Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

 

 "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.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. 

 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1-12 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

 

  "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."  My study Bible comments here that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the same things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  We have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin also.  To pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  Moreover, my study Bible points out that the second part of this verse is found in Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38, each used in a different context, as Christ clearly repeated this message many times.  This repetition teaches us something about the significance of the principle He names here.

 

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  Here is an elaboration on the warning against judgment, and a teaching on our own blindness to our flaws and what that does to us.  We are to look to ourselves to correct our own errors and mistaken thinking and practices before we can ever help others.  For Christ's teaching on mutual correction in the Church, see Matthew 18:15-35.  Let us remember also that Jesus is preaching to those who are His disciples, and who will in turn become teachers and authorities in His Church.

 

 "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."   Dogs and swine, my study Bible explains, refer to heathen peoples (Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15), but this would also include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to patristic teaching, "dogs" are those who are so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, while "swine" are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, including Christ's teachings (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  These holy things are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ needs no protection.  On the contrary, we protect the faithless people from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt.  Additionally, this extends the warning about judgment to protection from those who would respond with hostility to what is intended as helpful correction given through grace ("removing the speck in another's eye") such as Christ gives to His disciples.  

 

 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  My study Bible tells us that in the Greek, the verbs ask, seek, and knock are present progressives:  "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."  Note the synergy here:  our effort is commanded, but not ever apart from the immediate help of God.  We ask in prayer; seek by learning God's truth; and knock by doing God's will.  Human beings are called evil not to condemn all of us, but rather to contrast the imperfect goodness in people (in other words, our goodness is also mixed with sin) with the perfect goodness of God (see Matthew 19:16-17).  If imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, my study Bible explains, all the more will God work perfect good.  

 

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."  This verse is known as the Golden Rule.   Jesus' expresses that it fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets; my study Bible remarks that it is also a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (see Jesus' statement of the two greatest commandments, found at Matthew 22:37-40).  This Golden Rule is a first step in spiritual growth, according to my study Bible.  There is also a negative form of the Golden Rule which was already well known in Judaism ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you").  But Christ's fulfillment of the Law and Prophets renders this into a positive statement:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God.  

 

Jesus teaches, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  We may be tempted to think of these words, taken apart from the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, as indicating material blessings to be given by God in exchange for our good behavior.  But to keep asking, and keep seeking and keep knocking in this context is to seek the blessings of discipleship, the blessedness of the Kingdom, the reality of what it is to be an adopted "son" of your Father who is in heaven.  The good things Jesus preaches about are the fruits of discipleship, the spiritual gifts meant for those who love God, and seek to do God's will.  Jesus begins today's reading by teaching, "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."   These are words that teach us, as followers of Christ, to pay attention to what we are to be about -- not to what everyone else is supposed to be doing.  In the final verses we find in St. John's Gospel, there is a story that is illustrative of this same principle.  Jesus comes, in one of His resurrectional appearances, to St. Peter.  In a striking dialogue, meant to be taken as a restoration of St. Peter to his place as apostle after his three-time denial of Christ (Matthew 26:69-75), Jesus asks St. Peter three times, "Do you love Me?"  Each time Peter answers positively, and Jesus indicates that his work going forward is to feed His lambs (John 21:15-19).  This moving scene is tremendous in and of itself.  But -- perhaps just because it's St. Peter -- that's not all there is to the story.  Peter then turns, see the apostle St. John (the author of the Gospel) following, and asks Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"  Jesus' response bears out His teaching in today's reading.  He tells St. Peter, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me" (John 21:20-22).  If it is even so for one as great as St. Peter, the first among equals of the apostles, consider how it is so for us that our job is to look to ourselves, our place as disciples, the "plank" in our own eye that needs removal, our own flaws, and our own ways we're called to follow Christ.  If we think about it carefully, casting pearls before swine or giving what is holy to dogs is also outside of our purview, not staying in our own lane, so to speak, nor remembering what it is we are supposed to be about.  Moreover, the grace and mercy we are capable of expressing will be measured back to us.  Let us remember that Jesus is speaking to those who would be His disciples, and that this sermon's theme is the righteousness of the Kingdom.  Beginning with the Beatitudes, He teaches us about blessings that seem to stand the values of the world on their heads, and here the promises and teachings are all about how we grow in discipleship, and the good things bestowed by our Father.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are the light of the world

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  

 

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

At this relatively early stage in Christ's ministry, St. Matthew reports that His fame has already gathered to Him many multitudes, especially due to His miraculous healings (which include the casting out of demons).  Yesterday we read that, seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."   This beginning of the Sermon on the Mount gives us Jesus' Beatitudes, and we continue today.

 

  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study Bible comments that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  It explains that the Greek for be exceedingly glad means literally to "leap exceedingly with joy."  See also Acts 5:40-41.

 

  "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study Bible says that salt and light give us a picture of the role of disciples in society.  Salt has preservative powers, is necessary for life, and gives flavor; from these qualities it had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty, covenant.  As the salt of the earth, my study Bible says, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  Also, we know that God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), of the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible comments that light is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself.  Faith relies upon this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle being presented and the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

 

Salt and light are given as two images of what Christians are to be in their societies, and in the world.  Salt, as my study Bible explains, means covenant.  It means loyalty.  It is a binding agent, a fixative, and hence it had great significance in the ancient world, besides being a necessity for life, and a preservative for food. But Jesus also speaks of salt in terms of flavor.  How we live our faith matters, the nature of our covenant and loyalty, our capacity to adhere to faith is crucial.  It gives a particular enhancement of flavor to the world, and in Jesus' illustration, makes all the difference.  It brings something essential to the table, so to speak, within the societies which Christians inhabit.  He speaks of the faithful as the salt of the earth (meaning our planet, the globe), implying an element that is worth the effort to dig for, to value, and to consider an important part of the composition of our world and the life of the Creation.  (See this article on Halite, natural rock salt.)  At the same time, He speaks of believers as the light of the world.  This word translated as world is κοσμος/kosmos in the Greek, and it means all of Creation, the universe and everything in it.  It comes from a root in Greek that means adornment, decoration, God's beautiful order.  It's related to the concept of a jewel or jewelry, so we can imagine what light is to a jewel in this context.  If God's beautiful order and creation needs light, then faith and faithful believers are that light.  As my study Bible teaches, we know that Christ is the original "uncreated" Light, but Jesus is speaking of light that illumines all of the creation.  In this context, the faithful are a light that illumines what God has made.  So the effects of faithful living by Christ's gospel make the world more clear to us, show us where we are and what the world is truly like, illuminating the facets of a jewel created by God.  Light is indispensable for us to find our way, and in this context, forms an illumination that guides the way for all, no doubt rooted in the spiritual fruits that Jesus says cast glory upon God.  If we take a good look at the fruit of the Spirit as named by St. Paul, we can correlate such virtues with all of the qualities that Christ names in the Beatitudes in yesterday's reading, above (see Galatians 5:22-23 for the fruit of the Spirit).  Such things form the light that shines in the world before all people, that illumines and glorifies God, as we reflect the light given to us in our faith.  In this light, we are able to see the purposes for which we've been blessed with God's creation, hold it in right relationship, and even to bless the world with its illumination, showing what is possible in the light of Christ.  Let us remember our loyalty and our light -- where it comes from and to whom we are dedicated, for "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).  In the following chapter, as Jesus continues this sermon, He will give us the prayer known as the Lord's Prayer, or the "Our Father."  Here, in today's reading, He is teaching us what it means to be the salt and light of "our Father" in this world, and to reflect God's glory back to Him.  This is what it means to be His faithful disciples, to live the gospel message He gives us in this sermon.  Let us be true to His teaching, and remember how important and essential we as faithful are to the world in His sight.  

 

 

 

 

A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master

 

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 

 

 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also  confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

 

- Matthew 10:24-33 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has appointed the twelve disciples to become apostles, and has been preparing them for their first apostolic mission.  In yesterday's reading, He taught them: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 

  "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."  Jesus says, "Therefore do not fear them."  He's referring those who will persecute His followers (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible points out that Jesus repeats "Do not fear" three times in this preparatory discourse to the apostles (verses 26, 28, 31) in order to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity.  Christian believers, then and today, it says, must neither be intimated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach. 

 

  "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also  confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  That Jesus says there is no need to fear the killing of the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by grace, my study Bible tells us.  "Fear Him"  is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17), for only God has the power to judge the soul.  Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  Hell is literally "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices such as the sacrifice of children in fire (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to such practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By the time of Christ, this valley had become a garbage dump which smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of these associations Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  

 

Jesus repeatedly preaches to His disciples, "Do not fear."  My study Bible notes, as stated above, that we are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  What is quite interesting in today's reading is the reference to Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom, which was a place where worshipers of Baal sacrificed children to that god (also referenced in this instantiation as Molech) by passing them through fire.  Baal was also considered to be the god of the underworld, the place of the dead.  Jesus here proclaims that such a god has no power either in heaven or in hell, for He instructs us to fear only Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Thus, Jesus is proclaiming that all power in heaven and earth, in all creation, belongs only to God.  In the tradition of the Church, it is Christ Himself, who, after His Crucifixion and before His Resurrection, destroys the gates of hades and frees those souls there, bringing the gospel even to that place.  Thus we are to fear only God, and Christ Himself is the One who will judge souls.  Thus He preaches to the disciples (and to us) fearless witness, with discretion ("be wise as serpents and gentle as doves"; see yesterday's reading, above).  Moreover, Jesus goes into great detail to make us aware not only of the power of God, but also its keen ever-presence and awareness of every detail of our lives, and the lives of God's creatures:  "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  In addition to God's awareness of our lives, Jesus moreover will represent those of us who confess Him before people in this world, as He will testify of us (confess) "before My Father who is in heaven."  As further testimony to His power of judgment, He adds, "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  So we are encouraged to put our faith in Christ and in His commands to us not simply as good, and true, and beautiful, but as representative of the will of the God of all things, in heaven and in earth, in all of creation, and for every aspect of our lives.  We witness on behalf of the One who will judge, who has the ultimate power we can know.  Let us understand that our lives in this world are impacted through such a mission and purpose so as to make them as that which serves the highest good, the truth of our very existence and creation, and that our souls are immortal.  What we do here will also continue with us into the afterlife, into the places where God is present, and Christ reigns.  Yet even for such a power, the very hairs of our head are numbered and precious, as are even the tiny sparrows of this world.  So, would we not gladly confess such a Father, and Christ Himself, who has come to us in the image of the Father, in love and compassion?  Let us be grateful for this great grace we have been given, to participate in His power, and share in His mission, as we serve our master.  

 

 

 

 

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites

 

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 

 

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your  Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

- Matthew 6:1-6 

 

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain  on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."  As we begin chapter 6 of St. Matthew's Gospel, here Jesus begins to present three most basic aspects of spiritual life.  In today's reading, He begins with charitable giving, and will also begin to speak about prayer; in subsequent verses He will also speak of fasting.  These three disciplines, my study Bible says, are related directly to God's righteousness.  The original meaning of "hypocrite," we're told, was "actor."  (The word means "below the mask" with the mask representing an attitude -- as in the masks that ancient actors wore onstage to delineate their character.)   Hypocrite, my study Bible tells us, are play-actors who practice piety for show, who desire to please other people rather than God.  They are those who may wear a mask of compassion but are inwardly heartless.  For such their reward is the applause or glory from men.  To sound a trumpet before oneself was a way of conveying a public message; ironically such public announcements in the Greek-speaking world were called evangelia, meaning "good news" -- a word translated as "gospels."

 

"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  My study Bible comments that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves.  It says that God will reward good deeds when they are based on pure motives of the heart.  Perhaps we should consider that the word translated as charitable is ἐλεημοσύνη/eleimosini, from the root word meaning "mercy" (ἔλεος/eleos).  So our charitable acts might be defined as the practice of merciful deeds, whatever form that takes.

 

 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your  Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."   We will add here the next verse (from tomorrow's reading), "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words."  My study Bible notes that the hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which it describes as an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and this vision.  Vain repetitions cannot establish such communion, because God does not need our "babble."  My study Bible adds, importantly, that to partake of this communion, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore, we pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Moreover, it's noted that Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but here teaches instead that words must express the desire for communion with God.  In the following reading for tomorrow, Jesus will give us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father).  It's not repetition itself that is condemned, but vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  Additionally, true prayer is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing to be pious in front of others.  My study Bible describes true prayer as first of all humble (go into your room); it is personal (pray to your Father); and it is sincere (do not use vain repetitions).

 

 So what are vain repetitions?  Perhaps they are repeated prayers like magical incantations, and we must distinguish between this kind of repetition and what prayer is and does.  In the Orthodox tradition (which those of other denominations are also using today) is the Jesus Prayer practice.  This itself is the repetition of a very short prayer (sometimes these are called "arrow prayers" in tradition).  The common form of this prayer today is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  But it has historically taken on many forms and can be used in other forms, such as, "Lord have mercy," for example, which so often intersperses our worship services.  In the period of earliest monasticism, psalm verses were repeated, particularly, "Lord make haste to help me; Lord make speed to save me."  (For more on the Jesus Prayer practice see this site, or this one.)  The purpose of such repetition is a focus on prayer which draws us into the presence of God; in fact it is also sometimes called the practice of the presence of God.  In such prayer we draw our thoughts to God, even in the midst of tribulation or difficulty, and other thoughts that wander astray in our minds.  The very purpose of such short, repeated arrow prayers is to redirect our mind to God, and indeed, in the words of the Jesus Prayer, we find that we are inviting Christ in to whatever circumstances are in our lives, or in our hearts.  We simply continue to "recollect" ourselves by the repetition of the prayer, and orient ourselves to proper communion with God.  Again, in this Orthodox prayer tradition, we find writings which teach us of this practice of praying with "the mind in the heart."  That is, the prayer is meant to deepen within us through time and practice, reaching into the places of the heart, so that we are inviting Christ in with our arrow prayers, even to the places we might not always be aware of within ourselves.  This becomes a direct way to invite repentance, for as the prayer deepens, we also encounter our own resistance, and the places where God enters to change our perspective, and "change our minds" -- the literal meaning of repentance.  In this we return also to the depths of the laws of love behind the entire Sermon on the Mount.  As Jesus has just finished focusing on the Law and its deeper interpretation to cover even the things of the heart, such as anger and lust, so we enter into this theme of prayer in the heart.  Moreover, these developments of internal prayer are directly related to Christ's teachings against hypocrisy as well, for they invite us in to discover what we might even be masking from ourselves, so that we may invite Christ and God's grace in so that we are healed.  In this way, let us go forward and pay attention to what He teaches, in our prayers and charitable acts.

 

 

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. 

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Christ, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell the to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.   

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study Bible comments that Christ's question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, because this is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter answers correctly, and his answer prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or a path of spirituality, because it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This is a position, my study Bible explains, which excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  This understanding on the part of Peter cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also notes that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  This is done in order to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."   Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra), my study Bible teaches.  It says that this rock does not refer to Peter per se, but rather, in the words of St. John Chrysostom, "the faith of his confession."  The real Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, gates are suggestive of a fortified city (Genesis 22:17; 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  In shattering its gates, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous; this is the historical way the Church understands Christ's mission which even extends to Hades and to those therein.  So, also, my study Bible adds, the Church shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.   Moreover, my study Bible adds that the term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ, and her citizenship is heavenly.  

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  The expression keys of the kingdom, my study Bible says, refers to a special authority that will be given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where Peter advised but James presided.  Claims in later centuries, my study Bible asserts, should not be confused with the New Testament witness regarding Peter, nor should the role of Peter be diminished in these claims.  According to St. John Chrysostom, binding and loosing is a reference primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" (see also John 20:23).  It also includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority has been transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and continues today.

The concepts of the Church which arise in today's reading give the firm foundation of the Church as profoundly spiritual in nature.  That is, the Church is the Body of Christ, and as my study Bible puts it, her citizenship is heavenly.  As today's reading indicates, everything begins with the rock of faith, which is a  profound divine/human connection, dynamic in its energies, and producing what we understand of our faith and all that is connected to it.  It begins with Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  In Christ's response to him is revealed to us this profound divine/human connection:  "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."   Jesus affirms that this conclusion from Peter has not come through Peter's faculties alone, his capacity for reason and intellectual understanding, or any other resource that is Peter's alone.  Rather, we are given this extraordinary affirmation that the Father in heaven has in fact revealed the truth of Jesus' identity to Peter.  And this connection of faith is the rock upon which the Church is founded.  It is for this reason that we truly need to consider the spiritual nature of the foundation of the Church, all of its buildings, services, saints, our Book -- the Bible, and all our Scriptures.  All of it is the product of this profound spiritual entity, this divine/human reality of faith and the grace that it locks into the world.  If we think of the Church on these terms, we may come to see how central Christ's Incarnation itself is to the identity and meaning of the Church, for as the Body of Christ, the Church makes manifest Christ Himself as part of our world.  From there we come to see the Eucharist as so central to the Church as to be inseparable, for it is in the Eucharist where we find Him and His life that is given for us.  None of these things can be separate from our deep need to understand the Church as truly spiritual in nature, and not simply a collection of buildings or services or Scriptures or even a physical population of worshipers.  This spiritual reality is one that is dynamic and living, that must live and be revived through each new generation, giving life to the Church, meaning to the Scriptures, and generating faith in the world.  For each new generation will seek and find meaning in all of the aspects of the Church that have been produced through her history only through this living faith, this understanding of the spiritual foundations within which we must root ourselves and from which all else proceeds.  Just as the disciples will come to the fullness of their understanding of Christ and all of the Scriptures fulfilled in Him, His teachings, and His life, only after Pentecost, so we need to rely upon the grace of our spiritual foundation to rediscover those meanings and enlightening values in the saints, in our prayers, in our Scripture, and all else that the Church can offer.  Let us understand the incredible revelation given to Peter, wherein even God the Father indwells us and "speaks" to us, a more powerful foundation than any the world can give us.  Even the gates of Hades cannot prevail against it, and we are always in need of it, in each generation, for the true life of the world.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

In the reading from Saturday, we read of the explosive growth of Christ's ministry, across the territories of Israel and the Jewish communities that surround them, even in Gentile areas.  So already "great multitudes" are following Jesus.  Yesterday we read that, seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 

  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study Bible tells us that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the same road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  The Greek word translated as be exceedingly glad means to "leap exceedingly with joy."  (See Acts 5:40-41.)

 

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house."  Salt and light are used here by Jesus to illustrate the role of disciples in the society.  My study Bible explains that because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; See also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone, it notes, meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth, therefore, faithful Christians are preservers of God's covenant and they give true flavor to the world.   Regarding these images of light, God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all the other nations.  In the New Testament, moreover, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible says that light is necessary both for clear vision and also for life itself.  So, faith relies on this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5), who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle being presented, and the faithful are invited to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Of this verse, my study Bible notes that Christian virtues have both a personal and public function, for our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

Salt and light seem to serve several important functions.  As Jesus has given us both of them, we may assume that both are necessary for us to understand and to follow in our own lives as disciples of Christ.  Salt speaks of covenant, loyalty, a kind of steadfastness to a pledge and a relationship.  It asks us for our firm bond to Christ, through thick and thin, through good times and bad.  Jesus also emphasizes its flavoring qualities, which are essential everywhere in cuisine.  Salt has that flavor property that universally adds to whatever it is one uses it on.  (If there is any doubt that this is also true of sweet foods, let it be known that many salt watermelon and also apples.   In some sweet foods, it is a kind of balancing agent, again enhancing flavor.)  In the ancient world, salt was necessary -- as my study Bible points out -- for preservative power before refrigeration was available.  Believers, therefore, in this context, are valuable to God as those who are loyal and steadfast, and also as those who "flavor" the earth with its enhancing power.  Light, of course, has long been an image of God.  From the pillar of fire that illumined the way for the Israelites following Moses in the night, to the halos of the saints and angels, and manifest in the light of the Transfiguration, light is an unshakable image of God and God's energies at work in the world.  Beyond that, the light of the Lord is said to illuminate our path through a difficult world, beset with paradoxical choices and dilemmas and temptations, half-truths and heresies.  Jesus spoke of Himself as Lord to the people, just prior to the events of Holy Week, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35-36).  So God is Light (John 1:5), the grace of God (God's energies in the world) is light, and yet another property of that light is that it is shared with us, and we also may bear it into the world (Acts 2:3).  Jesus speaks of a lampstand because in the ancient world, light was given through fire, through torches and lamps which burned oil, so we must understand all instances of fire to be also giving us images of this light.  In fact, the verb "to shine" in the Greek of the Gospel is λάμπω/lampo.  Not only may we be gifted by the bearing of this light ourselves, but through our own faithfulness, Christ asks us to participate in the work of grace:  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."   What are these "good works?"  Well, they are undoubtedly related to the fruit of the Spirit, which St. Paul teaches is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control," and for which he adds, "Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  In living these qualities, and bearing this fruit, we let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.  

 

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets

 

 "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.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. 

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

 

- Matthew 7:1-12 

 

Currently we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'   For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." 

 "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."  My study Bible comments that we will be judged with our own level of judgment because we are guilty of the very things we judge in others (Romans 2:1).  We ourselves have failed in repentance and in fleeing from sin.  To pass judgment is to assume God's authority.  Jesus also uses these terms, "with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you," in Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38.   Each is in a different context, as no doubt Jesus repeated this important message many times.  

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."   We should remember that this message is directed to those who would be disciples, and regarding the practice of discipleship.  How can one possibly correct or instruct others in spiritual growth unless one already has the rigorous experience of seeing, knowing, and correcting one's own spiritual "blind spots"?  It's also a warning about our own capacity to overlook our own flaws, and an admonition for this kind of self-knowledge and correction.  The language here follows Jesus' earlier teaching, "The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (see Saturday's reading).  

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."  My study Bible says that dogs and swine are references to heathen peoples (Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15), but this would also include Jews who do not practice virtue.  According to patristic sources, "dogs" are those so immersed in evil that they show no hope of change, and "swine" are those who habitually live immoral and impure lives.  The pearls are the inner mysteries of the Christian faith, including Christ's teachings (Matthew 13:46) and the great sacraments.  These holy things, my study Bible explains, are restricted from the immoral and unrepentant, not to protect the holy things themselves, for Christ does not need protection.  Instead, we protect faithless people from the condemnation that would result from holding God's mysteries in contempt.  The words of Christ also warn us about the response of those who cannot or will not understand.  Again, Jesus is still speaking in the context of discipleship, correction, and spiritual growth.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"  Once more, Jesus is speaking of spiritual growth in discipleship.  My study Bible says that the verbs ask, seek, and knock are present progressives, which can be rendered "be asking," "be seeking," "be knocking."  There is a synergy here, it asks us to note:  our effort is commanded, but never apart from the immediate help of God.  We ask in prayer, we seek by learning God's truth, and we knock by doing God's will.  Here, human beings are called evil not to condemn all, but rather to contrast the imperfect goodness in human beings (where our goodness is also mingled with sin) with the perfect goodness of God (see Matthew 19:16-17).  My study Bible further comments that if imperfect and even wicked people can do some good, all the more will God work perfect good.  

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." My study Bible says that this "Golden Rule" fulfills the demands of the Law and the Prophets, and is a practical application of the commandment to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:39-40).  It's a first step in spiritual growth.  There is a  negative form of the Golden Rule ("Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you") which was well known in Judaism.  Christ's form is positive:  this is the action that begins to draw us toward God, my study Bible says.  

This "positive" form of the Golden Rule is illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, found only in Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:25-37).  In that parable, the Samaritan is the one who gives aid and help to the injured Jewish man, and so it is the Samaritan who was his true "neighbor."  In the language of the Gospel, the one who was the true neighbor was the one "who showed mercy" on the hurt man.  So this positive form of the Golden Rule applies to all acts of mercy, of charity, in whatever form that takes.  This ties in Jesus' statement at the beginning of the reading, concerning judgment.  Our positive acts toward others, embodying the things we'd want done for ourselves, become a way to heed Christ's teaching, "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  Interestingly, Jesus also speaks of what we call "projection" in modern psychological terms.  That is, we're blind to our own flaws ("And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is your own eye?"), and we often accuse others of the very same thing we ourselves are doing.  This seems to be particularly true in the public eye, in which it's often observed.  We can see this on the smallest scale, such as an argument between child siblings, to the grandest scale, in which those committing war crimes will often accuse their opponents of the same crime.  Clearly Christ calls us, if we would be His disciples, to do otherwise, and to rise above this common human flaw as part of spiritual discipline.  One thing is certain, Jesus does not entertain those who would claim their character is written in stone or that human nature cannot be changed.  On the contrary, what He teaches is that our own minds are malleable and capable of the greatest transformation, for this indeed is the very essence of salvation, of repentance (in the Greek of the Gospels, the word for repentance literally means "change of mind").  What we are asked by Christ to do then, in our own discipleship, is to be aware of our propensity not simply to overlook or be blind to our own faults, but to project them onto others -- and to do something about that.  We're meant to shift our focus onto ourselves, and instead to follow this positive Golden Rule.   Good judgment, Jesus tells us, is impossible when we have no clear understanding of ourselves and our own faults, and hypocrisy leads to our downfall.  Indeed, the greatest condemnation Jesus gives will be in Matthew 23, when He rails against the religious leadership for their very hypocrisy.   We remember that the word "hypocrite" originally meant "actor" -- the Greek literally meaning "below the mask," as in the masks worn by actors in ancient plays signifying the character they play.  Many today would seem to replace religion as a guiding light for practices of mercy in public life, with the tools of political ideology and persuasion.  Yet there we also observe that many seem to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the powerless even as they pose as champions of enlightened policies and human rights.  So neither blindness to our own shortcomings nor hypocrisy has left the world, and perhaps the modern day power of propaganda and communication technologies make such masks that much more powerful and oppressive. Let us, then, look to our Lord to guide us in our lives, despite the hypocrisy we see.  In such a time, many would say that the light and truth of faith -- which shines from the inside to the outside -- is now more needful than ever.  For where there is hypocrisy there is surely hardness of heart.

Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish

 

 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

 

- Matthew 18:10-20 

 

 Yesterday we read that at this time in His ministry, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  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.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  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."   

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."  Little ones, we remember from yesterday's reading, include all those with childlike humility and simplicity, all who are poor in spirit.  They are the faithful who will come for guidance, instruction, and shepherding by these disciples who will be the bishops and pillars of the Church; that is, all who will be dependent upon the Church's leaders for their faith.  My study Bible comments that St. John Chrysostom teaches that not only the saints, but all people have guardian angels.  However, the angels of humble people have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God, because of the humility of the person they guard.  It is not the nature of God, but the weakness of human beings, that requires the service of the angels.  

"What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."  Unlike earthly shepherds, my study Bible says, Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk in order to save it.  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  According to various patristic teachings, this is also an image of the Incarnation, in which the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven.  Christ descended from heaven in order to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth.

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  Here Christ lays out a system for church discipline, which is based on mutual correction in three expanding stages.  We must note that sin and correction are to remain private here unless the offender refuses to repent.  My study Bible says that all correction must be done with great care and humility, with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1).  

 

 There seems to be an important link between the first part of today's reading and the second.  In the first part of the reading, regarding the "lost sheep" that Christ is so careful to say are essential to God, He makes the point clear that every effort must be made out of love for them.  God so loves those sheep that even at risk to the other ninety-nine of a hundred, a single straying sheep should be sought out and brought home to the flock.  It makes the point very clear that for God, even one missing from God's people or community is one that is mourned and deeply desired to be found and returned.  But in the second part of today's reading, regarding discipline within the Church, there is an interesting process at work.  All discipline should begin in private, with each "offender" given the chance to repent, and thus mending community.  But should the breach not be mended, there is a process for expanding the work of community, and if that does not work, to finally include the whole of the community in the effort.  At that stage, one who does not acknowledge the fault is allowed to be considered outside the community, "like a heathen and a tax collector."  What does this mean and how should we understand it in terms of God's deep desire and that "in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven?"  First of all, "little ones" implies a context of those who are humble, who will be dependent upon the disciples and those who follow them as shepherds and guides of the Church.  Second, for purposes of Christ's teaching, the assumption is that the complaint against a brother is true ("if a brother sins against you").  Even the notion of the word "brother" in this context seems to imply not necessarily one of the "little ones," but one of more equal stature in the community.  Let us keep in mind that He is speaking to His disciples, and that all of this discussion follows a demand among them to know who will be the greatest in His Kingdom (see yesterday's reading, above).   In terms of allowing a person who fails to repent or acknowledge the offense within community to be considered as an outsider, we also turn to St. Paul, who writes that he does not wish his flock to keep company "with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.  For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore 'put away from yourselves the evil person'" (the quotation is a reference to various passages in Deuteronomy); see 1 Corinthians 5.  The most important sense we take away is that God judges the outsider, and the Church does not.  So when Christ speaks of putting one outside the community who fails to acknowledge an act of harm to the community, it is in this sense, that the person is left to God.   He does not say that this is a permanent state, nor that this person will not eventually come to repentance and return.  In effect, I believe, we are to presume that God always deeply desires the return of lost sheep.  If the actions and efforts of the Church cannot restore community, a person left "outside" remains in the hands of God, and therefore it is with this understanding that Christ gives His teachings.  We don't know what ways God can work in a person's life to bring them "home" -- see, for example, Christ's parable of the Prodigal or Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32).  Whatever we understand from Christ's teaching, we should not forget that God's love always calls back, always seeks the lost, and even those "outside" can find their way back.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

 

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors. 

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 

- Matthew 6:7–15 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount, found in chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew's Gospel.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  Today's reading begins here.  The following passage brackets afterward, and was included in yesterday's lectionary reading:  "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."  

 

  "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  My study Bible continues its remarks on this passage (which we began in yesterday's reading), in which the subject is the spirit of prayer.  What is important is the communion established through prayer, and Jesus cautions against what interferes with that communion, particularly hypocrisy.   Here, He speaks of vain repetitions, which cannot establish this communion, for, my study Bible says, God does not need our "babble."  To partake of this communion, it says, both silence and words are necessary.  Therefore, we are taught to pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).   Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but rather teaches that words need to express the desire for communion with God.  In the following verses, Jesus gives us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer).  It is not repetition itself that is condemned, my study Bible emphasizes, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  The emphasis in this particular warning is not about repetition in and of itself, but rather on sincerity in prayer.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."   My study Bible explains that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals of our potential relationship with God.  Christ, as Son of God, grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God," (meaning heir, regardless of gender) a Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ does the Father.  This loyalty is part of our trust in God, as is our deep desire for God's kingdom to manifest, and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.   My study Bible says that we must note that God is not our Father simply because God created us.  God is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with God, a communion that only comes by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13, Romans 8:14-16).  

"Give us this day our daily bread."   "Daily" is a misleading translation of the Greek word ἐπιούσιον/epiousion.  This word literally means "above the essence" or "supersubstantial."  So, the expression daily bread indicates not simply bread for this day, for earthly nourishment.  It is the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  My study Bible comments that this living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  Therefore, in the Lord's Prayer, we aren't merely asking for material bread for physical health, but for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  This request to be forgiven is plural, my study Bible points out, and so it directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others and not merely ourselves.  The term debts refers to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35).  See also that Jesus repeats a message regarding mutual forgiveness after the end of the prayer.

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13); temptations are from the evil one, my study Bible notes; that is, the devil.  It says that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."   My study Bible comments that Christ insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  That is, those who do not forgive are not forgiven.  This is a teaching repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with this same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.

In the Beatitudes, which begin the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (see this reading).  Here in today's reading, He repeats teachings on mercy, so central are they to His gospel message.  Forgiveness is a part of that mercy, if we would understand it in a certain way.  We are asked, additionally, to pray not only that our own spiritual debts are forgiven, but the prayer is communal: that is, we pray corporately for the forgiveness of our debts, for ourselves and for others, as my study Bible points out.  It reminds us of the first martyr, St. Stephen, who prayed as he was being stoned to death, first, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," and then, in a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin."  (See Acts 6 -7.)   In so doing, we remember that it is God who is the ultimate Judge, the Banker, if you will, who holds all the debts and makes a final decision about them.  We ask for our debts to be forgiven, as we "let go" (as the word translated as forgive in this passage literally means in Greek) of the debts we hold, and so we give them up to God for God's adjudication.  This image of forgiveness places everything in the hands of God.  It does not simply take reconciliation into our own hands, and certainly leaves off ideas of vengeance.  But what we so frequently seem not to understand in this notion of forgiveness is that it simply places all things in the hands of God, and so we are encouraged to find our way through prayer for how to handle relationships with those who have wronged and hurt us.  Ultimately, we seek God's way, and within community, for how we proceed with our lives, even when we have enemies who might seek to harm us or feel enmity for us.  In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have first of all the Incarnation, God and man united in one.  When we pray for our "daily bread" which is really our "supersubstantial bread," we pray, in some sense, for what is given in the Eucharist, for that living bread in which we also can become like Him, where we can help our Father's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  That is, we seek Christ who helps us to find our way His way.  He is the one who offers us the way out of endless debts, recriminations, and cycles of abuse.  It is ultimately in Him we have our peace, and with Him we need reconciliation.  We are not asked, in forgiveness, to become best friends with those who would do us harm or abuse, and neither are we asked to love that which we consider to be harmful.  But we are asked to find His peace, and His way for our peace.  We are asked to give up all the debts we hold, and the trespasses we feel, to Him.  And moreover, we are promised by Christ that the practice of mercy is the only way we will find and realize that mercy for ourselves.  These are not words that we can ignore, but rather a firm statement of spiritual truth.  We will not find what we seek without practicing it ourselves.  The way I read it, Jesus gives us a spiritual law of the universe in this statement, that we must practice mercy, which is "love in action" in order to realize God's great mercy for ourselves.  This extends to our own comprehension of God's love which will lead us beyond the hurt and pain, and debt and trespass, into a forward-looking life and a healing process as we seek union with God.  Ultimately, everything comes together in the Lord's Prayer, as it is both our place in God's Kingdom that we seek, and also how we may bear God's Kingdom into the world.  Mercy remains central to this plan, love in action, and we will be called simply to learn how to live it and find His way for us.  We might have all kinds of ideas about what that is supposed to look like, but ultimately we only find it when we seek Him first.  Some people expect that Christ's teachings are simply moral aphorisms, a formula for living.  But I find that faith is a learning journey through difficult circumstances, a dynamic struggle.   St. Paul called it fighting the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7).   When we find ourselves in the midst of the untenable and impossible, unable to control others or the world around us, then we need His way, for it is only with God that all things are possible.