Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you,and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  In the middle of this passage, Jesus gives what is called the Golden Rule:  "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."   The rest of the teachings here, both before and after, stem from this "rule."  My study Bible calls this Golden Rule a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places humankind's desire for goodness (what St. Cyril of Alexandria calls, "the natural law of self-love") as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It notes that this is simply the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  The perfection is found in the final verse in this section:  "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  Here it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, which is the standard.  

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that mercy precludes human judgment.  It says that good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and general merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, would yield a more generous amount than flour that is fluffed up.  The blessings which God desires to put into our hearts are more generous than we could contain, however this also depends on the spirit in which we ourselves will give and forgive.  

Forgiveness is not an easy subject.  Certainly we all understand the concept of mercy, for all of us desire mercy on some level in our lives.  We would all desire that others are merciful with us, would not hold our sins and mistakes against us.  Sometimes we speak out of turn, we say the wrong thing, we unintentionally offend, or perhaps we're shorter with others, more abrupt than we intended, but speak out of frustration.  At those times we desire mercy indeed; we'd all like others to overlook our infractions and understand where we're coming from, and listen to what we wished we'd said rather than the poor way it came out.  We all have these experiences, for to be a human being is to be imperfect -- and we do indeed live in an imperfect world, with all kinds of circumstances that make it all the more difficult to maintain equilibrium.  But this is the world into which we're born; even the best of us seem to have bad days.  But what is forgiveness, and how does it work?   Frequently we will hear forgiveness used to mean complete reconciliation, but in my perspective, reconciliation is another step beyond.  In this context in today's reading, of Luke 6:37, there's a different word used for "forgive" than in Matthew 6:12 or Luke 11:4 (in the text of the Lord's Prayer).  But in both cases, the word means to "let go" or to "release."  In this case, it is a word even used in the context of divorce, severing a relationship.  But we're clearly told by Jesus to let go of our grudges, and leave the judgment to God; we're not to seek vengeance.  This does not mean we'll seek to be close to abusers, or even that trust is restored without mutual work.  But it does mean that we let go to God, and we seek God's way to negotiate our world and navigate our way through imperfect relationships, hurts, and even deliberate harms.  We're to positively seek to establish a different kind of relatedness with others in which we put God first, and seek God's way to do so, and that requires of us knowing and understanding God's mercy -- even the mercy we would like extended to us.  There are times in life when we will be called upon to be merciful to those who perhaps have not been merciful to us.  Parents -- even imperfect parents -- become old and infirm, sometimes people who've hurt us will have no one else willing to help when they need it.  At that time we have a choice.  We can find in our hearts the mercy God places there even when there is no rational "justice" involved, for that is a question between ourselves and the Lord, and how God asks us to live as faithful in the Kingdom.  Life changes, and so do we -- and even a kind word may be something God asks us to give to someone who once upon a time didn't have one for us.  It may feel like a sacrifice, we may gain nothing worldly, but we become rich in the Lord.

 

 

Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets

 

 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  

"Blessed are you poor, 

For yours is the kingdom of God.

Blessed are you who hunger now,

For you shall be filled.

Blessed are you who weep now,

For you shall laugh. 

Blessed are you when men hate you,

And when they exclude you,

And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,

For the Son of Man's sake.

 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!

For indeed your reward is great in heaven,

For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

 

But woe to you who are rich,

For you have received your consolation.

 Woe to you who are full,

For you shall hunger.  

Woe to you who laugh now,

For you shall mourn and weep.

Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

For so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

- Luke 6:12–26 

 

Yesterday we read that it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.  

 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: . . .   Jesus, as the Son of God, does not pray as if to obtain grace or revelation from the Father, my study Bible says.  It cites St. Ambrose of Milan, who says that as the Son of Man, Jesus prays as the Advocate for humanity  (see 1 John 2:1).  Jesus spent all night in prayer before choosing the twelve apostles.   Citing Theophylact, my study Bible says that this teaches us that before choosing a candidate for any spiritual ministry, we should pray that God will reveal to us the one suited for the task.  Disciples and apostles are frequently used interchangeably for these twelve.  The Greek word translated as disciple means literally "learner."  Apostle means "one sent out." 

Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.    The names of the Twelve are not the same in all lists, as many people had more than one name.  Here these names are given in pairs, suggesting possibly who traveled together on the first missionary journey.  Mark reports that they were sent out two by two (Mark 6:7).  

And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  The sermon that follows these verses is called the Sermon on the Plain, we're told that Jesus stood on a level place.  .  It's similar in content to the Sermon on the Mount (found at Matthew 5 - 7), but not as extensive.  My study Bible comments that Jesus repeated many of His teachings over the period of three years in His public ministry.  It adds that, in the Old Testament, only a select few were chosen to hear God directly (see Exodus 19:3-13).  But God Incarnate speaks to His disciples and a great multitude face to face.  The power that went out of Him affirms His holiness. 

Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."   Blessed in the context of this sermon (and the Sermon on the Mount) indicates a heavenly, spiritual exaltation rather than our conventional sense of earthly happiness or prosperity.  In Hebrew, my study Bible explains, "poor" means both the materially poor, and also the faithful among God's people.   In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus addresses this to the "poor in spirit," meaning all those who have the heart of the poor, the same attitude as the poor, and a total dependence upon God. 

"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled."  Again, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness."  My study Bible says that these see  God and God's Kingdom as the most important thing in life.  They have a desperate craving for what is right before God, comparable to a starving person's desire for food (see Matthew 6:33). 

"Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh."   Those who weep do so over the sufferings of this life (Matthew 9:23), the sufferings of others (John 11:35), the state of the world (Luke 19:41), and their own sins (Luke 7:36-38).  Laughter comes from the comfort of the power of God both in this world and in the age to come.  My study Bible notes that holy sorrow is part of repentance, conversion, and virtuous action, and is the firstfruit of infinite joy.  This type of sorrow is distinguished from ungodly sorrow; which would be a sadness that leads to despair (see 2 Corinthians 7:10).  

"Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."    My study Bible comments that children of God uphold truth, refuse to compromise with the ways of the world, and give themselves to no other (Luke 6:24, 33; see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  Those who are treated in the ways described here do so as was done to the prophets, and Christ as well.  Those who suffer persecution in this sense walk the same road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  See Acts 5:40-41.

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full for you shall hunger.   Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.  Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."  Luke gives us four "woes" that are not found in the Sermon on the Mount.  My study Bible says that woe is an indication not simply of sorrow, but of unspeakable destruction (Isaiah 5:18-24; Amos 5:18-19; Revelation 12:12).  It remarks that those who prize the vices listed here are liable to the "utmost misery," according to St. Cyril of Alexandria.  But they find hope when they sacrifice earthly blessings in showing mercy to others.  

We might be puzzled by the "woes" that are included here in the Sermon on the Plain.  In a modern context, it's not often that we think of Jesus as one who assigns "woes" to people.  This is especially true because the things named as part of these woes are overwhelmingly seen as things that are highly desirable and good, notable signs of success which perhaps all would like to pursue.  Wealth, fullness, laughter, and particularly perhaps those who are spoken of in a positive light, with renown or great publicity.  These are the people we tend to define as stars, upheld to others for their admiration, and constantly courting public opinion.  But clearly Jesus frowns on these as goals worth dedicating our whole lives to as if they are the fullness of life and its sole purpose.  In fact, if that's all we do, forgetful of Christ's words and the important things we should be pursuing, then our laughter is hollow and temporary, our consolation only of this world and not for life beyond, we'll be starving for things of more real substance, and mourning what we could have pursued, and missed doing.  For again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, we go back to what righteousness is, right-relatedness.  If all we do is pursue these goals, if these are our highest good, then where are we in terms of our capacity to love others and do good for community?  Where is God in such a set of goals?  As "every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17), then how we pursue those gifts, how we use them or think of them, is certainly the purview of the Author of the gift.  If all things come from above, then what is our role in placing gratitude to God first before all else, and seeking God's way to live in the world?  Jesus adds, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."  In the developed world, our capacity for the pursuit of all the things Jesus names becomes magnified and enhanced through every facet of what we call progress, every new development of technology and consumer goods.  But perhaps nothing is as magnified over and above the past as our capacity for the seeking of publicity, the hope that "all men speak well" of us, flatter us.  Giant social media networks like Facebook are driven by this desire, and those who have designed and engineered that know this very well, a system that goes by Likes, and Subscribes, and online Friends.  This great desire for a favorable image or outcome from the opinions of others drives its power to deceive through the failure to accept that it's God's opinion that matters most, takes priority in our choices and decisions.  We are so fixed in the idea of image as merely that which is reflected in the sight of others, rather than in the eye of God, that we run a risk of emptiness that never gets filled.  Indeed, studies have shown a depression correlated with social media use, the envy of what one sees crafted through photos and other posting coming to seem like the grass that is always greener somewhere else.  But needing to please God has to take on a different sort of priority, regardless of the rewards one might seek in a social context.  John's Gospel gives us a picture of the members of the ruling Council:  "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).   The heretofore unprecedented levels of interactions available to us through modern technology make each of us hyper-aware of that "audience" available through the screen.  It leads us to focus a certain way, to think of ourselves within a particular sort of community that hasn't existed previous to recent times.  But God still calls to us, and perhaps that applause or approval we seek today is more fleeting than ever.  And yet there are also gatekeepers; we stand in constant awareness of the possibility that we will be censured, cancelled, shunned, and literally censored as well depending on how we serve that desired image and what it demands from us today.  Let us be attentive to the woes that Christ names, for it is an empty and merciless life defined only by  this kind of mutual praise, without the substance and grace that comes from the only God. 

I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?

 

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

 

- Luke 6:1–11 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And he said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others  who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  

 

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  My study Bible comments in the phrase second Sabbath after the first.  It says that this term was used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath, because a feast was also called a Sabbath.  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, my study Bible notes, the term "second Sabbath" fits as an image of the new covenant and the eternal resurrection:  the first Sabbath indicates the Law, while the second Sabbath indicates the gospel that follows it.  Under the new covenant, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  David prefigured this when he gave the showbread . . . to those with him (1 Samuel 21:1-6). 

 

  Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.  My study Bible explains that according to certain traditions built up around the Law by the scribes and Pharisees, healing was considered to be work.  Therefore it wasn't permissible on the Sabbath.  These men believed that they served God by keeping this peripheral traditions zealously.  But their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  

Today's readings take us to a concept known in the Orthodox Church as economia (οἰκονομία in Greek).  Economia is the practice of the approach to the resolution of a problem by the practice of mercy.  If something looks neither black or white, one must address the problem through mercy.  Economia comes from the root word  οἰκος (ecos) meaning "house."  Clearly this "ecos" is the root for many words we know, such as economy or ecology.  But in this case it evolves through οἰκονόμος (economos) meaning "steward" -- a favorite subject of Jesus for characters in His parables. A steward or economos is a household manager, so to speak, someone in charge of running an estate, managing the households, the crops, the goods, and so forth.  So economia is really a concept that speaks of good and proper management.  It defines the approach to canon law in the Orthodox church, but truly it is meant as a general sense of how to rule on problems, be they on a personal or community level.  But these Pharisees and scribes, in their zeal (as my study Bible explains) are all about the letter of the law; or rather, in this case, of the traditions built up around the law.  This is sometimes referred to as clericalism, where only enshrined opinion is acceptable.  The question of good stewardship is always an important one in the Church because it clearly was an important consideration for Christ to begin with.  What kind of Church was He establishing?  How did He want His Church to be governed?  How did He want His followers to resolve problems, and how did He want the leaders of His Church to govern?  At the heart of this is economia, what it means, essentially (at least etymologically!) to be good stewards.  In today's reading, Jesus' action take us to this place of economia.  What does it mean to make righteous choices, to judge with righteous judgment?  These questions are at the heart of what it means to choose to live the gospel in the world.  Note that Jesus never attacks the Law at all, but He argues from within the Law and within the tradition.  He argues from experience, and from the case of David and the showbread, the practice of mercy when something was necessary and for the greater good.  This practice of economia, especially how in Christ's ministry it is all framed around healing in today's reading, opens up questions about the heart, our capacity for discernment, seeking where God would lead us in all circumstances, and of course the practice of seeking to live God's love.  Sometimes the practice of mercy would ask us to teach or give correction.  Sometimes mercy would tell us to be quiet when a person has had enough.  Sometimes it's to feed a hungry one and bend the rules to do so.  Sometimes it's to give even a cup of cold water (Matthew 10:42).  In all cases, it seeks the better way, the good part (Luke 10:42).  Rules and laws are important; they're built up over time for reasons that are important, that help to govern, to build good structure and communities.  But economia is about their practice and how we approach them.  Economia would teach us not to forget that the Lord is the author of the Law; its purpose is to build righteous communities in service to God who is love, for the life of the world.  When Jesus says that "the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath," He's reminding us all that God became man out of compassion, to know us, and thereby He is the Lord of the Sabbath.  In Mark's Gospel, Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).  The Son of Man becomes human and experiences fully human life; He knows us all, He knows our lives, He knows our suffering and struggles, and it is He who will judge.  Jesus asks, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  Note that Jesus does not banish all evil and suffering from the world, but asks us to consider His question, and what we do.  On a popular Orthodox blog, by Father Stephen Freeman (Glory to God for All Things), Fr. Freeman wrote a comment about suffering.  He said, "Rather than banishing suffering (which we cannot do), we should concern ourselves with being the kind of people and the kind of community that can help people bear their suffering."  To help others bear their suffering is a good example of righteousness, right-relatedness.  This is the righteousness of economia, and it is the way that Christ lived His ministry to teach us how to live as well.  

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance

 

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

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

 

- Luke 5:27–39 

 

Yesterdays we read that it happened when Jesus was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could mot find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

 

 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And he said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Here Levi (Matthew) answer's Christ's call to him, "Follow Me."  He leaves his occupation to become a disciple, as did Peter together with James and John Zebedee, in Monday's reading.  My study Bible comments that from the beginning of His ministry, Christ has been a friend of tax collectors and sinners, which is one of the Pharisees' complaints against Him in today's reading.  Levi may also have been one of the tax collectors prepared for Christ by John the Baptist (Luke 3:12) in the same way that Peter, James, and John were first followers of John the Baptist (John 1:35-51).  

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

Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved."   My study Bible comments on these verses that Christ's earthly life is a time of joyous blessings.  But there will come a time when His followers will practice the fast.  In Jewish practice, fasting typically occurred twice a week (Luke 18:12), on Monday and Thursday.  Moreover, additional public fasts were regularly observed or occasionally proclaimed (2 Chronicles 20:3; 1 Ezekiel 8:49-50; Esther 4:16; Joel 2:15), especially on the  Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31-34) and in times of mourning (Zechariah 7:5; 8:19).  But, my study Bible says, the Jews saw the day of the Messiah as a wedding feast -- a time of joy and gladness.  Christ here is proclaiming that day, and declaring Himself to be the Messiah/Bridegroom.  For Christians, my study Bible adds, fasting is not gloomy but desirable, a bright sadness, for by fasting we gain self-control and prepare ourselves for the Wedding Feast.

"And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"   My study Bible explains that this saying only occurs in Luke's account.  It notes that it illustrates several things.  First, there is the difficulty with which the Jews would accept the new covenant.  Then there is the inner resistance a person faces in turning away from a sinful way of life.  Finally, it teaches the general stubbornness of the human heart.  

Perhaps nowhere else do we read Christ stating so clearly that His mission is to heal than in today's reading, and His statement in which He compares Himself to a physician:  "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  If we may close attention to what He's saying, He's telling us something that isn't all that popular today in our common culture.  Christ is, in fact, describing repentance as the ultimate medicine for what ails people.  We don't often think of repentance as something healing, that takes us out of some form of illness -- whether that be a mental or emotional ailment, a spiritual or soul ailment, or even a physical ailment.  This is because our common conceptions of repentance are overlaid with a terrible burden of guilt or extreme shame, with the shadow of a punitive and accusative finger pointing at us.  But the word translated as repentance is μετάνοια/metanoia.  It means "change of mind" but in a deeper sense that if we were to simply think of it in intellectual terms.  This word for "mind" indicates a change in the inner person such that our way of thinking is transformed, including how we perceive things.  So repentance is a kind of transformation that changes who we are, our orientation to things, a recognition that we need to do something differently because it changes how we look at our reality.  If we perceive that we are hurting ourselves or others, a repentance can take place through a healthy sense of shame (not one that defines us), one that applies correction justly and reasonably.  Repentance in this sense is reorienting ourselves to Christ, to God, so that we are in better communion than we were before.  It is for this reason that it is the ultimate act of healing.  That's why it applies to all problems.  Even a physical ailment or hardship one cannot change is "healed" for the self through personal change and reorientation to how we will approach our lives and our relationship to God.   Twelve Step programs, if looked at closely, are a methodical approach to a plan for repentance, transformation.  All of our lives in the Church are directed toward this because we seek a deeper and growing dependency and communion with God through worship, through the Eucharist, through confession and repentance, through all the acts with which we dedicate ourselves to our Lord, including prayer and fasting.  A deepening faith isn't possible without this sense of repentance as transformation.  There will always be ways in which we need to change our minds to come to a deeper communion with God and the whole great cloud of saints.   As God is infinite, so then is our capacity to come to know God better, and this happens through this process of change, a willingness to be led like a child in the Lord's embrace, to reconsider and change one's mind.  It's also important to understand that we're not absolute like God is; we are creatures subject to change.  Therefore if we're not on the path toward God, we're headed the other way.  We don't stand still, we're not fixed points.  So these sinners become saved in ways that the Pharisees and their scribes cannot, will not -- because they don't necessarily think they have anything to learn from Christ, or see the ways in which repentance is for them, too.  They can't open their minds to that; as a result, throughout the story of Christ's ministry, they dig in deeper against Jesus.  Of course, there are great exceptions, like Nicodemus (see John 3), who comes to learn from Christ and eventually becomes a part of the Church.  Possibly our most known example is St. Paul, who describes himself as "a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee" (Acts 23:6), and was the most feared persecutor of Christians.   Philippians 3 is perhaps a very great statement on repentance, for in it St. Paul describes himself as one who has the greatest reason to have confidence in the flesh, in his spiritual inheritance and pedigree as a Jew.  "But," he writes, "what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:7-11).  This great giving up of what was his by flesh, so to speak, for the inheritance and gain in Christ is indeed a tremendous statement of transformation, repentance, and if we read closely, he describes it also as an ongoing process toward perfection, and one meant for each one of us to undertake, "for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14).  The most vivid and succinct illustration Christ gives us of the principle illustrated in today's reading is the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).  This parable is found in Luke's Gospel, and is addressed "to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others."  Perhaps St. Luke, called the "beloved physician" by St. Paul (Colossians 4:14) had a powerful insight into the effectiveness and necessary means of this medicine.  He is the one who uniquely reports the difficulty of taking it, and what it repairs:  "And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  But nonetheless it's the new that we need, and that need is ongoing.

 

 

We have seen strange things today!

 

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

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could mot find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

 

- Luke 5:12–26 

 

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

 

And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  My study Bible comments that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  It was a disease that brought tremendous physical suffering, in addition to total ostracism and isolation from society.  Leprosy also figures as a symbol for our sin.  

  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."   Jesus commands the healed leper to "show yourself to the priest" in accordance with the Law.  My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria who comments that this command is given, also, so that the priests will see by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was healed only after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Let us note that the Gospel is careful to tell us of Jesus' withdrawal from the great multitudes who come to Him to hear and to be healed of their infirmities.  Note that Jesus went into the wilderness and prayed.   This teaches us about our own need for withdrawal and prayer, to seek the peace of God we need.  We cannot only respond to others' needs and demands.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could mot find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"  My study Bible says that, as shown by this healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  From this story it is clear that faith is collective as well as personal, for here the faith of the friends of the paralytic has helped in his healing (when He saw their faith).  There are three signs noted of Christ's divinity:  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (when Jesus perceived their thoughts; see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Christ forgives sins, which is a power that belongs only to God.  Finally, Christ heals by the power of His word ("I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house").

At the end of today's reading, the people are amazed.  At the same time they glorified God and were also filled with fear.   What they say is, "We have seen strange things today!"   The Greek word translated as "strange" is an important one in terms of how we know or perceive Christ.  It is παράδοξος/paradoxos.  As we can see it is the root of our borrowed word in the English language, paradox.  Para in Greek means by the side of something, alongside something.  Doxa means "glory" but it also means opinion or renown, that which determines a positive value.  So a "paradox" is something strange in that it is uncommon, unexpected, contrary to expectation.   In terms of theological insights and the history of the Church, paradox has come even to define the only ways that we can think of God, or of divine and holy things.  God comes to the world in paradox.  How can a virgin bear a child?  How is it that Jesus is both God and man?  How can God die on the Cross, and yet how can even the human Jesus ascend into heaven?  In the hands of the historical Orthodox hymnographers, these insights and glimmers of paradox shine in myriad poetry and poetic phrases that we have for the figures that populate the story of salvation, and especially of Jesus Christ.  Mary, Jesus' mother, has many names that enshrine and highlight the paradox of her identity.  Often one may find icons painted that are identified by these names given to the many paradoxes we know about her.  Among a myriad of names, she is known, for example, as the Unwedded Bride, or the one who is Greater than the Heavens (for she held the Creator of the universe in her womb).  She is called the Unfading Rose.  Her title (established at the Council of Ephesus in 431) is Theotokos, meaning God-bearer in Greek, or the Mother of God.  It invites us to ponder questions that open us up to think about God, when we ask things like, how can God have a mother?  Paradox, in other words, is the only avenue by which we can know or think about God.  For it is the way that God comes to us, in paradox.  When these townspeople exclaim, "We have seen strange things today!" they are responding to things unexpected, that don't seem to go together.  But this is the way that our eyes are opened to consider the things that are beyond our daily reality, our earthly expectations.  It is the way that God comes to us, in expressions that open us to what we don't know, the mysteries of the reality of God.  This is how God comes to us in signs.