You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times

 

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, 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 that 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 them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

- Matthew 16:1-12 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that after healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman, Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples aid to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

  Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, 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."  My study Bible explains that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.  It tells us that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these men are hypocrites who have not recognized the signs already being performed by Jesus because their hearts were hardened.  Thus they ignore the works happening all around them.  

 

 "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.  Adulterous generation is an echo of the prophets, who used this term to indicate the faithlessness of the people in response to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way, my study Bible tells us, for a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God.  See also Matthew 4:5-7.  The sign of the prophet Jonah is a veiled prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (Matthew 12:40), which will be the ultimate sign that He is the Christ.  

 

  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 that 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 them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study Bible explains that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  It notes that the reason the disciples are painfully slow to understand is that they have such little faith; they would not fully realize Christ's teachings until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.  Jesus here refers to the two separate feedings in the wilderness; found at this reading, and in yesterday's reading (see above).

 

Today's reading shows the disciples in a rather iconic place of incomprehension.  They don't understand what Jesus is talking about when He tells them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  We, the readers, are supposed to understand this, which is quite interesting, because St. Matthew has just reported Christ's interaction with the Pharisees and Sadducees, in which He called them hypocrites.  But the apostles can't understand what He is talking about, and they come to the conclusion (after they reasoned among themselves) that "it is because we have taken no bread."  This answer seems to strike Christ in a way that we haven't quite seen Him react before.  He reminds them of the feedings of thousands of people in the wilderness, which happened not just once but twice, going over the explicit details of each multiplication of bread from a few loaves to thousands.  And He asks, "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Finally, they begin to understand.  Throughout the Bible, leaven functions as an image of adulteration, and almost always in a negative way.  St. Paul writes, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9), speaking about a bad influence within the community, a doctrine that is not true.  Interestingly, in one of His parables of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus uses the image of leaven in a positive way, speaking of the influence of the kingdom which is transformational in its action (Matthew 13:33).  But, in this case, He is clearly indicating, as my study Bible said, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees, made manifest through their legalism.  Jesus also says to the disciples, ""O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?"  Importantly, my study Bible explains that this "little faith" is linked to their lack of understanding, and that a fuller grasp of Christ's teachings would only come after Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps there is a lesson there for us, in that so often we seek by pure reasoning to understanding moral teachings, or to approach Christ's teachings as purely philosophical or intellectual, subject to reduction to ethics.  But this is not the case for us either, inasmuch as it was not the case for the disciples.  For unless we also cultivate, secure, and honor the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and our need to guard our spiritual lives and hearts, so regarding of how we reason, we won't really fully understand Christ either.  For faith is not simply an intellectual process, or assumption of values or beliefs.  Faith is an active participation in Christ's life, death, and Resurrection, in the spiritual life of the kingdom of heaven which Christ preaches.  All of the practices of the Church with her sacraments and traditions (and the Bible is included in the Tradition of the Church) are meant simply to guard our lives within the power of the Holy Spirit, for there is established the Church in the first place.  For without the Holy Spirit, there is no Church, and no people of God.  Let us bear in mind that the disciples -- recorded for all of history here in St. Matthew's Gospel -- show us that even those hand-picked by Christ can fail to understand and miss the mark.  Jesus says to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."  Let us remember that it is the Holy Spirit which gives us discernment and understanding, and the grace of faith.  Let us take heed to keep ourselves on the path of the inner life of the heart Christ teaches us to keep and to know as the way in which we truly expand our faith. 

 

 

 

You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve

 

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"  

 

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you,'

and, 

 'In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

 

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him,  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

 

- Matthew 4:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are you coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;  and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  My study Bible explains that to be tempted is to be tested in fundamental areas of faith.  As in St. Mark's Gospel, here Jesus is led up into the wilderness after His Baptism to be tested by a struggle with the devil (in St. Mark's Gospel, we're told that He was thrown or driven out by the Spirit; in Greek ἐκβάλλει).  My study Bible comments that we who are baptized in Christ need not be defeated by temptations because we too are aided by the Holy Spirit.  The wilderness forms a battleground, an image of the world, both the dwelling place of demons and a source of divine tranquility and victory. 

 

 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Jesus fasted to overcome temptation; according to my study Bible, in so doing, He gives us an example of our own power and limitations in the face of temptation.  We are to note that Christ's hunger of His flesh doesn't control Him.  Rather, He controls His flesh.  Christ's fast of forty days is the foundation of the Church's forty-day Lenten fast before Holy Week and also a traditional fast before Christmas.  In the verses that follow, we read of the various temptations given by the devil.  In this contest or struggle, Jesus reverses Israel's falling to temptation in the wilderness.  My study Bible reminds us that the Israelites were tested forty years in the wilderness and proved disobedient and disloyal.  God humbled them by first letting them go hungry and then feeding them with manna to help them learn to be dependent upon Him (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).  In today's reading, Jesus is tested with hunger for forty days, and He does not sin.  All of His answers to Satan are from Deuteronomy, and they all call for loyalty to God.

 

 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  Note that the devil's temptation is to challenge Christ's relationship to the Father, the very thing revealed at His baptism in yesterday's reading, and the messianic secret for which He will be judged a blasphemer and be put to death.  If You are the Son of God calls into question that declaration by the Father (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible comments that the devil wants Jesus to act independently and to detach Himself from the will of the Father -- thus, destroying His mission.  According to my study Bible, in Christ's divine nature, He shares one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit; He can do nothing of Himself (John 5:30), apart from the Father.  But in His humanity, He possesses free will and at all times must choose to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father.

 

 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"   Jesus rejects the first temptation of the devil, thereby rejecting an earthly kingdom.  This shows us not to pursue earthly comfort in the "food which perishes" (John 6:27), my study Bible says.  It notes that while Adam disregarded the divine word in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), the New Adam -- Christ -- conquers all temptation by the divine word, giving human nature the power to conquer Satan.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3.

 

 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down."  The holy city is Jerusalem.  Once again, the devil is tempting Christ to reject His identity as Son and His loyalty and love of the Father.

 

"For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and,  'In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  As in the first temptation Jesus had defeated Satan through the power of the Scriptures, he vainly tried to use Scriptures here to put God's power of protection to the test (see also 2 Peter 1:19-21).  Satan quotes from Psalm 91:11-12.

 

 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  My study Bible comments that trials and temptations come on their own; we should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger in order to test or prove God's protection.  To do so is to tempt the LORD.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:16.

 

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"   Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.  My study Bible notes here for us that God's Kingdom is not one of earthly power and possessions.  In this test by the devil, Jesus is being asked to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God.  (Note also how the devil mimics divine actions by being on an exceedingly high mountain; see, for example, Matthew 17:1-3.)  My study Bible comments that the devil is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).  It notes that Jesus refuses the road of earthly glory, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13.  Note also that in Greek, "Away with you, Satan!" reads literally, "Get behind Me, Satan!"  These are the same words Christ will use with St. Peter, when he suggests that Christ not go to the Cross (see Matthew 16:21-23).  

 

Jesus refutes every temptation of the devil with one central thing:  His loyalty and love of the Father.  More essentially, He does so by clinging to His real identity; He is the Son of  God, the Son of God the Father.   This, of course, is the one thing the devil attacks, consistently and repeatedly.  He begins the first two temptations with, "If You are the Son of God . . .."  Jesus' adherence to this identity, of course, is not the product of pride, of social life or a system of social values, nor is it something He inherited or was conferred upon Him at birth.  This is the spiritual reality of who He is, and occurs within the power of a fully loving and participating identity within the embrace of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  This is a divine reality, and His relations within it are relations of love and loyalty.  The devil makes his last appeal to Christ in a way that reveals what he really wants. He says, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  The devil wants to usurp God's place and the things that belong only to God.  He wants worship; He even wants Christ's worship and loyalty, which seems to indicate that he doesn't understand Christ the Son at all, and so continues to challenge Him.  But Jesus responds by turning the tables on the devil.  His words, "Away with you, Satan!" are more accurately translated, "Get behind Me, Satan," indicating who is really in charge here, whose authority must be followed.  Therefore in today's reading about temptation in the wilderness we are getting a sense of the true meaning of Christ's saving mission.  We must keep in mind that to be tempted is to be tested.  There is the devil, who is the "ruler of this world," and Christ who comes to claim it as the Son.  This is salvation, redemption.  So, what happens in this time of fasting in the wilderness is what we should understand as spiritual warfare, and in our own lives we also participate in that warfare.  As my study Bible indicates, the wilderness is a battleground, an image of the world, and we human beings are in the middle of it.   In the Lenten tradition of the fast, the Church makes it clear that we are also called into this struggle, with Christ, for we also are tested.  He shows us the way; He is the firstfruits in all ways, and we enter into His life.  In today's lectionary reading, we are also given the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20:1-21.  We often forget that the foundation of those commandments, and the first half of them, is the worship due only to God.  But Jesus never forgets that; it is His basic weapon with which He fights the devil in today's reading.  Let us also hold fast to what comes first.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased

 

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are you coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him. 

 

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;  and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

- Matthew 3:13–17 

 

Yesterday we read that when St. John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are you coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.  My study Bible comments that Jesus does not need purification.  But by making the purification of humanity His own, several things are accomplished.  He washes away humanity's sin, grants regeneration, and reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  So, therefore, His baptism was necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.  Gregory of Nyssa is quoted here as saying, "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful, waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."   

 

 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water;  and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  Just as the Spirit of God hovered over the waters at the first creation (Genesis 1:2), so now the Holy Spirit comes in the form of a dove in order to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation.  My study Bible explains that Jesus does not become the Son of God on this day.  Instead we are to understand that this as a revelation given to all on this day that He is the Son of God.  The Holy Spirit has always rested upon Christ; this is an eternal reality (see John 1:1).  In the Orthodox Tradition, the feast day of Epiphany (meaning manifestation or revelation) or Theophany (meaning a manifestation of God) is celebrated on January 6th and commemorates this day.  In the very early Church, on this day was also celebrated Christ's Nativity (Christmas), coupled with Theophany or Epiphany.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, these two feast days were never separated and remain celebrated on January 6th; that is, the beginning of Christ's earthly life is celebrated together with the beginning of His public ministry. 

 

"And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  This is a quotation from Psalm 2:7:  "You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You."  My study Bible asks us to note how the Baptism of Jesus reveals the great mystery of the Trinity:  the Father speaks; the Holy Spirit descends; the Incarnate Son is baptized.  

 

 "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Right from the beginning, St. Matthew's Gospel tells us these important things about Jesus:  that He is the Son, that He is the Second Person of the Trinity, that He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.  It is this claiming of identity as Son for which He will be judged a blasphemer and handed over to be crucified by the Roman authorities on a false charge of treason against Caesar (Matthew 26:64-65).  For most of His ministry, Jesus will take precautions against revealing this secret openly and fully, for even His disciples will have to come to know and to understand Him.  Moreover the popular expectations of the Messiah among the people interfere with the grasping of the true nature of His ministry, mission, and Kingdom.  But we believers are let in on this secret, this reality that is hidden yet revealed in Christ's baptism at the Jordan by St. John the Baptist.  It is "manifest," it "shows forth" as the Greek words Epiphany and Theophany indicate.  It's an interesting angle to ponder that as Christ asserts to John the Baptist that it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness, so this showing forth of true reality breaking through our perception of life is manifest.  It's another dimension of the reality of Christ's baptism to ponder the spiritual significance of His being submerged in the waters, and coming up to begin His ministry:  Just as He will "trample death by death" (as the Orthodox Easter hymn declares) in His Passion and Crucifixion, so by going into the depth of the waters it is not He who spiritually dies to be reborn but rather He sanctifies the waters of the world for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire that He is to bring into the world.  Moreover as He rises from the waters so a new reality -- not for Him, but for all people -- is made manifest, shown forth, revealed.  Christ will call His own death a baptism (Matthew 20:22), and here we have a foreshadowing of all that His death and Resurrection will achieve and mean, ongoing for the world to come.  Jesus' ministry will balance His need for secrecy regarding His identity with His care and nurturing of His disciples, growing His ministry, sending them out as apostles, until the time comes for His Passion and open confrontation in Jerusalem.  Let us watch Him evolve His ministry and mission, teaching as He must, midst the challenges He will face, and the fullness of His gospel and the Kingdom He brings closer for us all.

 

 

 

 

 

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

 

 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

- Matthew 3:7–12 

 

In yesterday's lectionary reading we were given sections from two chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 1 and chapter 3.  First we were given St. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus:  The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:  Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.  David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.  Solomon begot Rehoboam, Reoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.  Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.  Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.  And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.   Then, the lectionary skipped to chapter 3, where we  begin reading about Christ's public ministry, which starts with the mission of St. John the Baptist:  In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'" Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.   Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 

 

  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"  My study Bible explains here that Sadducees were members of the high priestly and landowning class who controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews.  The Sadducees differed from the Pharisees in that they denied the resurrection of the dead, did not believe in the existence of angels, and had no messianic hope beyond our earthly life.  The Pharisees formed a lay religious movement which was centered on the study of the Law, and strict observance of its regulations  Moreover they developed secondary traditions around the Law, which they scrupulously followed.  They believed in the resurrection of the dead, and also a messianic hope, but they taught that righteousness is found on the strength of one's works according to the Law.  Additionally, my study Bible explains, they believed that the Messiah would be merely a glorious man.  St. John the Baptist's title for them, brood of vipers, will later be used by Jesus (Matthew 12:34; 23:33).  It's an image of their deception and malice, and their being under the influence of Satan.  

 

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, . . . "  According to my study Bible, repentance, confession, and baptism lead to fruits worthy of repentance.  That is, a way of life consistent with the Kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:22-25).  My study Bible comments that if a fruitful life doesn't follow, then sacramental acts and spiritual discipline are useless.  So, therefore, in many icons of the Baptism of Christ, an ax is pictured chopping a fruitless tree in accordance with the Baptist's image given in verse 10.

 

 ". . . and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."   This warning that from these stones (in Hebrew 'ebanim) God can raise up children (Hebrew banim) is a play on words.  My study Bible comments that God will not admit fruitless children into His house, but adopts other children from the Gentiles.  

 

"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  This statement is tied to the Baptist's earlier command to bear fruits worthy of repentance.  My study Bible comments that fire here refers to divine judgment (see Isaiah 33:11; 66:24; Ezekiel 38:22; 39:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).  See also the reference to fire in the following verse.

 

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."  Christ baptizes in the fire of the Holy Spirit, which my study Bible says is the power and grace of God divinely poured out on all believers at baptism.  It is the same Power and the same Spirit which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.   Additionally, in the Baptist's culture, a slave would carry the king's sandals.  So, my study Bible explains, John is declaring himself to be even lower than a slave of Jesus.  His inability to carry Christ's sandals also has a second meaning.  To carry another's sandal indicated that one was taking someone else's responsibility (Ruth 4:7).  Here, according to my study Bible, it shows that John could not have carried the responsibility that Christ carries, and that the Law could not redeem the world as Christ has come to do.  

 

"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  Winnowing is a process that separates grain from the chaff, so as to save the edible grain and toss the inedible chaff.  My study Bible explains that this is a metaphor for the divine judgment, which will separate good from evil.  

 

In last week's lectionary readings, we were given Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples.  In Friday's reading, Jesus said to them, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."  The Helper, in this discourse, is the Holy Spirit.  In today's reading, St. John the Baptist speaks of the Messiah (or Christ) as He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Again, my study Bible teaches us that this is the fire of the power and truth of God, yet this same fire is also the fire of judgment.  It is similar to a flame that purifies metals like gold, by burning away the impurities and leaving the pure metal.  It matches St. John's metaphor of the winnowing fan in yet another way, for a winnowing fan uses airflow to separate the lighter chaff from the heavier grain (modern winnowing machines use industrial technology essentially to perform the same task by efficiently blowing air to separate both).  In Greek, the word for Spirit is Πνευμα/Pneuma.  This is the same word used for the Holy Spirit, and the more general word spirit.  It also means breath, or wind.  The same is true for the Hebrew word Ruach.  Jesus likens the Holy Spirit and His effects to the wind when He teaches Nicodemus about Baptism in St. John's Gospel (see John 3:5-8, especially verse 8).  The same fire that purifies gold and burns impurities can be likened to the wind that separates wheat from chaff, as metaphor for the work of the Holy Spirit, whose job it is not only to illumine spiritual truth for those who will accept it, but also to "convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment."  So, we take St. John the Baptist's prophetic words here to indicate what the coming of the Lord means for all the people, including the coming of the Holy Spirit for all, and particularly within Christian Baptism.  Moreover, John's words speak with the prophetic power of the meaning of the coming of the Messiah for all people, in that he speaks eschatologically.  That is, his words indicate the coming of judgment:  "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  This is a prophecy of "end times," which in the historic mind of the Church began with Christ's Incarnation and will continue until His Second Coming.  Just as Christ indicated in His Farewell Discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper, the coming of Christ is a mission which will initiate also the work of the Holy Spirit, alive like a spiritual fire always working in the world, always testing and purifying, with His power working to reveal truth as well as what needs to be burned away.  Let us remember the power of our Baptism given by Christ, and seek to fulfill its promise with the true fruits of the Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you

 

 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  

 

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. 

 

 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  

 

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:18-31 

 

This week the lectionary gives us Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

 

  "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  Here is Christ's assurance of His continued presence to His disciples, especially in the presence of the Spirit of truth, which He has just assured them is the Helper who will be sent from the Father.

 

 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study Bible explains that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  

 

"Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  That day is a reference to Pentecost (Acts 2).  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things." 

 

  "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Once again, we review that the Helper is the Holy Spirit.  The word Helper is translated from the Greek Παρακλητος/Paracletos, often rendered Paraclete.  This title literally means "One who comes to one's side when called" indicating someone assisting in defense at trial.  The title can also mean "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  My study Bible comments that we have confidence in the apostle's doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  He brings to remembrance not only Christ's words, but also their meaning.  It adds that we have confidence in the Church because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  St. Irenaeus is quoted, who comments, "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   Peace was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell, my study Bible comments.  It says that perfect peace is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace is also part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3).  The greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.  

 

 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study Bible explains that when Jesus says, "My Father is greater than I" it does not mean that the Father is greater in nature or in essence, for the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does this indicate that the Son is created, for the Son is begotten from all eternity ("In the beginning was the Word" - John 1:1).  Instead, Jesus is indicating that the Father, as the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  

 

 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."  Before it comes is a reference to Christ's Passion.  This Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper takes place just prior to Christ's betrayal and arrest.  My study Bible comments that telling these events beforehand strengthened the faith of the disciples.  

 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world is the devil; my study Bible explains that the devil dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  Moreover, my study Bible adds Jesus says that the devil "has nothing in Me" because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Christ became Man, but He was never stained with sin.  

 

"Arise, let us go from here."  My study Bible says that Christ takes His disciples to another room or location to complete His discourse in order to gain their undivided attention.  In the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, it is suggested that their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.  Therefore we may conclude that Christ is taking them to a more private place in order to further instruct them and continue His discourse.

 

 Today's passage begins with this statement by Jesus to His disciples:    "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  He is going away, and He is reassuring them that they will not be left alone.  He will return to them.  This statement is profound in all of its implications of the reality that is to come, and in what it teaches us about transitions and changes in life, and God's terms for the transformation of life in God's spiritual purview.   What this means is that the substance of Christ's teachings to them about what is to come -- after what will transpire at His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- exists within these words.  "I will not leave you orphans" tells us once again, in yet another form, of the relationship between Christ and those who are His disciples.  It is that of a family.  In this case, Christ speaks of Himself as Father to all of them, and by extension to all of His disciples, to those faithful who will come into the world, up until the present day, and into the future for as long as the Church exists, and until His final return at the Second Coming.  "Orphans" speak to us of those who are fatherless, without protection, grieving, comfortless, vulnerable, and abandoned.  It conjures for us, as it is meant to in Christ's compassion, the greatest fears of human beings, for He indeed understands the hearts and minds of His followers found in these His disciples, and all those to come.  Christ speaks of abandonment and the pain of loss in this world that we know.  But the comfort comes in that He says He will not leave them this way, and adds with commitment, "I will come to you."  The whole of His discourse, as we have read until now, is all about the ways in which He will return to them, He will come to them.  He will come in the sending of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Comforter and Helper.  That is, the One who will come to our sides when we call, and perhaps more to the point, the One "whom the Father will send in My name," the One who "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Christ will be present to them -- and to us in the Holy Spirit, and in so many ways described here.  He, the Holy Spirit, is the One who will bring Christ's presence to us in all the ways we need Him to be with us, to guide us and teach us, to show us His way (in His name), and who can bring all things to remembrance that Christ has said, to teach us meaning and purpose and even application in our own lives.  Jesus tells them, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  This is a solemn promise, a commitment, a covenant that those who love Him -- which is shown by keeping His commandments, His words, has a depth of communion with both Christ and the Father.  The Holy Spirit makes all of this possible through the functions Jesus names here in this passage.  Moreover, Jesus teaches them, and us, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  This is the promise in Him that He will not leave them or us parentless; He will come to us, albeit in ways different from His work and ministry as the human Jesus, Christ Incarnate.  But in His communion with us, in all the ways He will be present to us and with us, he gives us His peace.  And what He can give is given as no one else can give, as the world cannot give.  This is a peace found in our souls and spirits, in the depth of this relationship that becomes a part of us, in our communion with Him.  As we read further in His discourse, Jesus will be giving us more fullness in terms of the meaning of that communion.  Let us continue to read in the spirit of the peace He gives, and the confidence of our trust in the One who does not leave us orphans, but comes to us through so many ways. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me

 

 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  

 

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  

 

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

 

- John 14:1-17 

 

This week the lectionary focuses on Jesus' final discourse to the apostles at the Last Supper, known as the Farewell Discourse.  He has given the disciples one final, new commandment.  He said to them, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).  This is the foundation for His Church going forward. 

 

  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."   My study Bible comments that many mansions is a word-picture, a kind of parable, of an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speaks of the multitude of blessings that await those who enter the Kingdom of God.  In the ancient world, it was typical that extended families formed clans in which living accommodations were spaced together, and extended as family expanded.  Hence, "many mansions" conjures a picture of a very large extended family.  See Mark 3:32-35.

 

 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."   Jesus defines Himself here as the way, the truth, and the life.  My study Bible remarks that the way we reach the Father is forever established in the Person and work of the Son.  The Son is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father.  Additionally, Christ is the life who became Man so that we may have life, and as He is our life, not even death can stop us from coming to Him.  Furthermore, only in Christ can we come to know the Father, because only in Christ is the way of all truth and all life found.  The word in Greek translated as "way" is also used to mean road or path.

 

 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"  My study Bible explains that our response to Christ determines our relationship with God the Father.  It says that if we reject Christ then we will never find the Father; but if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves will become "children of God," who live eternally in the love of the Father (John 1:12).  

 

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  While human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26), my study Bible reminds us, the Incarnate Son is Himself the exact image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Jesus did not say, "I am the Father," for He isn't the Father.  Instead, here He declares that He and the Father are one in essence, and undivided in nature, while being distinct Persons of the Godhead, the Holy Trinity.  

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."  My study Bible comments that the greater works indicate that Christ's working through mere humans after Pentecost is greater than His performing signs and wonders directly.  These works find testimony in the Book of Acts.  They include spreading the gospel throughout the world, miraculous healings, and raising the dead.  

 

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  According to my study Bible, to pray in Christ's name does not mean to simply attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" to the end of prayers.  To pray in Christ's name means to pray according to His will.  Just as an emissary of a king can only be said to be speaking in the king's name if he says what the king would want him to say, my study Bible explains, so also we can only be said to be praying in the name of Christ when we pray according to what He wants.  The purpose here is not to get God to do our will (that would be akin to practicing magic), but for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10).  

 

"If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."  Helper (in the Greek,  Παρακλητος/Parakletos, often rendered "Paraklete") is a reference to the Holy Spirit.  This title, my study Bible explains, also means "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  The Spirit of truth is in every believer, my study Bible notes here, and we are called to know Him.  Moreover, the Holy Spirit prays in us and for us when we do not know how to pray, thereby enabling us to pray in Christ's name (John 14:3-14; Romans 8:26) and giving us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11).

 

Let us consider what it means to pray -- and indeed, to live -- in the name of Christ.  For one thing, as we read in Jesus' words here, where Christ is, so the Father is also.  This means, additionally, the presence of the Holy Spirit, for where One of the Holy Trinity is, there the others are also.  The word used most often for the Holy Trinity, in describing the essence of God, is consubstantial.  This means that although Father, Son, and Spirit are three distinct Persons, they are one in their essence or substance.  So, therefore, Jesus can say, in His Incarnation as the Christ, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."  Whatever we see Christ do, whatever we read that He said, the commandments He has given, and all the ways in which He has instructed the disciples from the beginning of His ministry right through this moment recorded at the Last Supper, He has reflected God the Father.  When, for example, He taught, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35), this commandment also reflects to us the Father, and indeed, the Holy Spirit.  St. John, the author of this Gospel, is also the one who wrote in one of his Epistles, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8).  As followers of Christ, so we are also called to participate in His life, and share in this nature; that is, to grow in "image and likeness" as we are able and through cooperation with the Holy Spirit, the Helper Christ names in today's reading.  In seeking to guide us regarding praying "in His name" we should consider that Christ Himself has said, as cited above, "For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother" (Mark 3:35).  This is about a lived reality, a participation in the life of Christ.  This understanding is particularly embodied in the Eucharist, which Jesus will introduce to His disciples at this Last Supper, taking place just prior to His betrayal and arrest, shortly before His death and Resurrection.  This lived reality is so essential to the understanding of Christ's faith that we receive Christ as a gift from the Father, Incarnate as the human Jesus, so that we understand what it is to be "embodied" in His name:  just as He explains that those who see Him see the Father, and so we are meant also to grow -- through God's grace and our acceptance and participation in it -- in the same image and likeness.  Thus, His final commandment that we love one another as He has loved us -- and that by so doing, all will know that we are His disciples.  In the same sense, our prayer, if we truly pray in His name, is to reflect our "embodiment" of our faith, our participation to the greatest extent possible for us at any time, in His life and the life He offers to us.  Let us endeavor to find His way, and truth, and life for us.  Jesus begins, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."  In the Greek, to "believe" is translated from a word whose root is to trust.  Let us commit ourselves to this trust, for this is the way we learn how to live.

 

 

 

Behold the Lamb of God!

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

- John 1:(29–34) 35–42 

 

Yesterday we read the beginning of Christ's public ministry, which begins with the testimony of John the Baptist.  Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD," ' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."   My study Bible comments that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, and He offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  According to my study Bible, St. John Chrysostom teaches that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins. 

 

 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  That the Spirit remained upon Him, my study Bible says, was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism; this vision which John saw was a revelation of the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ.  This completes the second day given in St. John's Gospel; as John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than John's own baptism of repentance, which was performed with water on earth.  This is a parallel to the separation of water above from water below on the second day of creation in Genesis 1:6-8.

 

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  Here we are given the third day in St. John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ gathers to be His own, one of whom Jesus declares to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  This parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  These first disciples now called by Christ had been followers of John.  They are Andrew and Simon (also known as Peter, or Cephas).  On the following day (in our next reading), there will be two more disciples called by Jesus.  There is yet another disciple who is unnamed here; according to some patristic commentary he is John the Evangelist himself, author of this Gospel.  My study Bible explains that it was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13).  

 

St. John the Evangelist begins his Gospel with the words "In the beginning," paralleling Genesis and the creation story. What follows his Prologue, so far in this first chapter of his Gospel, is a day by day account of Christ's public ministry.  In so doing, St. John gives us a glimpse into the building of this ministry, and what we notice, just as the Gospel builds this story by approaching it day by day, is that nothing happens simply by fiat.  That is, Christ starts small, and goes step by step.  He doesn't immediately declare the establishment of His Church, although one would consider that Christ, as Second Person of the Trinity and Son, can do anything He wants to.  Instead, just as the story of the Incarnation is essential to our understanding of Christ, Jesus' building of His Church and His public ministry is part of the Incarnation, and, we can extrapolate, the "work" of the Incarnation.  In understanding the purpose of Christ, as God, becoming a human being, the theology of the Church teaches us (notably according to St. Athanasius of Alexandria) that Christ was meant to assume all aspects of humanity in order to bring healing to all aspects of our lives.  This would include the things by which all human endeavors are bound, such as time and space, the communication necessary between people, and perhaps most notably the interpersonal connections shaped in the reality of Creator to creature as manifested through the Incarnation.  Christ, as the Good Shepherd (as He will call Himself) calls to His sheep, and knows them all by name, as they know Him.  See John 10:1-6.  Ironically, when Jesus makes this statement about Himself in chapter 10 of this Gospel, the religious leadership has no idea what He is talking about, but their expectations of the Messiah are all to be confounded in those who lack faith.  But we, through the benefit of the understanding in the mind of the Church, can appreciate that Christ's work in this world is, in particular, the specific work of the Incarnation, meant to take on all aspects of humanity even as Christ remains fully divine, in order to heal the world and fulfill all righteousness.  So, as we readers seek our own understanding of our faith, let us take heart that for our Creator, all aspects of the human experience and the building of His Church are crucially important to assume, and so this teaches us as well that our perfectly human endeavors also may shine with the light of Christ, even as we build what is good in our lives, bit by bit, person by person, drop by drop (so to speak).  Let us hastily admit here that it remains to be seen throughout the reading of this Gospel just how imperfect even these chosen disciples can be in their understanding and reception of His teachings.  When we question our own capacities to build up something in our lives, let us not be impatient with ourselves and with the reality of the nature of life in this world, for even our Lord has done the same, started small, and through His grace and presence enshrined and made holy even the smallest of endeavors.  Let us continue in all ways in our lives to seek to embody the things which Christ teaches us, acting and calling upon His name, His light, to guide us and help us.  Let us remain in His peace, and grow in patience and strength, as we are able (see also Galatians 5:22-23).  May the grace of our Lord inform all our endeavors, even those which don't always work the ways we wanted them to (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

 

 

 

 

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come

 

 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  

 

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

 

- Matthew 12:22-32 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus knew that the Pharisees have now begun to plot against Him to destroy Him, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out,  nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust."

 

Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."   According to Fr. Stephen De Young (who has written a recent book on the ancient god Baal), Beelzebub is a deliberate corruption of the name "Beelzebul."  Beelzebul is the Greek transliteration of an Aramaic title for the god Baal, and its meaning is "Baal is lord" or "the great god Baal."  But Beelzebub is a title given by the Jews to ridicule the god Baal, and its meaning is "lord of the flies." Given Baal's association with the underworld, this could be a reference to rotting corpses, or possibly due to his image as that of a bull, with animal excrement; thus, "lord of the dung heap."  Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines (see 2 Kings 1:2-16).  But here he is called ruler of the demons.  My study Bible comments that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus. 

 

 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."  My study Bible explains that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit.  That is, blasphemy against pure goodness.  It says that a sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because the Jews did not know much about Christ.  But blasphemy against the Spirit is a blasphemy against the divine activity known from the Old Testament already to these men.  It will not be forgiven because it comes fro a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  But my study Bible adds that the Church Fathers are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin'; nor does Jesus ever call this sin "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Christ makes this declaration in today's reading knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that by their own choice they are beyond repentance.

 

In the Nicene Creed, we call the Holy Spirit "the Lord, the Creator of Life."  Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the "Spirit of truth" (John 16:13).  The Orthodox prayer to the Holy Spirit, with which all services are begun, reads as follows:  "Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of truth, everywhere present and filling all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of life, come and dwell in us, and cleanse us of all stain, O Good One."  Each of these things gives us a hint about the Holy Spirit.  Genesis 1:2 tells us, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."  Thus we understand the Spirit as the One who gives life, who anointed Christ (an eternal reality made visible at His Baptism), who is active in the world and among us.  It is this activity of the Spirit, known to the Pharisees who now condemn Jesus' works as evil and demonic, that Christ says is a sin to condemn, to blaspheme.  To do so is an expression of hatred against goodness itself.  Perhaps we could call it the ultimate lie.  Why do people resist the good?  Why do people respond with hatred for what is good among them?  The answers to these questions may give us clues about what might be even a deeper mystery:  What is it that makes someone beyond repentance?  My study Bible says that Jesus makes this statement about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit knowing that, because of their choices, the men who make this accusation are now beyond repentance.  This implies that the power of our own minds, the power of our choices, can render us beyond help because we've gone so far down a particular trail that we will not perceive the options to reverse ourselves.  At least, this is the explanation that seems likely.  Perhaps we can be buried in our own thoughts of hatred and enmity so deeply that we no longer see clearly other possible options.  In the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, we're told that Pilate knew the religious leaders handed Christ over to him for crucifixion out of envy (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10).  In chapter 2 of the Wisdom of Solomon (also known as the Book of Wisdom), we read all about the hatred of the good, and the envy of the devil through which death entered the world (Wisdom of Solomon 2; see especially verse 24).  So out of envy, we know, such blind hatred can come that not only causes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, but an enmity that has no capacity to turn itself around of its own power.  It is, perhaps, only a mind open to the Spirit which is capable of repentance, for the Spirit indwells us through Baptism, which begins our journey with Christ.  Jesus tells the disciples at the Last Supper that the world cannot receive the Spirit of truth, "because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:17).  "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26).  Let us remember the Holy Spirit and the good works of God in our lives.  Only Christ can judge, for He is the One who knows people's hearts.  The good and true and beautiful path for the soul is to Him.   Let us pray that we always stay on it, and are guided back when we take the wrong way.