For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

 

Christ Pantocrator ("Almighty"), 6th century, St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai, Egypt

 

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  

 

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  

 

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  

 

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  

 

"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  

 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 

- John 3:1–21 

 

On Saturday we read that the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. 

 

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  My study Bible notes here that Nicodemus believed Jesus was from God, but his faith was still weak, as he was afraid of his peers.  So, he came to Jesus by night.  However, after this conversation his faith will grow to the point of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), and in the end he will make the bold public expression of faith (together with another member of the ruling Council, St. Joseph of Arimathea) of preparing and entombing the Lord's body (John 19:39-42).  My study Bible also tells us that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by St. Peter and consequently removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem. 

 

 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  In the Greek of the Gospel, the word "again" in the expression born again can also mean "from above."  Both meanings are essential (as often happens in the Gospels), as it is a reference to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  My study Bible comments that this heavenly birth is baptism and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).  This new birth is only the beginning of our spiritual life, and its goal is the entrance into the kingdom of God.   In Nicodemus' response, we see that he misunderstands, and asks how a second physical birth is possible.  This is a frequent occurrence in St. John's Gospel, my study Bible points out, and Christ uses such opportunities in order to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal meaning (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  

 

 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."   Jesus refers here to Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit given at chrismation (born of water and the Spirit).  That which is born of the Spirit describes a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit; this is adoption as a child of God.  The wind blows where it wishes is a play on words in the Greek.  The word πνευμα/pneuma means both wind and Spirit.  My study Bible comments that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  In the same manner, the Spirit moves where He wills and He cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas. 

 

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"   My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that earthly things refer to grace and baptism given to human beings.  These are earthly in the sense that they occur on earth and are given to creatures, not that they are "unspiritual."  But the heavenly things referred to here involve those ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father; they relate to Christ's eternal existence before all time, and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.  A person first must understand the ways in which God works among humankind before one can even begin to understand those things that pertain to God Himself. 

 

 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  My study Bible explains that Moses lifted up an image of a serpent in order to cure the Israelites from deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  It says that this miracle-working image prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross.  As believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them.  It says that just as the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of Christ's death becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself. 

 

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  In this frequently quoted verse, we're shown the reason why the Son must be "lifted up"; that is, crucified.  Here Jesus declares God's great love which is not only for Israel but for the world.  This single verse, my study Bible says, expresses the whole of the message of St. John's Gospel, and even of salvation history. 

 

 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  My study Bible notes here that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  So, therefore, we can reject this gift, and to become condemned by our own rejection.  

 

If we take a look at a specific words in today's reading, we may explore ideas that give us hidden glimmers of meaning.   We perhaps attain another kind of insight from Jesus' words.  Jesus explains, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  The root of the word translated as "condemned" is κρίνω/krino.  This word can mean condemned, but its more common meaning is to "judge."   It's the same word used in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus teaches, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 7:1-2).  So, perhaps one important meaning we can also take from Christ's words in today's reading is that the one who rejects Christ is in fact rejecting Christ's judgment (and guidance) in favor of his or her own instead.  This can work in so many ways; how often do we judge ourselves more harshly than the merciful Christ would?  Or perhaps the reverse is true, we excuse our own actions when in fact we should be finding and making the changes that Christ would ask of us.  In either case, it's the judgment of Christ that is rejected, and so a person is in fact judged by his or her own judgment, rejecting God.  It's an important aspect of meaning in this word to consider, for when we reject Christ's judgment, then whose in fact are we preferring?  And how does that judgment we make in so doing reflect upon us?  In fact, it is a rejection of the reality of existence, and of creation, for we create our own fantasy otherwise.  Whether too harsh or too comfortable, we miss the mark and we fail to come to Christ.  This is another sense in which we might "love darkness rather than light," for without Christ our understanding is darkened, partial, ignorant of the truth He would offer.  In all things, we are directed to Him.   Such a teaching is contained as well in the image of Christ being raised on the Cross, and its similarity to the bronze serpent on a stick raised by Moses in order to heal the Israelites from the poison of the serpents that bit their ankles.  So long as they kept their eyes on that raised sign, they were saved from the poison.  It is, in some sense, similar to the story of St. Peter walking on the water, requesting of Jesus that he be able to walk to Him.  So long as St. Peter stayed focused on Jesus, he was able to do so, but when he looked away at the wind, he became afraid and started to sink.  Jesus said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" See Matthew 14:22-33.  So our faith in Christ is a matter of focus and attention, but that includes following ("Follow Me"), acting in accordance with that faith.  This means for us that we seek Christ's judgment (for this is discernment) in all that we do; we seek His guidance.   In that oft-quoted verse from today's reading, Jesus teaches, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  But we don't often examine what it really means to believe, to have faith.  Both "belief" and "faith" in the Gospels are translated from the same word.  It more closely means to trust.  To believe, then, in this famous quotation of John 3:16, is not simply to agree with an idea, and nor is it an intellectual calculation.  It means to live in accordance with what Christ teaches, to follow Him, to live by His code and become part of His body, His family by adoption.  In the common understanding of the ancient world, to be a part of a nation, a group, an "ethnos" in the language of the Bible, was to follow a common code; it was not about heredity in the modern sense in which we understand DNA and lineage in this sense.  If we put all of these concepts together into one body of teaching, we come to understand a bigger picture of what belief actually is.  It is following Him. our full attention on Him at all times, His light and teachings and commands guiding us -- and moreover it means to put our trust in Him to the extent that we trust in His judgment before our own.  Perhaps Jesus Himself sets the greatest example to us all when He teaches, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).  For so we are to trust in Him.  So much so, that we live a new birth in the Spirit so we may be adopted as children and grow to be more like Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

 

 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of the Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.  Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

"They divided My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots."

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.  And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one of the right and another on the left.  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!  If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. 

 

- Matthew 27:32-44 

 

Yesterday we read that when Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.  You see to it."  And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.  And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

 

Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of the Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.  Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: "They divided My garments among them, / And for My clothing they cast lots."  Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.  And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:  THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one of the right and another on the left.  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself!  If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.  My study Bible comments on today's passage that Jesus accepts mockery and endures the weakness of our body in His own to take upon Himself our sufferings.  This He accomplishes, it says, by uniting His divine nature to our human nature.  His humanity is truly our humanity.  Although He has no sin, He was made to be sin for us, that through His flesh He might condemn sin itself (Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9).  Here St. Matthew teaches us about the two robbers who were crucified with Him:  my study Bible points out that although one would later repent (Luke 23:39-43), at first both criminals mock Jesus.  

It seems almost impossible in a world such as we moderns inhabit in the West to consider what it means that God Himself came into earthly life in human form, and was subjected not only to that diminution in stature, but even to the scourging, mocking, beating, and finally humiliation on the Cross that we read about in today's reading.  Even His clothes are taken from Him, stakes in a game of chance. Thinking solely of the pain that Christ endured -- for crucifixion was the most torturous of punishments in the Roman system, reserved for the worst criminals -- it should have been unthinkable for One so exalted to endure such treatment.  In the ancient world the emperors ruled; there was a great sense of hierarchy.  Even today we still have kings and queens and dignitaries, Presidents and Prime Ministers, those whom we consider to be privileged and important in particular ways.  This is not limited to formal society but certainly exists as well in criminal hierarchies.  But where would we find One like Christ who was willing to be humiliated and suffering, subject to the most abject shame before all including His disciples and His mother?  No, our story is unique and remains so, despite the fact that many of us -- so used to the promises and even entitlements of democracy and values of equality -- are subject to constant demands and complaints about lack of privilege.  How is Christ even comprehensible -- in an ancient world, or even today's world?  This is the powerful story that is "a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks" and still remains so, no matter which political theory one may espouse or hear or find in a social order in this world.  This is not simply a Man who suffers for others, who suffers for us, but God who has subjected Himself to this suffering in order to bring His divine healing to us and to our world.  Today we worship other idols than in Christ's time; often these are sports stars, or movie stars, or even for some politicians or political activists of many stripes.  And like Barabbas, there are those who murder for social change.  But Christ remains a staggering testimony to love above even the best, for His compassion, condescension, and willingness to suffer so that we might all be freed in the cosmic sense of salvation offered to all, which is the meaning of "for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).  The irony is present here in the name of the crime for which He is crucified, for it speaks the truth, and echoes the deeper, grander truth far greater than anyone can estimate on that universal and even cosmic scale.  He is the King who gives all for us, from love that calls us all.

 

 

 

 

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me

 

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. 

 

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

 

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.   For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

 

 And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

 

- Mark 8:27-9:1 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, to you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  My study Bible calls Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" the greatest question a person can ever face, for the reason that it is this question that defines Christianity.  Peter answers correctly, and this answer prevents the Christian faith from being understood as just another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, St. Peter adds to his answer here; he says that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God."  This is a unique, singular identity that excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  My study Bible comments that St. Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is the equivalent of the Hebrew title "Messiah."  Moreover, my study Bible points out that Jesus first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  He does so in order to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Following the confession of St. Peter, made on behalf of all of the apostles, Jesus now reveals the true nature of His messiahship.  This is the mystery of His Passion.  My study Bible comments that it was expected that the  Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).

Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to complete His mission and save humankind through His experience of suffering and death.   

 

 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  The cross was the most dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, crucifixion being reserved for the worst of criminals.  But for Christians, and in the language of Jesus here, it's a symbol of suffering in imitation of Christ.  My study Bible explains that we practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  This does not glorify suffering in the sense that to accept it is not a punishment, not an end in itself, but rather a means whereby the fallen world is overcome for the sake of the Kingdom, and the flesh crucified with its passions and desires in exchange for higher purpose (Galatians 5:24).

 

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  My study Bible comments here that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).

 

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  Jesus asks, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  My study Bible comments that this question emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, for none of this can redeem a person's fallen soul, nor will it benefit a person in the life to come. 

 

  And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."  My study Bible suggests that this is a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (which follows in our next reading), as well as to those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's kingdom.

 

Jesus asks, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  With language like this, Jesus makes it clear that -- at least spiritually speaking -- there is an exchange taking place, and this is one that is always with us, whether or not we recognize it.  There is the way of the world, that seeks to gain the whole world, and then there is the way of the soul.  That is, there is a way not simply to gain one's soul, but to feed and magnify it, even to save it.  This language puts life and the ways in which we face life and our choices in life into stark contrast.  We have two ways, apparently, to choose.  There is the way of the world (also sometimes referred to as "the flesh") and the way of the cross, the way for the soul.  We might think of "passions and desires of the flesh" noted by my study Bible as those things which belong strictly to the body, but this would be a false kind of equivalence, a wrong inference.  These would be akin to that which seeks to gain the whole world, and yet cannot recognize the loss of the soul, nor the value of the soul.  It is a kind of material focus that does not recognize the great value of the soul, our potential for all the things of the soul, including beauty and holiness, and the possibility of eternal life.  The Cross in this perspective offers us an exchange, and it is all about what we choose.  Through His Passion and death on the Cross, and His Resurrection and Ascension, Christ brings about the potential for union with the divine for all of us, the potential for eternal life with Him.  Had He chosen instead the "worldly" life of ease and forgetfulness, not heeding His divine mission, we can imagine what would have been lost for the entire world, and the whole history of humankind and of creation.  In a similar sense, our own personal crosses offer us that same kind of exchange.  We can follow our faith to save, magnify, and feed our souls for all the potential of the soul and the spiritual reality Christ offers to our lives (both in this world and beyond), or we can follow the way of "the flesh" or "the world" and be distracted from every spiritual joy and beauty, seeking only that which feeds us in the moment, ignoring grace, seeking a foundation in what is temporal and does not touch the heart of a human being in the inner life.  Jesus chooses His mission from the Father, for all of us, but He invites us, too, to take up our own crosses and do likewise.  For we may all participate in His life, Passion, death, Resurrection, Ascension.  We are meant for greater things than survival, consumption, the distraction of competition around us, what the "worldly" can offer to us.  There is a transcendent joy promised in faith, a way to build for a future we don't quite know, for values that accrue within us through grace, a life built upon the rock that is the foundation of faith.  When Jesus says to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan" He makes it clear that it is through His own forbearance, even His suffering, that it becomes possible for the divine to sanctify what is human, to offer to all of us the chance for holiness, to be "like God."  This is not something reserved only for the great saints of history, but on offer -- even commanded in discipleship -- for all of us.  Jesus says, ""Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  For we are meant to be mindful not simply of the things of men, but of the things of God, and in that exchange to be capable of something much greater.

 

 

 

 

Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?

 

 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. 

 

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"   So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

- Matthew 19:13-22 

 

Yesterday we read that after Jesus taught the disciples about the essential importance of humility, mutual correction in the Church, and forgiveness, He left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

 

Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.   My study Bible reports that, according to Theophylact, the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."   But Jesus rejects this thinking, setting little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, in the Orthodox Church, children are invited -- even as an example to adults -- to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion.  In another commentary (on Luke 18:15-17) Theophylact describes little children as the standard of faith by which adults receive the kingdom of God.  He writes, "A little child is not arrogant, he does not despise anyone, he is innocent and guileless.  He does not inflate himself in the presence of important people, nor withdraw from those in sorrows.  Instead, he lives in complete simplicity."

 

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"   So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."   My study Bible comments that this man does not come to test Jesus (unlike the Pharisees in yesterday's reading -- see above -- who came to test Him with a question on divorce).  This man, on the other hand, has come to seek advice from one he considers to be no more than a good Teacher.  Jesus' response here doesn't deny that He is God, but rather is designed in order to lead the man to this knowledge.  

 

He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"  My study Bible comments here that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  Here, this man had an earnest desire for eternal life, but he sensed that he still lacked something.  So he continues to press Christ for an answer. 

 

  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  To be perfect, according to my study Bible, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  There is nothing gained except that this sacrifice is made freely.  The specifics of how one will do this will be different for every person in following Christ.  In this man's case, wealth had a great grip on his life.  Therefore Jesus teaches him that his hope is to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. John Chrysostom says that giving away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here.  To follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.

 

 Earlier in St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has made several references to amputation, or self-mutilation.  These are analogous to the concept of separating from ourselves habits, proclivities, personal choices, forms of passion that get in the way of our salvation, of our union with Christ.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of the statute against adultery, but took it further in His teachings to speak about the lust that leads to adultery.  In this vein, He taught, "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart," indicating to us that there is a chain of events in terms of the breaking of a statute or law.  Then He told the crowd of His disciples, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:27-30).  As we commented on that, and subsequent passages in which Jesus used the same analogy for decisive personal action to prevent sin, Jesus speaks of an eye that looks with lust or covetousness, or a hand that reaches where it shouldn't go. He used the same type of illustration to speak warnings against abuses of "little ones" in the Church as He taught the disciples about leadership and greatness in chapter 18.  He warned, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."  And again, to illustrate the serious point about cutting off personal impulses that lead to violations or offenses, He said, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire" (Matthew 18:6; 8-9).  His focus is on our internal state as prevention of sin, so that we deal with our passions which lead to sin before the violation of a commandment of religious law.  In this light, we must examine His teaching for this rich young man who comes to Him in earnest, whom St. Mark tells us Jesus loved in giving him the advice we read today to give up his wealth (see Mark 10:21).  To emphasize the point regarding the internal life in the previous passages we've cited, we note that this rich young ruler has followed the commandments of the Law all of his life.  But Jesus finds something hindering his entrance into the kingdom of heaven, an attachment to his wealth that will prove a stumbling block to following Christ in all things.  We don't know why this wealth is a problem; this is not a moral lesson.  This man is doing nothing immoral with his wealth, and Jesus does not condemn owning wealth as sin.  But his attachment, his passion for what he owns, is a stumbling block to eternal life.  Perhaps, as he's called a ruler, he's one of the powerful families in Jerusalem, and his wealth is connected to family and social status and personal identity so that it's like removing an eye or hand or foot to part with his wealth.  But nonetheless, this is what Jesus calls on him to do.  Regardless of how little or how many possessions we have, we can understand the difficulty in being told to give away all that we have.  However, as St. John Chrysostom says, that is the easier part; the harder part is afterward following Christ in all things, as many monastics have sought to do.  The real aim here is the kingdom of God, and the eternal life Christ preaches, His gospel, and how we find it.  Out of love for him Jesus has taught this young man to give away his wealth to the poor, and follow Him.  It is another kind of illustration of the decisive and difficult action we may be called upon to take to follow Christ's path for us, to separate from ourselves the things we might even cherish but which nonetheless hold us back, keep us from the life He offers to us.  Let us take this sobering example to heart, for the Cross is for all of us; it just comes in different forms for each.  But it is the way of Christ, the way we need out of this worldly life to the one He offers us, the treasure in heaven He promises.

 

 

 

 

This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him

 

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

 

- Matthew 14:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus finished preaching in parables, He departed for His hometown of Nazareth.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.   This account of the death of John the Baptist is given parenthetically, so to speak.  That is, this "backstory" is meant to tell us why Herod believes that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead.  My study Bible comments that as part of God's plan for salvation, John's martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades, for John was the forerunner of Christ there as well as on earth.  Note also that John was held in such high esteem that Herod feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  My study Bible cites John the Baptist's strictly ascetic lifestyle; he lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair.  It notes that Herod's fear of the people's love of John is a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, for the people held John in the highest esteem.

 

The gruesome scene in this story always comes around to remind us of the dangers of martyrdom, which are present to every saint.  John's life is also reflective of the Cross, even before the Cross came, for we can find images and meanings in Christ from both the old and the new.  The eternal realities given to us through Christ are not simply part of His story, for His life alone on this earth.  For Christ's story is the story of the earth; Christ's story is the central event of spiritual history.  For us who believe in Christ and call ourselves His followers, He is this pivotal center, and all else revolves around Him.  Therefore the truth of His life as Incarnate Son is present to us in all the stories of holiness, in all the Scriptures, in one form and another.  In John the Baptist we see sacrifice and gruesome suffering.  We see the highest esteem and love from the people, for his holiness was apparent, and made him a revered figure in his own time.  We see someone willing to live and die for his mission from God, giving up all things in order to serve God.  As my study Bible says, his own integrity created this esteemed image in the eyes of the people.  John the Baptist is considered the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  His life speaks to us of a fearless mission to truly embody what it is to "speak truth to power," as the popular saying goes.  But his depth of reliance on and commitment to God means that this truth comes from God, and it is this appeal of God to the people, and to the powers that be, that John represents, and for which he was martyred.  In his martyrdom is a picture of the Cross before the Cross would come to all of us, so to speak.  He embodies what it is to live a life transfigured in the light of Christ, but in the light of Christ to come, about Whom he spoke to the world, and sought to prepare the people to accept through a repentance in preparation for His coming.  John the Baptist's life teaches us about martyrdom and about greatness, for no other figure so strongly taught us about the life of Christ to come, and no other embodied, at the same time, the humility before Christ that uncovers the truth for all of us. For it is John who said of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).  This is our own statement for the work of the Cross and the Holy Spirit in our own lives.  St. Paul put it this way:  "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31).  Before the Cross came, John showed us his love of God, and pointed the way to Christ, just as he would do (according to the Orthodox tradition) for the souls awaiting Christ the Savior in Hades.  He is, therefore, in all ways true to his title, the Forerunner.  Let us honor holiness, wherever it is found, wherever Christ is revered, and the Cross is known and lived.  

 

 

 

 

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 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"  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, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  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.  Note that the Gospel gives us a sense of the "handing off" of ministry from John the Baptist, the last and greatest prophet of the Old Testament type prophets, to Jesus, who brings the New Covenant through His ministry.  John is titled the Forerunner, the one who prepared the people for Christ's ministry.

 

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: . . .  My study Bible comments that the term Galilee of the Gentiles indicates that many non-Jews lived in the region of Galilee.  As Galilee had a mixed population, it was not considered a genuinely Jewish land, although many Gentile residents had converted to Judaism during the Maccabean period.  Because many of the Jews there had been influenced by the Greek culture and its customs, my study Bible says, 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."   Darkness, my study Bible explains, means ungodliness.  Here it is representative of 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, it says, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

 

  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."   This is Christ's first word of His ministry, echoing that of John the Baptist, "Repent" (see this reading).  The kingdom of heaven, my study Bible says, is present wherever Christ is.

 

 My study Bible comments that the kingdom of heaven is present wherever Christ is.  At the moment when Christ first comes preaching this word, people have yet to see the unfolding of His ministry and His teachings, His miracles and His criticisms of the religious leadership.  The people who hear Christ in the beginning of His ministry don't yet know about what is to come in Holy Week, His Crucifixion, nor His Resurrection.  They don't know about Pentecost and the Church to come.  But when we listen and know and accept in the Church that "where Christ is, there is the kingdom of heaven" we need to think about all that this means.  For where Christ is, there is also the whole of Christ.  There is the Man who taught us that to follow Him is to take up our own crosses.  There is the One who was Crucified.  There is the One who died and resurrected and who ascended into heaven, even divinizing human flesh, so that we could follow Him there also.  So when we hear the command "Repent" used by Christ, let us hear all of its meaning for us.  For it does not come in a vacuum to us.  We are not the people of Galilee who first hear Him preach and have no familiarity with Him except perhaps as One from a town of not much reputation, Nazareth, a son of a carpenter.  To repent in our context, as those who must hear echoes of the fullness of Christ's mission and ministry in what He preaches here, we must understand that the command to repent is asking us to be conformed to Him in our love for Him, the same way that in a solid marriage of love, we find spouses conforming to one another out of love.  But He is our Bridegroom, the head of our family, the One who teaches us what we are all about, gives us His Creed, and encourages us in turn to bloom in that repentance, in following Him, as each one may do with whatever they have been given in life, created as a unique soul by God.  To repent, in the true meaning of the Greek term, is to "change one's mind."  But this is a special kind of changing of one's mind.  This is a change of mind that comes through the influence of Christ, of that kingdom of heaven that exists wherever He is.  And let us not forget that where He is, so also is the Father and the Holy Spirit, and the fullness of the kingdom of heaven in the great cloud of witnesses testified to by St. Paul.  We "repent" or change in terms of the influence and effect of our closeness to Christ in all of that fullness, just like the disciples will who follow Him in the stories of the Gospels.  Let us remember when we pray, when we turn to the Cross, in all our moments when we seek Christ, that there is the kingdom of heaven, and His mission and ministry meant for us to dwell there also, and to help to bring it into this world through our faith in following Him and bearing His light within us.

 

 

 

 

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me

 

 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

 

- Mark 8:34-9:1 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Bethsaida; and some  brought a blind man to Jesus, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town." Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered  and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  

 

  When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  The cross, my study Bible explains, was a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment.  However, it is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  We practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept this suffering is not punishment, my study Bible says, neither is it an end in itself, but rather it is a means by which to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom, and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

 

 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  My study Bible comments that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).  

 

 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Jesus asks, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  My study Bible comments that this question emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, for none of this can redeem a person's fallen soul, nor benefit a person in the life to come.  

 

 And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."  My study Bible calls this a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13 - tomorrow's Gospel reading), as well as those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

 

Today is the day of the celebration of the Transfiguration in many denominations across the world.  Tomorrow will be the day that we read the account of this event in St. Mark's Gospel.  But it's important to consider -- especially in light of Jesus' teaching in today's reading -- how the Cross is deeply related to the event of the Transfiguration, and the principle of our faith which we understand through this significant event in Christ's ministry (especially for the witnessing disciples).  In Greek, the Transfiguration is called Μεταμόρφωσις/Metamorphosis, and we should understand this word to understand the event.  Of course, metamorphosis is also a borrowed word in English.  It quite literally means to be transformed.  More specifically it involves a transformation from being with something or someone, a change in form due to particular influence or participation.  In Jesus' case, the Transfiguration will reveal identity as He truly is, a deeper and more full understanding of the reality Christ brings with Him into the world.  But for us, the Transfiguration works hand in hand withe the Cross, and its message of change or exchange for us.  Jesus sets this out clearly when He speaks of taking up one's cross, and this as necessity for those who would follow Him and be His disciples.  To take up one's cross is, in this sense, to be actively becoming something -- to be transformed through discipleship.  He makes this even more clear when He says, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  To lose one's life for Christ's sake is to exchange one way of life for another, to give up what we know -- or think we know -- for the life He offers to us instead.  To take up our cross in this sense is a question of the heart.  For He offers us an exchange:  will our lives be lived with the understanding we have and its limitations, or are we ready to follow Him, to come to know what life He wants for us, and the way of life He teaches?  Some people would believe that this is just a matter of learning principles or values, or following rules written down somewhere.  But it is not.  This taking up of one's cross is a matter of truly following Him; that is, to be transformed, as the word "metamorphosis" indicates, by being in proximity with Him, by being His disciples, and participating in His life, death, and Resurrection.  As noted in other readings and commentary, to do so is to understand the concept of "energies" and to know that participation with Christ is a sacramental kind of a life in which we learn to be "like Him" just as the disciples did.  For each person, this "exchange" of the cross, of one way of life for another, of losing our lives in order to find them, will likely take on different forms, depending upon what God deems we need to exchange and to learn or accept.  But the process is similar for all of us in terms of Christ's transfiguring power.  The same is true of our prayers; when we take things in our lives, give them up to Christ, and ask for direction and understanding of how God would direct us in our lives and responses to circumstances, we open the door to a kind of transfiguration even of our environment and the ways we live.  So let us consider Christ's Cross, and the taking up of our own as He asks, the exchange we make.  For this is an ongoing process that lasts a lifetime, just as it did for the disciples.  What do you exchange today, when you ask for His way, and His teaching for you today?

 

 

 

 

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do

 

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."   But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

 

- Luke 23:32–43 

 

Yesterday we read that, as they led Jesus away to His crucifixion, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'  Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" '  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

 

There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Calvary literally means "the skull."  My study Bible comments that being crucified between the two criminals shows Christ's complete identity with fallen humanity, and fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9-12.

 

 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  My study Bible says that this intercession is not only for those who sentenced and crucified Jesus, but for all of humanity -- a people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  He speaks these words not as a request, but with His divine authority.  So, therefore, my study Bible adds that their great sin would still have been forgiven the had they repented.  Notably, of course, one of the soldiers did repent (see verse 47) and he is considered a saint of the Church.  

 

 And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."   My study Bible notes that the repeated expression to "Save Yourself" is the continuing temptation of Satan to deter Jesus from completing His mission (see Luke 4:9-13).  

 

 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  According to my study Bible, this inscription was intended as an accusation and a mockery.  Instead it became a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King.  

 

 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."   But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible explains that the first of the criminals wanted to use Jesus to avoid responsibility for his actions, while the other accepts his sentence and asks simply to be remembered.  This latter way is the path to Paradise.  Jesus says, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible comments that to be reconciled to Christ is to be in paradise immediately.  Moreover, the souls of the departed as in the presence of God and experience a foretaste of His glory before the final resurrection. 

 

 What is forgiveness?  What is a sin that is too great to forgive?  My study Bible explains Jesus' words as given in divine authority, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."  In so doing, it notes that, while Christ's forgiveness is thereby extended to all and for all, it is nevertheless necessary that human beings repent in order to realize that forgiveness.  This is crucial to our understanding of our faith, for it forms the crux of Christ's very mission into our world as the human Jesus, the purpose for His death on the Cross, His Resurrection, and all the things on which our hinges our worship and faith.  Christ's forgiveness is extended to all, but nevertheless repentance is the way by which we are able to realize that forgiveness.  We ourselves -- like the repentant thief on the cross -- need to come to terms with the truth of our own errors and where and who we are in order to realize that forgiveness and find our way to Christ.  Our faith life is a question of returning to Him and His way for us, finding our way to be with Him in Paradise, as Jesus tells the repentant criminal.  For how could we be with Christ in Paradise if we're not prepared to recognize the things that keep us out -- our own sins and behavior?  How could we be with Christ in Paradise if we're not prepared to accept the reality of this authority, and to live the life in Paradise and compatible with its reality?  Forgiveness, in this understanding, is not merely a kind of blanket excuse for everything.  It's not stating that people have done nothing wrong, or committed no error or sin.  It's quite the opposite; it's an acknowledgement of the error and of the sin, but it is willing pardon for the effects of that sin, if there is repentance.  It is God's willing love for each of us to be where He is, to live that blessed life of Paradise, if we but make the choice to follow Him and to accept that forgiveness.  It is a declaration of His love, just as Christ's very life in this world is a declaration of that love:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17).  Christ's parable of the Prodigal Son, found only in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 15:11-32), teaches us this same understanding of repentance and forgiveness.  In that parable, the father of the Prodigal has always loved his son, has always desired his return.  But it's not until the son "came to himself" that he realized that life was so much better with his father, even for the lowest hired servants, than the life he had found by squandering his inheritance.  When he returns he tells his father he's not worthy to be called his son, and asks simply to be made a hired servant.  But instead his father runs to meet him, and calls for a banquet to rejoice "for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:24).  This is Christ's forgiveness, given to us all from the Cross, and with authority, so that each of us may come to Him and find ourselves, not as strangers but as sons of the Kingdom.  Let us open our eyes to His grace.  While many if not most of us are not guilty of such terrible sins, to repent is not merely to renounce a specific sin.  We turn to God for the things we "know not" -- the way God would lead us forward to Him and toward Paradise.  For this is repentance, or "change of mind" as the word literally means in Greek.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).  This is an ongoing, eternal, and infinite process.  Let us follow Him.

 

 

 

 

For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?

 

 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'  Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" '  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

 

- Luke 23:26-31 

 

Yesterday we read that Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.  And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).  And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who has been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done?  I have found no reason for death in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified.  And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

 

  Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children."  My study Bible comments that weeping is not appropriate for the One who redeems the world through the Cross, but is suited for one's own sins and for the sufferings of others.  

 

 "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!' "  The blessing on the barren women is an acknowledgement of the overwhelming pain a mother endures seeing her children suffer (illustrated by the "woe" in Matthew 24:19).  Let us once again observe Jesus' particular sympathy with women, so often given us in St. Luke's Gospel.  My study Bible quotes from the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who writes, "Mothers are held by the tie of feeling for their children, but cannot save them.  How can one escape the bonds of nature?  How can she who nurses ever overlook the one she has borne?"

 

"Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" ' "   Jesus is quoting from the prophesy of Hosea.  See Hosea 10:8.

 

 "For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"  My study Bible explains that the green wood is Christ, full of virtue and truth.  The dry stands for those who have rejected Christ for their corruption, barren of all life and of all righteousness.  If the Romans eagerly destroy the righteous, it asks, what horrifying things await the unrighteous?  

 

 Jesus speaks with a warning to the women of Jerusalem in particular, about what is to come at the Siege of Jerusalem.  We note the deeply sympathetic tone that distinguishes Jesus, perhaps particularly in His addresses and interactions with women.  His empathy extends to maternal feelings that make it impossible to separate from a child being nursed, with an understanding that is striking.  As Jesus quotes from Hosea 10, He's making allusion through analogy to the similar circumstances, because the people have rejected their God.  They have rejected the Christ, and so the same scenario, by interpretation of His quotation, plays out.  That is, it will play out to its terrible, fiery, fierce combustion in the Siege of Jerusalem one generation hence.  A murderer and rebel has been chosen for release over Jesus the Christ (see yesterday's reading, above).  False accusation and lies have claimed the day, at the hands of the religious leadership of of the nation, and carried out through the Roman authorities by such persuasion as was mustered.  Those acts are hallmarks of what it means to reject God and to embrace the works of the spiritual enemies of God.  However, the main story here is precisely and simply what Jesus has said as He wept over Jerusalem in chapter 19, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes . . . because you did not know the time of your visitation" (see Luke 19:41-44).  It is really the rejection of God and God's way, when there has been enormous preparation for the coming of the Messiah, that constitutes not knowing the things that make for the peace of Jerusalem.  Today, and in all times, it is up to us to consider what remains "the things that make for our peace."  For we are always offered this choice.  Do we choose our Messiah, the Christ?  Do we seek to follow His way for ourselves and in our lives?  Do we choose to seek His will?  Will we also miss the time of our visitation, and it come upon us like a snare?  (See Luke 21:35).   Will we be conformed to the world or to Christ?  In a time when the world is bent on consuming every new thing technology can afford to us, let us consider what Jesus tells the disciples about the food they don't know.  Let us learn our own lesson, and seek first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness, and remember what manner of spirit we are of.  For behind all things is a spiritual battle that rages for our hearts and our minds, and it truly matters where our treasure is.  In today's reading, Jesus alludes to the opposite of what makes for our peace, the spirit of rage, if you will, that responds even to the green with crucifixion.  And what will it do in the dry?