the temple, emphasizing that it shows his great faith.  He had gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than leaving for someone's home or the marketplace.  Jesus tells him, "Sin no more."  My study Bible comments on this that as there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), this connection is, however, not always one-to-one.  Clearly, the innocent often suffer, and the guilty are often spared from earthly sufferings (see also John 9:1-3).  But nonetheless, sometimes our sins do lead directly to our own worldly suffering.  According to St. Chrysostom, such was the case with the paralytic.  Jesus' warning, however, is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body, my study Bible notes.  Our only hope is fleeing from sin.

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  My study Bible explains that the man doesn't report Jesus to the religious leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, but rather he is witness to Christ's goodness.  Although these leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, and said nothing about carrying his bed.  

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

 

Jesus says to the healed former paralytic, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  At first glance, it might appear that Jesus is Himself issuing a threat to this man, as some kind of punishment or retribution.  But with God, this is not the case.  It is similar to John's teaching to Nicodemus:  "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  The explanation here is not that one is offered a punishment for refusal of Christ.  But it is communion with Christ that confers the healing and the grace and the redemption.  Therefore to run from this communion, to refuse it, or to participate in that which runs counter to it and is against it, is to reject the grace, healing, and redemption offered by Christ.  When we're talking about our faith, it is important to understand the impact and power of communion, of participation in the life of Christ.  Whatever it is that cuts us off from that communion works against the dividends of faith.  We have a great grace working for us, and we are given much mercy so long as we are capable of repentance, redemption, of seeking out God.  But our own refusal jeopardizes that capacity, and works to blind us to the ways God would have us go toward God and receive that light.  If we observe the effects of Christ's presence in the Gospels -- and particularly in the progression of events in John's Gospel -- we will notice that while those who are in some way healed or redeemed by Christ continue moving more deeply into faith and communion with Him, as the same story progresses the religious leaders who refuse Him and wish to condemn Him only draw further away, even as they draw themselves into more deeply blindly sinful and corrupt behavior in condemning One whom they know to be innocent.  When we are warned about the effects of sin, it's not for punishment but for our protection and good, like a parent warning a child about touching a hot stove.  The healing in today's reading constitutes the third sign of seven given in John's Gospel.  My study Bible claims that this sign exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness.  According to patristic sources, this feast which Jesus is attending is the Old Testament Pentecost (also called the "Feast of Weeks") which celebrated the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  Later references in this chapter to the Law of Moses affirm this interpretation.  So let us think about the "law" of participation and communion.  We are to understand that whatever breaks or harms this relationship also does harm to our capacity to receive God's grace and healing power.  In the thoughts of the Church, our very lives are dependent upon God; therefore to jeopardize our deeper or closer faith is to jeopardize the life in abundance we're promised, and all the things that might mean.  Let us pay attention to the law of God's love.

 

 

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 

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

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

 

- John 4:43-54 

 

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

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (see John 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  This saying, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, is so central to the story of Christ that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24).

 

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover which Jesus has attended (the first of three Passover feasts reported in John's Gospel; see John 2:13-25).  At that feast, Jesus performed many signs.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, my study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom who gives greater credit to the Samaritans, as they accepted Christ based only on His words and teaching, without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

 

 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he hard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  Again, we're given an important signal here in the Gospel about faith and miraculous signs (wonders).  My study Bible points out that Christ here is admonishing the people in general, as you is plural both times) and not only the nobleman.  It says that faith based on miraculous works alone is not sufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (John 19:15). 

 

 The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.   My study Bible explains that this noblemans's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He does not understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Additionally, he doesn't know that Christ would have the people to heal even if his child were to die.  Finally, my study Bible says, he inquires about the timing of the healing, as he doesn't completely trust the Lord's authority.  Only after all of this is confirmed will he and his whole household believe.  So, as He heals the child from a distance, Jesus in fact heals not only the physical body of the child, but also the soul of his father.  

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This is the second sign of seven reported in John's Gospel.  My study Bible declares that having revealed He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (John 1:45-48), Jesus now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  Thereby He shows that His divine power does not know any earthly limits.  It also notes that there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle reported in Matthew 8:5-13, there are several crucial differences, and thus it's clear they are two different encounters.  

Today's reading seems to take us onto the path of consideration of faith and signs.  How does one work without the other?  How is one complete in and of itself, and the other incomplete?  After Christ is seen by some of the disciples post-Resurrection, the disciple Thomas declares he will not believe without proof.  As Jesus makes an appearance to them when Thomas is present, He offers to Thomas to touch the wound in His side, and to witness the wounds in His hands, at which point Thomas declares, "My Lord and My God!"  Jesus tells him (and all of us), "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (see John 20:24-29).  This question of proofs obviously would remain important for the life of the Church to come, just as it is indeed important for us today.  Many people read the texts of the Bible with a deliberate skeptical eye, and beyond, discounting all possibility that the miracles or signs reported can be real.  But it is wise to be skeptical also of placing limits on God and what God can do, because there is so much that we simply don't know.  Modern theoretical physics postulates many dimensions to the universe, not all of them necessarily operate by the same physical rules we do.  Neither can we limit for certain the potentials of a Person like Christ, whose existence would transcend all of those possible dimensions.  But let us consider this connection between faith and proofs, and what substance or reason makes these signs so significant for Christ's mission to us.  Certainly they are not simply to convince people of His divinity.  Jesus makes it very clear that it is not His intention to draw faith through proofs of any kind.  Instead, these "signs" are just that -- like an icon is meant to do in Church, they point to something beyond themselves.  They teach us not only about Jesus, but about God the Father and the Spirit as well.  They teach us something that is essential to know in order to understand Christ:  that there are no limits to His divine power.  Wherever we find ourselves, whatever place we're in or circumstances with which we need to cope, Christ transcends all of them in His divinity, and He is there with us through faith and the power of God.  We have contrasted in today's reading the worldly thinking of the father (the nobleman), and his attempts to verify Christ's power together with the effect of this sign of healing on him and his whole household, and not simply the restoration of the child to physical health.  In this we are given a more complete understanding of Christ's mission in the world, the significance and effect of His signs, and how they prove useful even for us.  For while we may not experience what it is like to live with Christ physically present in human form, we can know what it is like to call upon and depend upon our faith for help to us.  As we go through our own lives, our own faith will also be tested, and we will find ourselves in circumstances where we need to trust to God to help us find the answers and correct response.  Outcomes are not guaranteed to be precisely what we would have preferred, but help is always there as we are led forward in ways meant to strengthen our faith and draw us closer in communion with God.  Let us consider what signs are for, the One to whom they point, and our own faith and its progress through our life.