Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?

 

Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful. 

 

 When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

 

- Matthew 17:22–27 

 

Yesterday we read that, following the Transfiguration, when Jesus and the three disciples (Sts. Peter, James, and John) had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  

 

Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful.  This is the second time that Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection to the disciples (the first is in this reading).  My study Bible says that He does so in order to show that He is going to His Passion freely, and not being taken against His will.   

 

 When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."  My study Bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (except the priests) who were over twelve years of age.  This was taken for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  It explains that, as Jesus is the Son of God, e is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple, so He is therefore exempt from the tax.  But nonetheless, Jesus pays it anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense and to show that He has completely identified Himself with humankind.

 

Perhaps it's important to note regarding the payment of the temple tax how often St. Peter seems to be quite affected by how he looks or operates within community, and often to his own detriment.  For example, when St. Peter protests that Jesus will go to the Cross, we understand his love for Jesus, his Lord, and of course he doesn't want to lose Him. This is only human.  But there are additional things to consider that may play a part of the fullness of the character of St. Peter.  To be crucified was also associated with the deepest shame; so much so, that no Roman citizen could be crucified.  Jesus' death, within the context of the culture, was one of extraordinary shame upon those who were crucified, and by extension their families and communities.  We often forget this, because we understand Christ's own sacrifice and heroism, done for our salvation and love for humankind.  But we cannot successfully dismiss the context of the day and time and community and even comprehend how great a sacrifice, and how deep a risk, this was.  As St. Paul writes, a scandal to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23).  When St. Peter follows Jesus as He is taken to the home of the High Priest, and He is inside the house put on trial in the night, St. Peter remains outside.  So shaken is he by the perspective of what has happened that he denies Christ three times, despite the fact that earlier in the night he had sworn he was ready to die with Jesus.  See Matthew 26:31-35; 69-75.  St. Paul takes St. Peter to task because at Antioch, St. Peter would eat with the Gentile Christians, but once other Jewish Christians came from Jerusalem, St. Peter withdrew from the Gentiles and would not sit with them (Galatians 2:11-13).  In today's reading, we note that Jesus reasons for paying the temple tax -- although He does not owe it -- are valid in wanting not to give needless offense, particularly when at this stage His messianic identity must remain a secret.  But additionally, it seems to me, the addition of St. Peter as witness and participant in this scene gives it a different kind of a twist, for this is St. Peter's community of Capernaum.  Not only that, but we note the way that the question was framed.  Jesus Himself was not approached for the temple tax.  Instead, it is St. Peter who was approached, and with the question, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  So St. Peter is put on the spot, and once again in front of his community.  It's as if one were asked, "Does your brother or father not pay what he owes (and what everyone else pays)?"  St. Peter immediately answers, "Yes."  It seems that Christ is quite sympathetic to St. Peter's vulnerability within community, for Jesus does not correct him in a harsh way for answering for Jesus.  Instead, Jesus quietly corrects St. Peter's thinking to understand that He, as Son and High Priest, does not owe a temple tax.  But He is also cautious not to give offense.  Perhaps it's for St. Peter's sake that Jesus chooses to pay the tax not out of the treasury of the apostles and His ministry, but rather through another miraculous manifestation of abundance, one that perhaps echoes the bread and fishes in the wilderness.  The first fish this fisherman turned "fisher of men" will yield the money for both Christ and St. Peter.  Note how St. Peter is included by Jesus in a way that shows they are together in the payment; Jesus says, "Give it to them for Me and for you."  Jesus, as we see, is not only the Lord for whom the miraculous is always possible, but He is the Good Shepherd, the Teacher who always shows leadership qualities for us to emulate and admire.  He does not embarrass His pupil (disciple, which means "student") in front of St. Peter's community, but He makes clear the truth in private and at the same time seem to deeply understand St. Peter's sensitivity and vulnerability in this context.  Jesus also makes the extra effort to assure St. Peter that they are together in this, and St. Peter himself can pay the temple authorities for both of them, standing up in community, so to speak.  It seems clear that we always have something to learn from Jesus with regard to how leadership is meant to work:  how to teach, how to lead, even how to love and gain the confidence of those whom we care for.  For Jesus is making a new community out of many, one that will unite Gentile and Jew under Himself, for all those who will participate in His life, death, and Resurrection for the salvation of all.  But He shows us how to do it, how to understand our fellows, and those with whom we make community and spiritual family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour. 

 

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  

 "He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses." 

 

- Matthew 8:5-17 

 

On Saturday we read the following words given at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7):  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  This centurion is a Gentile.  A centurion commanded one hundred men in a Roman legion.  My study Bible comments that Jesus is the Savior of all, and in Him ethnic distinctions are void.  

 

And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  My study Bible indicates that, according to many Greek scholars, Jesus' phrase, "I will come" has been read as a question: "Shall I come?"   Either way it is read, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile and even to enter his house, which would make Him unclean in the eyes of the Jews. 

 

 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." This centurion expresses an unusual faith in Jesus; it is remarkable that he would call a Jew Lord.  His statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is frequently quoted in liturgical texts.  My study Bible calls it an ideal expression of humility. 

 

 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  My study Bible points out that there are only two occasions reported in the Gospels in which Christ marveled.  Once is at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here at the belief of this foreigner.  

 

 "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  Those who are rejected sons of the kingdom are both the Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith; outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (1 Enoch 108:5).  These are common expressions in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30), and they occur also in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 13:28).  

 

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."  This passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) tell us that St. Peter was married.  My study Bible comments that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  Here He heals by touch; earlier with the centurion's servant, He healed with a word.  In the case of St. Peter's mother-in-law, the healing is immediate and complete, but others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of their loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  

 

There are several elements in today's reading that mark particular themes in the Gospel.  For example, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, we were told that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (see Saturday's reading, above).  This is an important concept in today's reading as well, as the centurion is a man of authority within the Roman Empire, and a Gentile.  He's a military commander of one hundred Roman legionnaires, those who occupy and make possible the colonization of Israel, and expansion of empire.  But here in today's reading, one authority clearly recognizes the authority in another; the Roman soldier and commander recognizes authority in Jesus, and even calls Him Lord.  He goes even further, and states that he is not worthy that Jesus should come under his roof, humbling himself before Christ as One having greater authority.  It seems almost instinctive in the centurion that he recognizes in Jesus One who can command.  It is an important lesson in authority to understand that a command -- as the extent of authority -- can reach beyond individual to individual and work through servants and others of lesser rank.  The centurion tells Jesus, "But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  We know that Jesus as Lord also is a Commander who works through His servants, soldiers, and messengers (His disciples and apostles, the faithful, and the angels), and His commands go out through such agency and via such authority.  But how does the centurion understand this about Jesus?  No wonder Jesus marveled.  Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  Perhaps this is meant to teach us something special and particular about faith, that it is rooted in a kind of love and purity of heart that recognizes and instantly grasps something about identity, that knows Christ who knows us (1 Corinthians 13:12).  The centurion is one with ears to hear and eyes to see (Matthew 13:16-17).  In a sense, he is also like Christ in that Christ's imperative for the use of His power is to heal; the entire purpose of the Incarnation is a healing and saving mission, offering us a way to rectify and put right what has been disordered and unhealthy in our world.  In this perspective, what we understand as the Fall is unnatural, against our true nature.  What we witness of the centurion in today's reading is his own impulse to heal; he desperately seeks out healing for his suffering servant.  Listen to his compassion in this statement, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  Did not Christ Himself condescend to become one of us in order to heal human beings, who lie paralyzed and dreadfully tormented with sin and all the cumulative adverse effects of sin in our world?  Besides the things my study Bible points out, the faith of this centurion tells us a great deal about what faith is and does and how it can act.  He recognizes Christ in ways that others do not, he also knows what Christ can do and will do with His (Genesis 1:26).  We may perhaps be taken aback that this could be true of an occupying soldier and commander, but we should not be.  Christ Himself refers to His angels as those who come in legions (Matthew 26:53).  Authority as we understand it in Christ and in His servants (such as the angels) is also power, and we need to recognize the proper and correct use of authority suitable to our true nature (such as the authority which God gave human beings in Genesis 1:26).  Let us consider all the ways we can learn from today's passage, and from the centurion's example.

 

 

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned

 

 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles:

The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,

And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death

Light has dawned." 

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

 

- Matthew 4:12–17 

 

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, / Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him,  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

 

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, / By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, / Galilee of the Gentiles: . . ."  The Gospel makes it very clear that the preparatory mission of John the Baptist has been completed, as Jesus waited until he heard that John had been put in prison to depart to Galilee.  According to my study Bible, Galilee of the Gentiles indicates that many non-Jews lived in this region.  As it had a mixed population, it wasn't considered a genuinely Jewish land, although many of its Gentile residents had converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  Because many of the Jews of Galilee had been influenced by the Greek culture and its customs, my study Bible adds, they were generally considered to be second-class citizens by the Jews of Judea. 

 

"The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, / And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death / Light has dawned."   St. Matthew quotes here from Isaiah 9:1-2.  My study Bible explains that darkness means ungodliness.  Here, it says, "darkness" represents the Gentiles' unawareness of God and the Jews being under the shadow of the Old Covenant.  To sit in darkness means to be overcome by spiritual ignorance.  The great light is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  See also John 1:4-5.

 

 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  My study Bible notes that Christ's first word, similarly to that of John the Baptist, is "Repent."  The difference, however, is that the kingdom of heaven is present wherever Christ is.  But nevertheless, Christ's mission is still to call us to repentance.  My study Bible explains that this is the necessary first step in the way of the Lord.  It is accompanied by the confession of sins and the act of baptism, and is to be followed by a life filled with fruits worthy of this change.  

 

As longtime readers of this blog will know, the term repentance is extremely important for us to understand.  In Greek, this word is μετανοια/metanoia, and it literally means "change of mind."   Repentance is not the same as simply feeling guilty, nor merely feeling sorry.  Repentance indicates change, a change that goes from one direction to another;  that is, from wherever we are and going toward Christ, where Christ would have us go.  Properly, our entire lives in Christ, and the whole of the religious and spiritual journey of our lives should be a constant renewal in this sense of repentance, personal transformation.  As we grow more deeply in this relationship with and participation in the life of Christ, so also we will change.  We will experience a kind of constant experience of conversion, metanoia, change of mind.  Of course, we have help on this journey.  We are not led simply by our own noses or our own opinions, but rather by all the things which are offered in the Church, and the things left to us by Christ.  Most notably there is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, and Christ's great Light within us.  St. Paul has explained that we are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in us (see Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16).   Additionally, we are left with sacraments and services, the practices and traditions of the Church, the Scriptures and prayers.  We have help in the saints and the angels who guide us and form the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us and worships with us (Hebrews 12:1).  All of these things are meant not only to shore up our faith, to help us to live that faith, but also to hold us in the embrace of the kingdom of heaven even as we live in this world, so that this active and ongoing work of repentance in us may bear the spiritual fruit that is possible for us, and follow Christ where we are led.  This is the action of the Light which continually leads us out of our own darkness, a constant illuminating process.  In fact, historically, Christian Holy Baptism has also been called "Illumination."  It is this sense in which Baptism begins our journey, which is ongoing and culminates only in the fullness of Christ's light, an eternal goal and not simply a temporal one.  As my study Bible notes, the kingdom of heaven is at hand for us, for where Christ is, so there is His Kingdom.  Where two or three are gathered in His name, He has promised us, so He is there also, and moreover, He is with us always.  He is the morning star that rises in our hearts, and the light shining in a dark place  (2 Peter 1:19-20).  For we are all disciples -- that is, learners -- and this is our road, Christ's "way."

 

 

I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!

 

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."

 

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  

 

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His  teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that the questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee. 

 

- Mark 1:14-28 

 

 Yesterday we began reading the Gospel of St. Mark, which starts with the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

 

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel." My study Bible comments that Mark's written emphasis on John being put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant -- to prepare people for Christ -- had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  Once Christ came into the world, the time of preparation was now fulfilled.  My study Bible explains that to repent is to do a total "about-face."  In Greek, this word literally means "change one's mind."  It's a radical change of one's spirit, mind, though, and heart -- a total reorientation to life centered in Christ.  

 

 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  These first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and so were prepared to immediately accept Christ and follow Him.  It is impossible to overestimate the high regard the people had for John the Baptist, and his leading of his disciples to Christ (see John 1:35-42).  Although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land," as my study Bible describes them, will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all.  

 

 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His  teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that the questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.  My study Bible comments that the word immediately appears almost forty times in St. Mark's Gospel.  Nearly all of these uses of the word "immediately" occur prior to Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.  It says that the sense of urgency and purpose as Christ journey to Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world helps make St. Mark's account not only the shortest, but also the most direct of all the four Gospels.  Notice how Jesus gets right down to the work of His ministry; once He endures the temptation in the wilderness, and is baptized wherein there was the theophany of the manifestation of Father, Son, and Spirit, He begins to choose His disciples, and then immediately on the Sabbath entered the synagogue and taught.  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, Jesus begins preaching and healing on the Sabbath to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."  This new doctrine that makes the people marvel and wonder is the authority with which Christ preaches, heals, and casts out demons.  My study Bible contrasts this with the prophets of old and the teachers of His time, who taught in the third person ("the Lord says").  Christ teaches and acts of Himself, in the first person, commanding the spirits to be quiet and come out.  Here is observed Christ desire to remain hidden, not to disclose His identity as Messiah.  My study Bible says this was foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  Several reasons are given here for this secrecy.  They include the growing hostility of the religious leaders to Jesus; the people's misunderstanding and expectation of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and Christ's desire to evoke genuine faith which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  

 

We observe that the unclean spirit knows exactly who Christ is.  He recognizes Him as the Holy One of God, saying,  "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  Not only do the unclean spirits know Jesus of Nazareth, they know His identity as the Holy One of God.  It's strange to think that the demons themselves don't really deny Christ at all, even though they are part of the force that opposes Him.  They know full well who He is, and they fear His power to destroy them.  Moreover, there is only one Holy One of God, and that is the Son who is incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth.  Unlike human beings who scoff at faith, who claim to be unbelievers, or who simply doubt anything about the story of Jesus, the demons know very well who He is and certainly believe the truth about Him as presented in the Gospels.  From our perspective as human beings, we might wonder at this.  It's not the common understanding of what it means to be irreligious.  But the human rebellion against God comes in other forms than that of these unclean spirits who belong to another realm in which they clearly recognize Christ.  Our version of rebellion against God, and expressions of hatred and fear of Christ, come in other forms.  They come in the forms in which we participate in the activities and "energies," if you will, of those who hate Christ, and who hate the truth of Christ.  These may take the form of petty cruelties, deliberate malice and evil, harsh treatment of others who are undeserving of it.  It takes the form of disruption in a Church when power plays become all that matter to those who think they own this jewel that Christ has left us, because they don't understand spiritual truth and its nature at all.  It comes in the form of manipulation, lies, and trickery for personal gain in many forms and venues.  Together with St. John, as written in the Revelation, we may add that it includes "whoever loves and makes a lie" (Revelation 22:15).  For our early Christian forbears, such was the work of the Antichrist, and those who participate in such forms of denial of Christ participate in the spirit of the Antichrist (1 John 2:18).  So while we may not see such sights every day as the one described here, while we might not be able to identify an "unclean spirit," we can still understand what it is to participate in the energies of the spirit that opposes Christ and fears His reign and power.  Let us keep a close watch on our own hearts during this Lent, and seek to stop if we, too, find the temptations to participate in such works.  For our best hope is instead to work the works of God (John 6:28-29).

 

 

 

 

As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me

 

 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 drinks 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 Jews complained about Jesus in response to His discourse, 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 form 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?"  Once again we observe that in St. John's Gospel misunderstandings are frequent.  Here we go once again from "earthly language" heard in an earthly way, to this question posed to Christ who will answer with the voice of the mystical reality He brings into the world, and what exactly this means.  

 

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drinks 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 notes 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.  We receive the grace of Christ's sacrificial offering by coming to Him in faith (verse 35) and by receiving Holy Communion in faith.  In Communion, it says, we eat Christ's flesh and drink His blood, and this grants the faithful eternal life, with Christ abiding in us and we in Him.  My study Bible quotes St. Hilary of Poitiers on this passage:  "There is no room left for any doubt about the relaity 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.  In a straightforward manner, Christ teaches about Communion, giving this a eucharistic significance , but also speaks of the mystical reality of Himself as the bread which came down from heaven, and gives eternal life.  

 

In today's reading we get perhaps the most stark reminder of the double meanings of words encountered in St. John's Gospel.  Jesus' words, as we will see, will inflame and upset quite a few people.  But nonetheless, despite the misunderstanding, He still doesn't mince words.  This is because He's telling the truth.  People might not understand it in its true sense, that He is speaking of mystical realities -- and the mystical realities present in the Mystical Supper, the Eucharist -- but nonetheless He speaks directly the words of truth about who He is, about His sacrifice, about His flesh being food for the life of the world.  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we pondered on the meanings of "life" in Christ's language.  That is, we wondered about what it means that He preaches regarding eternal life, everlasting life, life in abundance.  What does it mean to live forever?    These concepts all focus on a central theme of life that belongs to the age to come; that is life that exceeds what we know, and is lived in this time and place in which He reigns and all things are reconciled under Him.  This could have a plethora of ramifications and meanings in terms of what it truly means for us, and the picture of that life we don't truly know.  What we do know is that this "life of the ages" isn't simply about the future as we understand time to imply, for the life of the Kingdom -- the eternal reality of Christ -- isn't defined by time as our lives are in an earthly sense.  So today we're invited to wonder about His even more perplexing and even troubling words.  What does it really mean to eat His flesh and drink His blood?  This is the language, moreover, of sacrifice.  He will give His life for many, for the life of the world.  He seems even possibly to be speaking about human sacrifice!  But all of this is to be reconciled in the meanings and values He brings into the world, and in our understanding of the purpose of His mission and ministry as Incarnate Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man.  All of this language needs its own way of being understood and taken in by us.  Jesus says, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him."  This speaks to a kind of depth of communion possibly no one can understand to whom He speaks directly at this time in His ministry.  And yet, now it speaks to all of us, for we have the Eucharist, we know of His sacrifice for us, and of the reality of communion.  How many of us can say that we have experienced that reality of that depth -- and are beckoned forward more deeply in to the mystery of life of Christ and how it calls to us to deeper places within ourselves?  How many can say that they are called into this communion, to become more "like Him" -- or perhaps more closely becoming the person He calls us to be in His name?  This is the reality of salvation itself -- of the sacrifice He will make of His flesh as He bears all in this world so that we may encounter His and come to dwell with Him in that abundance of life He promises.  Don't be put off by language one cannot understand, or may find offensive.  For until we know what someone is really saying, who's to know if even God is speaking to us?

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 water of 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 who 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, nor 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 them 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 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 down; 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 water of 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.  This event of Christ walking on the water of the sea is the fifth sign of seven recorded by St. John in this Gospel.  The entire chapter parallels the story of Exodus in a number of ways which we have reported in commentary.  Here my study Bible notes that in the Exodus, Moses led the people across the Red Sea, walking on the dry ground in the midst of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  Here, Christ sends His disciples across the sea and then walks on the sea as if it were dry ground.  

 

 On the following day, when the people who 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, nor 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 them 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 text tells us how desirous of an earthly Messiah the people are, particularly in Jesus because He has fed them ("because you ate of the loaves and were filled").  So much so, that they got into boats and came to Capernaum seeking Him.  

 

There is an interesting contrast between the two stories in our reading for today.  In one story, Jesus walks on the water to His disciples.   The setting is that darkness has already come upon the waters, an echo of the chaos before creation in Genesis, in which the dark waters become life and creation by the word and work of God (Genesis 1:2).  A great wind begins blowing, likely to stir up the sea (the sea arose, the text tells us), and the disciples are already three or four miles out, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.  But Jesus walks to them on the water, telling them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  He is once again using the Divine Name of the Lord, the I AM in Greek (Ἐγώ εἰμι/Ego eimi), from Exodus 3:14.  And the divine properties of the Lord are immediately evident:  we're told that immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  (If they had departed from Tiberias, as the text seems to teach us, it would seem that they were approximately halfway there when Jesus appeared to them.)   So time and space are in some way suspended here; Christ is outside of both.  When He walks on the water, space as we understand it doesn't apply (and hence therefore gravity also); when they receive Him, they immediately find themselves at their destination.  So time also does not play its role as we know it, presumably because space does not.  These are signs of the divine, capable of suspending or superseding the elements that define our physical world and lives.  But note the contrast with the townspeople who still seek Jesus because He has fed them, and they wanted to make Him king (see yesterday's reading, above).  These people, who don't understand Him or His ministry (or apparently the kind of faith He's seeking) have been scrambling to find Him.  They had no idea where He went, He didn't appear to go with His disciples, and they seek Him in the area He's known to frequent, the place of His ministry "headquarters," in Capernaum.  These people neither know where He was, how He came to Capernaum, the mysterious departure of His disciples without Him, and so must seek Him as best they can through guesswork and hearsay.  Their efforts are "pedestrian" by comparison to the events that surround Jesus, the things which He initiates.  The two stories contrast in the remarkable events which eliminate the limitations of time and space, and evade the people who wish to make Jesus king -- in great contrast to the relative dullness and slowness of the people who think only of the food given them, and cherish that as the thing to be diligently sought in Christ.  If we look at these stories iconically, we see that Christ draws us up to where He is; His influence teaches us a set of values and perspectives that take us to His true kingdom, the place He wants us to know and to pursue instead of chasing our stomachs, so to speak.  The feeding in the wilderness (in yesterday's reading) teaches us that Christ is fully aware of our human needs and physical reality, but His response today teaches us where He wants our minds to go in order to follow Him appropriately and for the right reasons.  Jesus expects us to work, to "labor" but for the right things and in the right perspective.  He tells them, "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." He draws us up to Himself; He has come down from heaven as the Son of Man to offer us this food which endures to everlasting life.  We must follow where He leads, not where we want to take Him.  

 

 

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 heard 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 

 

 On Saturday, we read of the outcome of Christ's visit to Samaria and His encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (see the first two readings in this story here and here):  And at this point His 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.  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.  The two days refers to the two days Jesus remained in Samaria following the conversion of the Samaritan woman and her townspeople (see Saturday's reading, above).  Jesus' own country is Galilee.  Galileans were present in Jerusalem during the Passover (John 2:13-25) where Jesus apparently had performed many signs.  That was the first of three Passover feasts recorded in St. John's Gospel.  My study Bible comments that while the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom gives more credit to the Samaritans for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  This statement that a prophet has no honor in his own country is reported in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24).

 

 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 heard 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."  My study Bible comments that here Christ admonishes the people in general (you is plural both times in Christ's statement) and not only the nobleman.  It says that faith based on miraculous works alone is insufficient 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.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study Bible notes that this nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, and neither does he know that Christ would have the power to heal even if his child were to die.  Finally, he asks about the timing of the healing, suggesting that he still doesn't completely trust in Jesus' authority.  But after all is confirmed then he and his whole household believe.  My study Bible says that thus, in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not simply the body of the child, but the soul of the nobleman.  This is the second of seven signs reported in St. John's Gospel.  (The first was the turning of water to wine at the wedding in Cana.)

 

I recently had an experience of an acquaintance whose son fell ill with a very rare type of cancer.  He was quite healthy otherwise, and so the parents pursued many avenues of healing for their only child.  Sadly, this cancer had spread before anyone was aware of it, partly due to its very rare nature, and the fact that the child was otherwise a very healthy young man.  They prayed and enlisted many in their prayers for him.  But sadly, it could be observed that there was a belief at work that if only they believed hard enough that he would be healed, even miraculously, their prayers would come true.  Unfortunately the child -- a wonderful young man full of faith in Christ -- endured many treatments but ultimately was not cancer-free.  It remains perhaps the most tragic experience for so many of us who were praying and hoping.  But in my opinion, that young man who never gave up his faith in Christ, even when he (contrary to his parents' belief and promises) didn't believe he would be completely healed.  And this, to me, is a tremendous testimony to the boy for he faced difficulties that would test any of the saints we know, the martyrs we might have read about.  I was awed by what a tremendous positive and creative personality he had, and the love present in him and in his family.  In fact, it seemed as if he continued his treatments long after he did not feel he would get well, but did so for his parents' sake, and not to let them down.  Today's reading has prompted this memory, sad and tragic as it is (and perhaps dismaying to readers), because we have in a sense an opposite scenario.  A desperate man comes to Jesus, the Lord in the flesh, seeking healing for his direly ill son.  But he doesn't have that complete faith in Christ.  In fact, we read throughout the story that his faith is little.  Faith in him and his household is confirmed not after his son is healed, but when he found out what hour the son recovered.  The difference between the Gospel story for today, and the story of my friends and their sadly ill child is striking to me.  But one thing remains, and that is the power of Christ.  It is not "conjured" by us if we simply believe what we desperately want to believe.  The Lord, in the person of Jesus Christ, assured this nobleman his son will be healed in our story.  In the life we live in this world, full of its own sorrows and difficulties (including death and illness) we are charged not simply to believe that what we want will happen if we have enough faith, but rather to seek God's way to live through the difficulties and pursue our lives with the love, compassion, and insight that grace and prayer can give to us.  We don't know the outcome of all circumstances, and sad or tragic outcomes can happen, even things we most fear.  But what we are promised is the grace of God, our Savior's presence with us, and in the prayers of the faithful who also pray with us, including the saints in heaven.  Our faith is not about guaranteed outcomes, which is perhaps the hardest thing of all for us to accept, but it is about the grace we're given to live our lives through it, to build love and compassion, for our beloved dear ones who suffer to know our love is with them, and will continue with them.  And this is the promise we're given that in Christ, love and life is transcendent and abundant, even to an everlasting life.  The story of my friends, the parents who did so much with so much love, is not over. Through their efforts their son was beloved by many and will continue to be; they themselves were an inspiration to many.  Through God's love they will perhaps help many others in similar situations, but that remains to be seen.  Jesus says in today's reading, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  But perhaps we need to change our understanding of signs and wonders to include the grace of God that shows us how to love and guides us to compassion for those who suffer, even when our outcomes are not the perfection we desired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have kept the good wine until now!

 

 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  

 

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast."  And they took it. 

 

When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!"

 

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. 

 

- John 2:1–12 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the fourth day of Christ's public ministry: The following day (after Andrew and Simon Peter became His disciples) Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  On the third day is an expression which my study Bible says means "two days later," as it includes the current day in its calculation.  Therefore this begins the sixth day of Christ's public ministry.  Paralleling the creation of man and woman in Genesis 1:26-31, the wedding in Cana of Galilee takes place, giving birth, so to speak, to Christ's ministry in Galilee.  My study Bible further explains that this setting is significant.  In the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God with His Bride, Israel.  Jesus intentionally begins His ministry at Galilee (see yesterday's reading, above) which had a large Gentile population; this was a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world.  That the wedding took place on the third day gives a resurrectional tone to this event, showing that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in the Resurrection of Christ.  There are other parallels to this marriage and the Resurrection account in John 20:1-18, which my study Bible names as that involve a woman named Mary who makes an appeal, and in both passages the disciples are invited to witness the event.  Moreover, the Resurrection account (John 20:11-18) has a striking similarity to Song of Solomon 3:1-5, again showing the unity between marriage and the Lord's Resurrection.   Additionally, by Christ's presence at the wedding He declares marriage to be holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4), a sacrament of the Church.

 

 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  This is an example of Mary's gift of intercession.  Even now, my study Bible says, Mary continually speaks to her Son on our behalf and she is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne.  This is confirmed as Jesus grants her request in this passage.  Here, wine is symbolic of life; so, there are two levels of meaning in Mary's statement, "They have no wine."  First, a marriage is not complete without the presence of Christ; and second, the old covenant was not able to bestow life even on the most faithful people.  My study Bible moreover notes that, contrary to certain modern usages, Woman is a sacred title in Scripture, and it conveys deep respect and distinction (John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  "What does your concern have to do with Me?" is translated more literally, "What is that to Me and to you?"  Most significantly, in the Greek, these are the same words used by the widow Zarephath in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, when she questioned Elijah after the death of her only son following her help to the prophet (1 Kings 17:18).  In effect Jesus is using a kind of "shorthand" with His mother, asking if she is prepared for what is to follow once His signs (or miracles) begin.  Christ's hour is the time of his great glorification in the Cross at His Passion.  That Christ fulfills her request teaches several things, according to my study Bible:  First, that He is Lord over hours and seasons and is not subject to them.  Second, the wedding party needed to be aware of their lack of wine first so that they might learn that it is Christ who fulfills all needs.  Third, we need to have perseverance in our petitions before God (Matthew 15:21-28).  Finally, the intercessions of the righteous have great power (James 5:16).  

 

 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast."  And they took it.  Waterpots were made of stone because, according to rabbinical teaching, stone could not contract ritual impurity.  That there are six of them (one less than the perfect seven) indicates that the Law, illustrated by water reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  My study Bible says that this water is changed into wine, symbolizing the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine illustrate Christ's overflowing grace which is granted to all. 

 

 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!"  My study Bible comments that in patristic commentary this transformation is seen as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

 

 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.  Christ's glory, according to my study Bible, refers both to His divine power shown in His signs and wonders, and also to His humble service to humankind, shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  Through such manifestations of glory, Jesus reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  This beginning of signs, the transformation of water to wine, is the first sign of seven in the Gospel of John.  According to my study Bible, John uses the term "signs" to show that these miraculous actions point beyond themselves to the truth that the Kingdom of God has come among us in the Person of Jesus Christ.  The following day ("after this He went down to Capernaum") marks the seventh day in this beginning of Christ's ministry, and it parallels the seventh day of rest in the creation story (Genesis 2:1-3).

 

Over the past two readings, we have taken note in commentary how Christ's ministry has unfolded on a very human scale.  The disciples have been called one by one, and they have personal connections to one another (two are brothers; a third comes from the brothers' same hometown; they are first introduced to Christ as the Lamb of God by John the Baptist as they were John's disciples earlier; Jesus personally calls Phillip by finding him and telling him, "Follow Me," Nathanael understands that Christ knows him in ways he finds impossible to explain).   But here, finally, on this sixth day given in John's Gospel, we have a striking example of the manifestation of Christ's glory, His miraculous first sign of turning water to wine.  My study Bible gives in its notes cited above many reasons for this setting and its meanings.  But perhaps in the context of our previous commentary we might note how Christ's Incarnation and its step by step, rather plodding growth of His ministry in the persons of the disciples who come to join Him is in stark contrast to this lightning-fast sign of water becoming wine.  This is impossible to understand except through divine help and power, where both time and space are seemingly suspended for what is a natural process to take place in a miraculous way.  One means to say that it is not impossible to turn water to wine through the addition of grapes and the process of fermentation, that this is a common human endeavor (and particularly so in Christ's time and place).  But in the case of Jesus, it is His divine will and power at work that creates this miracle, and it is a sign of God's presence with Him, a manifestation of God's grace and glory in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son.  Perhaps it is, in fact, this deeply human story of the Incarnation that is itself the backdrop and contrast to Christ's miraculous power so that we truly understand the stupendous shock of the presence of God in our midst.  That very contrast teaches us about Christ and His identity and the transcendent reality of the Incarnation.  One also finds that this "secret" process of the water transforming within these large stone pots as a kind of parallel to the Incarnation itself.  This great transformation takes place hidden from human eyes, inside the darkness of the waterpots set aside for purification as holy vessels in some sense, and Christ Himself is also hidden in the plain sight of the fully human Jesus.  He is both fully human, and fully divine, but not all will understand His divinity, and it will remain hidden -- as it does today -- to many, despite His "signs."  Our faith, even until today, works in this same sense.  We can't see God's presence obviously among us and in our world, we don't perceive the kingdom of heaven ("The kingdom of heaven does not come with observation" - see Luke 17:20-21), but it is within us, it dwells among us; it lives in us through faith; it is present in our sacraments and liturgies, and Jesus Himself has taught that "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).  So the Incarnation of Christ, among its many attributes, also helps us to know by contrast the power that is in Him, His divinity, as well as to understand how in our every day world the hiddenness of the Kingdom is something we live with, and through faith we know its presence, and may participate in it, and moreover that Kingdom may even participate in us, for Christ has come not only to assume all the aspects of life as one of us, but to share with us even His divinity and grace as well, including all the gifts and fruit of the Spirit.  As St. John writes, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For which is easier, to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise and walk?"

 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

 

- Matthew 9:1-8 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the disciples had come to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. 

 

 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.   Jesus returns to Capernaum, the city of His ministry headquarters.   

 

 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.  My study Bible comments that, as shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith is collective as well as personal, my study Bible points out, for here the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  There are three signs of Christ's divinity shown in this healing miracle.  First, He knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Christ also forgives sins, which is a power that belongs to God only.  And finally, He heals by the power of His word.

 

 What is the power of Christ's word?  This commentary in my study Bible is quite interesting, because it invites us to understand why that reveals Christ's divinity.  We think first of all of the story of Genesis, in which the world is created.  All is done by the power of God's word.  God both speaks things into existence, and gives them names by which they are called.  For example, we read, "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day" (Genesis 1:3-5).  God does the same for the land and the sea, the plants and vegetation and fruit of all kinds, the stars, the moon and the sun, all the fish and every creature that populates the sea, and all the winged birds of the air of all types.  Then God created all the animals of the land, and finally we're told that God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26).  We notice that God does not say to Himself only, "Let Me make man in My image..." but rather, "Let Us make man in Our image."  This invites us to consider the plural "Us" involved in that creation.  And there we remember the Gospel of John, which also begins by paraphrasing Genesis.  St. John writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).  And who is this Word, and what was this Word that co-created within the plural "Us" of God?  That word is the Son, whom we know as Christ who came into the world as a human being called Jesus.  Jesus is the Word, the Logos in Greek, and in today's reading He reveals the power of His spoken word.  Moreover, as we have just recently finished reading through the Sermon on the Mount, let us note that Christ also admonishes us about the power of our own spoken words, and does not discount nor minimize this power either.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:21-22).  Moreover, also in this sermon, He teaches us about swearing oaths:  "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.' But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:33-37).  He teaches us about the power to harm, about a futile use of words in swearing, and about a proper use of our words as well ("Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'").  How many of us take our own words this seriously?  In the context of today's passage, we read that the paralytics friends are necessary to facilitate his healing.  This is often interpreted to pertain to our prayers, and how our praying for others helps others (in addition to ourselves).  Through prayer we help to bring people to healing of many kinds.  But let us consider the words of the friends of the paralytic.  We imagine them to be encouraging, faithful, giving confidence, and kindness.  For without these, in addition to their heroic act of help, could they really have helped persuade the paralytic to allow them to pursue the help Jesus for him in this way?  And if, on the contrary, they had spoken words of discouragement to him, can we imagine what that outcome would be?  Therefore, let us consider the power of our words, for we are made in God's image, as Genesis tells us.  There is quite an interesting article on a blog written by Father Stephen Freeman about this topic of words, in which he writes of words as a type of icons (see Truth, Lies, and Icons).  Just as Jesus advocates about our "Yes" and "No," Father Stephen encourages us to recognize the power of truth, and the destructive emptiness of lies.  For just as we remember that Christ is the Truth, so we also remember that it is the devil who is the father of lies.  Therefore, although we are not ourselves divine, let us endeavor to be like Him in the power of our own words, and follow His teachings on this subject.  We note here that Christ even knows the false words in the hearts of others, the false judgment that "This Man blasphemes!"  Even the concept of blasphemy itself teaches us something about the power of words, the destructiveness of lies.  As Jesus says to them, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?"  Let us follow His example, and choose our words wisely, and truthfully, with meaning and integrity, and our power to choose.  For we also create something with our words.