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, it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  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."  Herod the tetrarch is the son of Herod the Great, the builder and refurbisher of the splendid Second Temple, and also the heartless murderer of infants (Matthew 2:16-18).  Herod the tetrarch is also known to us as Herod Antipas.  He is the ruler of Galilee.  Popularly called a king, he rules for Rome.  The account of the beheading of John the Baptist that follows is meant to be understood in the past tense.  It's given to us so that we understand why Herod fears that John has returned from the dead, after hearing about Jesus' ministry and the marvels that accompanied it ("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.  Although the Herodian dynasty ruled for Rome, they nominally practiced Judaism as they ruled Jewish people.  Thus, under Jewish law, Herod had practiced what was unlawful by marrying his brother's wife, while his brother Philip was still living.  This is what John the Baptist protests 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.  My study Bible comments that the beheading of St. John the Baptist is remembered in the Church on August 29 with a day of fasting. As part of God's plan of salvation, it notes, 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.  At Matins on that day it is sung, "Your tongue which constantly speaks of God has preceded Christ into death, and is sent to preach Him to those in Hades."

 

 My study Bible is right to emphasize this type of "handing off" of ministry from St. John the Baptist to Christ.  We see it in the baptism of Jesus by St. John, in which the Trinity is manifest, and Christ's identity is made plain.  We see it in St. John's prophesy regarding the Baptism to come of Christ, in his testimony that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and in his introduction of his disciples to Jesus (Sts. Andrew, Peter, and John the author of the Gospel, who is unnamed).  See John 1:19-42. In John's death, as my study Bible says, we see something similar, and St. John the Baptist plays the role of Forerunner to Christ even in death.  It mirrors the overall handing off and continuation of the salvation plan of God from Old Testament to New.  As St. John the Baptist is the last and greatest of the Old Testament-style prophets, so he points and directs all to Jesus Christ, as Lamb of God.  We also see an image of the old in this depiction of the court of Herod.  This echoes the scandal of the Gentiles of old, a pre-Christian picture of the Gentile world of power and its values.  It is a scandal in that the passions on display in this story of Herod's court are meant to be cautionary tales of disordered desires and their outcomes.  Here a daughter is not only allowed to put herself on display before the powerful men of Herod's court and region, but she's schooled by her mother to request the bloody head of a great prophet, widely considered by the public to be a holy man, served on a platter at a birthday party.  Herod is no better, as he rashly swears a grandiose oath to the girl, and is too weak in front of the "great men" at his birthday party to refuse such a hideous act against a just holy man.  John the Baptist is a figure for all of us of righteousness and courage, and dedication to God above all things.  He is the opposite of Herod, who seems to understand nothing but power and a servility to things that corrupt and destroy honor.  This Gentile court is a scandal to the Jews of that time, and so we get a picture of Galilee as a region of both Gentiles and Jews; the power of holiness contrasted with the worldly power on display.  Elsewhere, my study Bible comments on the inner terror of Herod, who fears St. John the Baptist even in death.  In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' rejection in His hometown of Nazareth in Galilee.  But even in this rejection, the Baptist is related to Jesus through his martyrdom.  We live in a world today in which the slogan "speak truth to power" is often heard as a declaration of righteousness.  But one must say that one could find no better nor truer courageous manifestation of this saying than in the life and death of St. John the Baptist, and again, of course, Jesus.  Let us play our own part in the lineage of our faith, the best of our abilities, and in sincere imitation of those who have shown us the way before us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 1:14-28 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?

 

 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 

 

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take  Him, but no one laid hands on Him. 

 

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"   Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 

- John 7:37–52 

 

On Saturday we read that about the middle of the feast of Tabernacles (in the final year of Christ's earthly life) Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.   And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees  and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come?"

 

  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  My study Bible tells us that the last day, that great day of the feast was the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  The ceremony of the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam provides the backdrop for Christ's teaching here.  (This pool will play a role in yet another "sign" given on this day, which appears in chapter 9.)   It's in this context in which He says, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  The living water is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the new life that accompanies this gift.  

 

 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  My study Bible says that the Prophet is a reference to the expected Messiah.  This is the Savior foretold by Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  The debate over the town of Jesus' birth is due to the prophesy that Bethlehem of Judea was the town from which the Christ was expected to come (Micah 5:2).  The crowd doesn't know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but He was brought up in Nazareth of Galilee following the family's exile in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23), hence the confusion and division.

 

 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"   Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  My study Bible reminds us that the chief priests had sent officers of the temple to arrest Jesus in the middle of the Feast (verse 32; see yesterday's reading, above).  By the time this last day had arrived (the eighth day of the Feast), there had been no arrest made.  This is because, according to my study Bible, these officers had been converted by Christ's teaching.   My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that the Pharisees and scribes who had "witnessed the miracles and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from either.  But these officers, on the other hand, although they could claim none of the learning of the Pharisees and scribes, were "captivated by a single sermon."  St. Chrysostom adds that when the mind is open "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."

 

 Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."  Earlier in the Gospel, we read of Nicodemus being taught by Jesus at night (John 3:1-21).  Since that time, he has increased in faith.  But his defense of Jesus here is still based on "our law" and is not yet a public profession of faith, my study Bible comments (see John 19:38-39).  According to the law, Jesus must be given a hearing before He can be judged (Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 1:15-17).   The Pharisees respond to Nicodemus that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.  My study Bible says that in so doing, they show their blind hatred and ignorance of the Scriptures, as the prophet Jonah came from Galilee, from the town of Gath Hepher -- which was only three miles from Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25).  

 

Perhaps it is in some way strangely ironic that the Pharisees respond scathingly to Nicodemus, claiming that no prophet has ever arisen from Galilee.  In fact, as my study Bible points out, a very important prophet came from Galilee, the prophet Jonah.  It is the prophet Jonah to whom Jesus will refer when He is constantly asked for a sign from these same men.  In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus is asked by the scribes and Pharisees for a sign, and His reply to them is, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (see Matthew 12:38-42).  In St. Luke's Gospel, He gives the same teaching to the crowds (see Luke 11:29-32).  Perhaps this omission on the part of the Pharisees is meant to be understood to teach us about the nature of a kind of blindness we might call "intentional forgetting."  In their rage and envy, perhaps they've forgotten, or they have resorted to a deliberate lie to silence the dissent of Nicodemus (and we can hear their gratuitous insult to him as well).  These mysterious omissions and connections in the Gospels do indeed teach us something about our own blindness, for what these men do is not limited to them and their time.  Indeed, as we know that St. John's Gospel is so much a focus on truth and its nature (often understood as light) -- and the deliberate darkness that is chosen to avoid it -- this is yet another subtle lesson to us about fallen human nature and our capacity to blind ourselves to the things of God, and perhaps the desire to defy God (see John 1:4-5).  At any rate, this is a somewhat "convenient" form of forgetting for these experts in the Scriptures.  In their raging passions, they are making terrible mistakes, spiritually and otherwise, and this, too, teaches us something about the historical view of the Church regarding our own susceptibility to such mistakes.  We are not meant to point fingers at these men, but to carefully consider how we might be like them, and what to do about it.  In the calendar of the Church, we are proceeding forward just now to enter into the period of Great Lent.  For the Western Churches, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 18th.  For the East and the Orthodox, Lent begins on February 23rd, and we are currently in a preparation period for the Lenten fast.  Historically and universally across churches and denominations, Lent and the fasting practices associated with it have been considered times not simply for reflection but for cultivating the opposite of what these religious leaders are indulging in.  That is, for cultivating dispassion, learning to say no to the impulses to do us no good, whether that be rage, lust, gluttony, envy, or any number of things that lead us away from spiritual discipline and our capacity to hear the things of God and incorporate into our lives the teachings of Jesus.  This is the purpose of the fast, not to refrain simply from foods (for there are no "bad" foods in Christianity; see Mark 7:18-19), but learning spiritual discipline, how to say no to our harmful impulses and indulgences in order to cultivate a more healthy spiritual life.  We don't just fast from foods, but the goal is to fast from behaviors such as the ones we observe here, and to better know ourselves in the process, building up spiritual strength and knowing our own weaknesses.  There's no better time to look toward the events of Christ's life as we read through the Gospel, and learn from the mistakes we observe, so that we are better able to find correction when we indulge in the same types of rage, self-righteousness, and false judgment here.   There is no better time to cultivate dispassion through the traditional practices of Lent, lest we be drawn into the forces that seek to ensnare us into the same types of behavior, especially that which is promoted through social media for all kinds of reasons and motivations which may be hidden from us, encouraging us to simply "follow the crowd."  Manipulation of appearances may take all kinds of forms, and only Saturday we read that Jesus taught us, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Let us cherish the resources we're given in the Church at this time to help us to better do so.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- John 4:43–54 

 

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

 

  Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  The two days refers to the two days Jesus remained in Samaria following the conversion of the Samaritan woman and her townspeople (see Saturday's reading, above).  Jesus' own country is Galilee.  Galileans were present in Jerusalem during the Passover (John 2:13-25) where Jesus apparently had performed many signs.  That was the first of three Passover feasts recorded in St. John's Gospel.  My study Bible comments that while the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom gives more credit to the Samaritans for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  This statement that a prophet has no honor in his own country is reported in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24).

 

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

 

 The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study Bible notes that this nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, and neither does he know that Christ would have the power to heal even if his child were to die.  Finally, he asks about the timing of the healing, suggesting that he still doesn't completely trust in Jesus' authority.  But after all is confirmed then he and his whole household believe.  My study Bible says that thus, in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not simply the body of the child, but the soul of the nobleman.  This is the second of seven signs reported in St. John's Gospel.  (The first was the turning of water to wine at the wedding in Cana.)

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

They brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them

 

 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  

 

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 

 

- Matthew 4:18-25 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that John the Baptist 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." 

 

  And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.   My study Bible asks us to understand that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and so they were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  Although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, it notes, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to the be the wisest of all.  

 

 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  My study Bible says that we should note that these crowds do not swarm Jesus when He commands repentance (as in yesterday's reading; see the final verse, above), but only as He begins to heal and work miracles.  This fact, it says, shows that the people misunderstand the true nature of His Kingdom.  It also shows Christ's concession, according to Theopylact, "to give credibility to what He teaches" among the fickle multitudes.  

 

Jesus reveals the presence of the Kingdom with Him in the healings that He does.  He heals diseases and torments, epilepsy, paralysis, and of course this goes hand in hand with casting out demons from those who were possessed.  This is all an expression of the Kingdom very present with Him, and of course, a manifestation of His power and authority in His identity as Son.  But, as we discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary, all the things that Christ is, and that entire presence of the Kingdom that encompasses all that He teaches and will do, including even Judgment, are part and parcel of what comes with Christ.  We can pick and choose healing, or casting out demons, but we can't leave out repentance, for this is basic and fundamental to His gospel message.  It is a sad and tragic thing when people suffer; when they suffer from diseases that afflict in terrible ways, when people die.  These things are "not fair."   In the historical understanding of the Church, these afflictions are a part of the effects of sin in the world, and that includes death and all that comes with it.  But each one of us will contend with death in one way or another, and what that means is that the ways in which we meet death, or any of the varied forms of death we encounter in life, such as illness and suffering, injustice, and the entire gamut of myriad things that are detrimental to life, must first of all be the encounter with Christ.  He is the One who transfigured death on the Cross, defeated it, but in His suffering created meaning and purpose.  We also, turning to Him in our distress, must meet all of our suffering and ailments with Him, and the fullness of what He is and teaches us.  Many people look to the amazing healings described in the Gospels and think that prayer's effectiveness is only about those times of trouble we have and the banishing of that trouble, like using a magic wand to fix our problems, or saying particular words that will have this effect.  Some see Christ's preaching as teaching us that all we have to do is believe that we have what we want, and call on His name, and it will be manifest.  But this is not the fullness of His ministry and message.  Even St. Paul writes that he had to accept an affliction, for he had received so many blessings and revelations, and been granted so many graces by God that, as he says, "a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure."  Praying about this "thorn in the flesh," this "messenger of Satan," he was told by God, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  Can we, in our quest for healing, accept what St. Paul says here?  That his own thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, was allowed intentionally for the greater glory of God, that his weakness was in fact a way through which God's strength is made perfect?  How many of us can accept so fully this gospel that we could meet our own afflictions this way, finding meaning and even intention and purpose in our suffering?  But St. Paul met his suffering in prayer, and embraced the message that God had for him.  He concludes, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).  It is a healthy and good thing to seek life, to reject death in all its forms, and to find the good and abundant reality of creation which God has given us and of which we are a part.  But when we substitute something else, an idol even of something nominally good, for the fullness of Christ and the meanings and grace to be found in the transfiguration of life possible through faith, then we're missing the mark -- we're failing to find what God has in mind for us and the beauty therein.  None of us wants to suffer; even more so, none wants to see their loved ones suffer in any way.  The mother of God, Mary, comes to mind when we think of her watching her Son suffer and die.  This kind of agony we wish upon no one.  And yet, she accepted God's reality for her; it was her faith that guided her response to even the worst cruelties of life.  These things are also great and profound mysteries; they are difficult to fathom, more difficult even to see when we are in distress.  But prayer will see us through them, even in the times when God's grace must be sufficient for us, when God's strength is made perfect in our weakness, or that of someone we love.  An acceptance of the potentials of meaning even within suffering shifts our perspective to one of compassion, and transcendence.  We find a dignity in forbearance but most of all in our capacity for care in the midst of imperfection, a beauty in seeing the grace that is still possible in the expression of faith and of love and the strength made perfect in weakness.  For we are on a journey to God which takes us through all kinds of things in life, even the sad things of this world.  Let us find His way and the comfort in His easy yoke, and light burden (Matthew 11:20).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more

 

 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

 

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male  children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,

 Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted,

Because they are no more." 

 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

 

- Matthew 2:13-23  

 

Yesterday we read that after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are not the least among the rulers of Judah;  For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"  Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

 

  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  My study Bible points out that Egypt is where Israel once took refuge; as Joseph of the Old Testament once saved God's people by bringing them to Egypt (Genesis 39 - 47), now Christ's stepfather Joseph finds safety for the Savior in Egypt.  It is probable, it adds, that the gifts of the magi paid for this journey.  

 

 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."   This quotation is from the prophet Hosea (Hosea 11:1).  It refers first to Israel being brought out of captivity.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible explains, "son" can refer to the whole nation of Israel.  Here Jesus fulfills this calling as the true Son of God by coming out of Egypt.  

 

 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.   My study Bible tells us that the cruelty of Herod was prefigured by Pharaoh, who, in an attempt to destroy the power of Israel, commanded the death of all the newborn Jewish boys (Exodus 1:16, 22).  

 

 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:  "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."   The prophet Jeremiah recorded the people of Jerusalem being led away into exile (Jeremiah 31:15).  On their way to captivity, my study Bible says, they passed Ramah, which was near Bethlehem, where Jacob's wife Rachel lay buried.  In his prophecy, Jeremiah saw Rachel, even from the grave, moved with compassion for the fate that had come to her descendants.  St. Matthew writes that Rachel once again is weeping for her children, and according to my study Bible, it shows that the saints in heaven have awareness and compassion for those yet on earth.  These slaughtered children are regarded as saints and martyrs in the Church and are known as the Holy Innocents.  Just as Rachel was told that her children would return from exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 31:16-17), so Jesus will return from His exile in Egypt.

 

 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  According to historical records reported by my study Bible, Herod the Great died in 4 BC.  So, the date of Christ's birth on our current AD (Anno Domini, Latin for "year of the Lord") calendar is based is off by four years.

 

 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  My study Bible cites Augustus Caesar having banished Archelaus for his cruelty in AD 6.  This cruelty, it says, was revealed as a warning to Joseph, hence the detour to Nazareth.  This town was in Galilee, and governed by a different son of Herod the Great, whose name was Herod Antipas (see Luke 3:1). 

 

 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."  My study Bible tells us that this prophecy cannot be precisely identified.  It has been taken as a reference to the rod (Hebrew neser) in Isaiah 11:1, and to the Nazritie (Hebrew Nazir) of Judges 13:5.   It says that St. Matthew might also have been alluding to passages in which the Messiah was despised, since Nazareth did not have a good reputation (John 1:46).  

 

In these early "chapters" of Christ's life, we see that His entry into the world as Human Being was anything but simple and easy.  First of all, His pregnant mother and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem for Caesar's census.  This cannot by any means have been an easy journey.  Then, for the Savior of the world, there was no place -- no place to stay and to be born.  So He was born in a cave, used as a barn for animals, where the shepherds, informed by angels, came to adore Him (see Luke 2:1-20).  As we have read so far in St. Matthew's Gospel, the wise men have made their way from Persia to find this Child born under a star which foretold a tremendous identity and destiny.  In Bethlehem they are brought before Herod to tell him about the Child, but they manage to escape Herod when leaving through divine warning in a dream.  This is after they bring Christ their gifts of gold for a King of the ages, frankincense for the God of all, and myrrh for One who is Immortal and yet will be three days dead.  Shortly after, based upon the information he was given by the wise men (or magi), Herod orders the death of all male infants under the age of two years.  But Joseph -- similarly to the wise men -- has been divinely warned in a dream to take the Child to Egypt, and so they must live in exile until King Herod is dead.  Then this holy family returns, but the fear of Archelaus, new ruler of Judea, keeps them from going to Bethlehem, so they turn to Galilee to establish themselves there, where Jesus will be raised.  As my study Bible points out, Jesus will meet with disapproval and suspicion, even contempt, because it will be known that He is from Nazareth, a town which holds little importance in terms of prophesy and spiritual history.  But that, of course, will come from people who do not know that He was born in Bethlehem, the city of King David.  So let us start here, with all of these difficulties, present in simply the first few years of Christ's life.  We should note, too, that they are difficulties for His parents, His mother and earthly guardian Joseph, who take all precautions and take on hardships to protect this Child.  What does it say about the Incarnation story?  If you and I were writing a story about the King of all, the Lord of the universe, come into the world and born on planet earth in the form of a helpless baby, what would we write?  Could we even imagine these difficulties?  Would we write such a story of exile, of being despised and being hunted?  Would we invent a story of the wise men who come to honor Him but who are also in mortal danger for doing so, and must leave the country by evading King Herod?  I hardly think so, for our ideas about majesty and grandeur are not compatible with God's plans and the truth of the Gospels, and indeed, of the whole Bible.  One thing we can say is that most certainly, in His Incarnation, Christ most definitely experiences the dangers of life that we are subject to -- and maybe even more so than most.  Even as an Infant, He's subject to the hatred and envy of those in power and who wish to simply kill Him because He is already a perceived threat.  There are those who come to adore and worship Him, and even His mother knows not simply to marvel, but that she "kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19), the way a loving mother pores repeatedly over pictures at various ages of her child, and landmarks in his childhood kept in a scrapbook.  Mary kept them all in her heart to ponder.   We can only imagine her distress to come after Jesus begins His public ministry.  But this is the story of our Lord.  This is the way that God has sent His Son into the world -- not to have an easy, simple, or comfortable life, but to share our fears, our dangers, our woes, our worries.  He shares our vulnerability to abusive power, to coercive military might, to cruelty, and to death.  He shares everything we share in a world beset by the effects of sin with which we cope every day, and the ongoing hatreds, lies, envy, injustice, and vicious behaviors we know and may experience.  He is also born into a world beset by temptations and the malice of demons, but that will become a special hallmark of His presence -- effects that will become immediately discernible to people once His public ministry starts.  But as we go on to read about Christ's life, let us first take a minute to consider these dangers and fears that we all experience that are already borne in upon Christ, even as a little Child.  Let us consider the sacrifices and love of His parents, and know that God's plan was not for worldly greatness, but for something quite different.  And in this inclusion in our subjection to the same difficulties and dangers, let us know that this is shared with us so that we are also born into a mission if we are His followers.  He did not come to be treated "like a King" but to show courage against the adversary, to teach us His way, give us His light and the Holy Spirit, so that we bring in a Kingdom into this world that is His together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  We are invited to share in a mission with Him.  And when we face a world shaken by senseless violence, malicious hatreds, cruelty that we can't imagine, and a host of evils and effects that frighten and terrify, He has been here with us and this is somehow, in ways we can't imagine, a part of the plan.  Midst all this strife and even senseless things to our minds, we  have a role to play, something important to do, and the salvation of the world even perhaps depends upon it.  There have been countless saints, martyrs, confessors, and unknown faithful who have lost their lives and faced perils for the sake of His name and His gospel.  Let us take up His mission and know the power of His Cross, the courage that He gives, the strength of His truth, and the meaning even in His suffering and that of those who follow.  For God's ways are not our ways, nor God's thoughts our thoughts, but His Kingdom is ours when we meet Him at His Cross, and carry our own His way. Nothing we know of in history has had the impact of Christ and His followers upon the world; let us continue to seek His way with prayer and through the living faith He teaches.  And remember that even the sparrows are known to Him, even the hairs of our head (Matthew 10:29-31).

 

 

 

This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!

 

 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  

 

Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

 

- Mark 6:14–29 

 

 On Saturday we read that Jesus came to His own country of Nazareth in Galilee, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And may hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.   He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  

 

  Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  My study Bible informs us that this King Herod is the son of the one who slew the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  The one responsible for what is called the Slaughter or Massacre of the Innocents was also known as Herod the Great, king of Judea.  His son, the King Herod of today's reading, was known also as Herod Antipas, and he ruled over Galilee.  The Herodian dynasty ruled for Rome: Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee.  Although he was technically a governor, he was popularly called king.  My study Bible explains that, as Herod known that John the Baptist had worked no miracles while living, he now believes John was raised from the dead, thinking that powers are at work in him.  Therefore, he fears John more dead than alive.  

 

  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  Elijah was expected to return and to work signs before coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  My study Bible comments that the Prophet is interpreted by some to be a reference to the Messiah, the One whom Moses foretold (Deuteronomy 18:15), while other interpret it as simply meaning that a new prophet had arisen.  

 

  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.   Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.  The account of Herod Antipas' story with John the Baptist is given parenthetically here; that is, we're given a "backstory" in order to explain John's earlier death so that we understand why Herod would think that John had risen from the dead.  My study Bible comments on the fact that Herod, with his wealth and soldiers, feared John, a man who lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair (Mark 1:6).  It notes that this is a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, and also to the people's understanding of John.  St. John the Baptist was held by the people in the highest esteem; he was revered as a holy man (Mark 11:32).  

 

  This language of the opportune day reminds us of the temptation of Christ by the devil as He fasted in preparation for His public ministry.  Luke 4:13 tells us, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."  Here is another opportune time for the works of evil, this time through the cunning of Herodias, and the blindness of her daughter.   It seems that just the right temptations are here before Herod; it's the right time and place to implement a plan that will work for the evil ends of Herodias to rid herself (and her king) of the presence of St. John the Baptist.  Note how temptations work on Herod.  He's subject to grandiosity of course; but perhaps this is "normal" for a king of his time and place.  But this is a dangerous sort of grandiosity which can easily get a person of power into a lot of trouble, and cause him to make bad decisions, errors of judgment.  It is a weakness.  Here it is his birthday party, a time when a seemingly rather spoiled and temperamental person is at their most weak in terms of the need for gratification of all desires, being the center of attention.  Note how his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee are all assembled for this birthday feast.  It is before these men that he swears his oath.  There's another temptation here, and that is the lasciviousness that seems to be stirred by the dancing of the daughter of Herodias.  It seems to be something that would have been scandalous to the Jews, to allow a daughter to expose herself in this sense to these men.  But it works indeed to provide just the incentive for a rash and stupidly expansive promise to be given by Herod to this girl:  "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."   The girl goes to her mother, to find what she should ask for, indicating that she really doesn't seem fully able to think for herself, and her mother, being the extremely ambitious and unethical person she apparently is, goes after the most monstrous thing she could ask:  the head of John the Baptist.  Note that in terms of personal wealth or gain, she could have asked for "up to half" of Herod's kingdom.  But she doesn't, and neither does her mother advise her to do so.  Moreover, the girl adds an imaginative, macabre twist to her mother's demand, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."   And so it was, St. John the Baptist's head was brought to this birthday celebration on a platter, as if it were one more dish at the feast.  This is the story of John's martyrdom; and in many icons he is shown bearing his head in this way (see the photo of a mosaic at this blog post, for example).  Herod's weakness extends to his conscience, and his overriding concern for saving face before his court:  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  In some sense, this king who is a slave to his passions and therefore weaknesses is an antithetical contrast to the person and character of St. John the Baptist.  John is his opposite:  one who has served God in all ways possible in his life, and an extreme ascetic in so doing.  His life has been lived without the comforts of the world, forgoing traditional community for his life of ascetic poverty which would become the model for Christian monasticism to come.  Herod's story (and that of his wife and her daughter) is a cautionary tale for Christians, because it teaches us about our own weaknesses, how our need for indulgence of various kinds on display here can lead to evil results in our lives.  Herod is on display as a kind of paradigm of all that was wrong with the pagan world, but nonetheless forms an image of things we might see from the pages of our own newspapers and tabloids, with modern figures of those grandiose and indulgent and wealthy enough for every excess without limits or spiritual discipline.  The beheading of John, and especially his head being presented on a platter at this dinner, is also a kind of double suggestion:  beheading would have been the easiest or "kindest" way to die at the hands of the Roman Empire.  But that it was demanded and served on a platter gives us a bloodthirsty hint of human sacrifice linked with cannibalism, also once common to the ancient world, and suggestive of the religious practices of the enemies of the ancient Jews and their opposition to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Let us remember in this context that Herod's family was meant to be nominally Jewish, even if they served for Rome.  All we need do is to consider the restrictions on contact with blood for Jews to see how truly scandalous this story is.  Let it remain a caution to us today.  For John the Baptist, and those monastics who would follow in the Church, humility before God and hospitality to others served as the greatest virtues, the gateway to all others.   In a time of excess, tremendous wealth, and unlimited freedom, our choices remain more significant than ever as to who or what we will follow, and what traditional disciplines of faith and the Church are meant to serve for our lives.  Herod's fear tells us all we need to know about what is truly stronger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are You the King of the Jews?

 

 Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate.  And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."  Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered him and said, "It is as you say."  So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man."  But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."  

 

When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.  And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at this time.  Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.  And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.  Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

 

- Luke 23:1–12 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Christ's betrayal and arrest, the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.   As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."  Then they all said, "Are You then the Son of God?"  So He said to them, "You rightly say that I am."  and they said, "What further testimony do we need?  For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth."

 

  Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate.  And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."  Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered him and said, "It is as you say."  So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man."  But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."   My study Bible tells us that the religious accusations against Jesus (Luke 22:66-71) would not be enough to justify a death sentence under Roman occupation.  So, therefore, the chief priests invent false (Luke 20:20-26) and politically charged accusations in order to persuade Pilate to put Jesus to death.  Pilate's question ("Are You the King of the Jews?") is more a mockery of the accusation itself than of Jesus.  Clearly, he doesn't take the political charges seriously ("I find no fault in this Man").  The answer Jesus gives, "It is as you say," can also be translated more ambiguously, "You say so."

 

 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.  And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at this time.  Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.  And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.  Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.  My study Bible comments that Herod sees Jesus as a novelty.  (Perhaps this is the way he had also viewed St. John the Baptist; see Mark 6:20.)  Christ's silence in this instance before Herod is an act of compassion.  To reveal divine mysteries in the face of such blasphemy would have brought Herod even greater condemnation.  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, says my study Bible, Herod is a figure who represents all unrighteous people who, if they don't recognize Jesus as the Christ, will never understand His words nor recognize His miracles.  

 

In terms of the "darkness" which we read about over the past few readings and those to come (see But this is your hour, and the power of darkness, Monday's reading), we see that darkness expressed in certain ways in today's reading as well.  There are first of all the deliberate falsehoods told to Pilate in order to extricate from him the death penalty for Jesus.  This is one level of darkness indeed, in which malice, spite, and envy play a great part in this devious behavior.  Note also that the chief priests and scribes offer to Herod the same false accusations.  There's the particular darkness of Pilate, who in fact can see that Jesus is innocent and that the accusations are preposterous, but who doesn't know nor understand Jesus.  And then there is the peculiar darkness of Herod, a Jew in some sense only by "training" in order to rule as tetrarch.  He knew John was a holy man, Mark's Gospel told us, and he delighted in asking questions and treating John as a sort of curiosity he had in his court for a while.  Here, Herod once again delights in being able to see Jesus, someone who is different and extraordinary, about whom we know he has heard much (Luke 9:9).  We're told that when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.  Perhaps because he's been rebuffed by Jesus, who is not a pleasing plaything or curiosity as He answers nothing, and perhaps feeling justified through the vehement accusations of the chief priests and scribes, Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  Luke's Gospel here witnesses the same mocking and humiliating behavior given to Jesus at His detention overnight in the home of the high priest (see yesterday's reading, above).   Jesus, responding to this kind of "darkness," which is based in a type of ignorance, answers nothing.  St. Ambrose, as noted in my study Bible, categorizes unrighteous people such as Herod as those who will never understand His words or even comprehend his miracles because they don't recognize Him as the Christ to begin with.  Perhaps it would be more clear to say that, because of their own blindness, they cannot.  There is a blindness (or darkness) which is born of not simply ignorance but a preference for a kind of brutality, a sheerly material outlook, one characterized by the kind of indulgence we can observe of Herod throughout the Gospels.  This is a man who cares for power and what he gets thereby, more interested in pleasing his men of war and his own sense of "honor" before them than the things which are God's.  It's a very interesting note that Luke adds for us to this passage: that very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.  Those familiar with any sort of hierarchy or bureaucracy can recognize such a friendship, based as it is on a kind of complement or courtesy of power, in that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod in what might be interpreted among the powerful as a gracious gesture of acknowledgment of his authority.  But there also might be a deeper sense here, also part of the darkness of the time, in that shared guilt or responsibility for injustice also seems to act as a kind of bind, even enslavement between people, a pact that ensures conspiracy when desired.  There are plenty of public scandals today which testify to this phenomenon at work among the powerful.  But let us consider here the grace of Jesus which stands alone among this darkness, mockery, lies, and injustice.  We -- especially in the modern Western world -- may be conditioned by our secular political perspectives to believe that it is always proper to speak out.  But Jesus knows something different, something better, and a deeper truth.  That not only would revealing more of the truth about Himself deliver an even greater condemnation to these men when they reject it, as they are bound to do (for it is judgment that is at work, the Judge who is standing before them), but that there is no purpose in delivering truth to those who cannot and will not see.  As He tried so hard to save Judas by any means available, so no doubt He would also try to save these others, if it were at all possible.  He gives us this touch -- a hint of wisdom, if we can but see it -- that there are times when it is proper not to speak, but to withdraw.  And so He does.  Midst the indignities, He holds His dignity, but the ignorant, in their darkness, cannot likely see it.  And so, this also explains His answer to Pilate, which might be translated, "You say so."   There is no point to answer what will not be clearly understood.  Perhaps it is Christ's humble demeanor which Pilate can easily read, for he's a shrewd man who's reached a position of authority in the Roman hierarchy.  Let us consider the time, and consider also what we might see around us in our own.