I who speak to you am He

 

 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain and  you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  

 

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  

 

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

- John 4:16–26 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, no come here to draw."

 

 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain and  you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  My study Bible comments that since Jesus perceived she was living with a man without being married, and as He also knew of her string of husbands, this woman perceives that He is a prophet.  As the Samaritans did not accept any prophets after Moses, they expected only one prophet:  the Messiah foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).  Christ insight into people's hearts, which is reported many times in the Gospels, underscores His divine nature.  

 

 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."   My study Bible remarks that if Jesus was indeed the expected Prophet (as noted in the comment above), then He could settle this historical argument about where worship was to take place.  He refuses to answer this earthly question, and instead elevates the discussion to the way in which people should worship.  More importantly, He is turning the attention to the One worship:  God.  The Father is worshiped in spirit -- that is, in the Holy Spirit -- and in truth -- that is, in Christ Himself (John 14:6) and according to the revelation of Christ.  Jesus tells her that God is Spirit:  this means that God cannot be confined to a particular location.  My study Bible comments that those who receive the Holy Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ can worship God the Father with purity of heart.  Jesus states that salvation is of the Jews:  Here Christ affirms that true salvation comes from within Judaism.  My study Bible quotes St. Athanasius of Alexandria, who comments, "The commonwealth of Israel was the school of the knowledge of God for all the nations."  More importantly, Jesus is testifying that the Messiah, who was prophesied among the Jews, has now risen from among the Jews. We are to understand that while the gift of salvation in Christ is to all nations, it has come from within Judaism.  The hour, in Jesus' language across St. John's Gospel, refers to His death and Resurrection, and to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, inaugurating the worship of the new covenant.  

 

 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."  My study Bible notes that "I who speak to you am He" is literally translated from the Greek, ''I AM [εγω ειμι/ego eimi], who speak to you."   This I AM is the divine Name of God (Exodus 3:14).   Its use indicates a theophany, a revelation or manifestation of God.  The use of this Name by a mere human being was considered to be blasphemy, my study Bible explains, and was punishable by death (see John 8:58; Mark 14:62).  But, as Jesus is divine, His use of the Name is a revelation of His unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Christ is God Incarnate.

 

Once again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, we have to ask the question: Why?  Why this woman?  Why here?  After we hear a bit about her story -- that she's living with a man who's not her husband, and that she's also had not just several, but five husbands in her past -- she seems an even less likely candidate for a revelation of God, a theophany!  But nevertheless, this is the story that we are given, and it is the story that we have.  Jesus chooses this moment, this place, and this woman to truly reveal Himself as He is in His divine identity.  He is the Holy One of God, the Son, the Lord, the I AM who was introduced to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:14).  And once again, we have to remark upon the truth that such acceptance of the Christ is impossible, on worldly terms, to predict.  How can we know where faith will take root and where it won't?  How can we know who will accept Christ and who will not?  It seems that, at least according to the Gospels, the least likely candidates accept, and the most likely (the educated and those who are steeped in the religious traditions and spiritual history of Israel, the religious leaders) do not.  So, we also have to ask, who is capable of perceiving the things of God?  How is the perception and understanding of faith different from the knowledge one can study?  How does study -- say such as the effort in this blog, or the reading of literature and commentary on the Scriptures -- help or possibly even hinder our faith in some cases?  These are important questions which the story of Jesus Christ illumines and opens up to us, and which we need to consider.  Where do we find our faith, in the midst of a world that in many cases thinks it has all the answers to life, or can make life better through machines and technology, and might just deny that such reality as presented here in the Gospels ever even existed?  In one sense, many might feel the world is at a kind of tipping point, or a place that seems to be further along the spectrum of the peace Jesus presents than ever before.  But "the world" has been in such places many times and many ways before now, as much as in Christ's own time than ever since.  We're still asked to make the choices for faith in the midst of a world that is full of the temptations and distractions of evil and what we might call "fallenness" as it was in the past.  Things may look and seem different in some ways or in appearances, but a quick thought about the past and the struggles of the faithful all along will dispel this idea.  We've always have times of struggle for our faith, and the Gospels -- and all of Scripture, including the Revelation, and particularly Christ's own prophecies of end times -- teach us that this is the way of the world in which we live.  Our faith is a struggle, and this is why we must be aware of temptations and pressures that distract us from the one thing truly necessary.  Let us rejoice that it is this person, this Samaritan woman, to whom Christ reveals Himself as the Lord.  It reminds and reinforces the concept taught to Nicodemus:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  Let us never forget it, lest we despair of knowing our faith and the confidence it brings to us in the midst of troubles or distractions.

 

 

 

 

 

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. 

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

 

- Mark 6:47–56 

 

Yesterday we read that the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught on their first apostolic journey.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something  to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go  before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.  

 

  Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  This is the second time that Christ permits the disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading).  The first time He was with them, but asleep in the stern of the boat.  Here, He's sent them across the sea, while He went to the mountain to pray (see yesterday's reading, above).  Leaving them alone this time, my study Bible says, is a way of strengthening their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  We note that it was only recently that they have returned from their first apostolic mission (again, see above), and so it is easy to understand that Christ is preparing them for their future.  "It is I" is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  According to my study Bible, He is reminding the fearful disciples that He has absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

 

 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. According to my study Bible, knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not simply the intellect.  It says that when our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive God's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."

 

  When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.  My study Bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving (see also the story of the woman with the blood flow, Mark 5:25-29).  Consider also that in yesterday's reading, we read of the feeding of the five thousand, prefiguring the Eucharist to come, the gift of Christ's Body and Blood.

 

 Jesus repeatedly teaches in the Gospels that His is the path we need.  He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).  Elsewhere He teaches, "Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  In John 10:9, Jesus declares, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."   In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).   Each of these sayings points in the direction of a close following of Christ, a path that is narrow and well-defined by faith in Him.  This is, essentially, discipleship, a close following of Christ, step by step as we advance into a deeper, fuller faith, and more reliance upon Him.  And this is what the disciples experience as they continue with Him.  We've already seen the Twelve chosen to become the first apostles, and them sent out on their first apostolic mission (see Saturday's reading).  In every careful step of the way for these disciples, Jesus has taught them what He wants.  They have learned from Him by living with Him, hearing Him preach, experiencing His ministry, receiving His instructions.  As my study Bible says above, today's reading is not the first time these disciples have been frightened by a storm on the Sea of Galilee, following His instructions to cross over.  Even these experienced fishermen felt frightened for their lives the first time this happened, although He was with them, but sleeping.  But this time, they are on their own, and they're struggling, straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  The text tells us that about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  The "fourth watch of the night" is three o'clock in the morning, and we can just imagine what a frightening time this was under these circumstances!  Walking to them on the water, they imagine Christ to be a ghost!  But all of this is in preparation for something.  For the particular path that Christ "walks" them on is one that is given in order to help them to become something essential to the Kingdom and to the Church to come -- for they will carry the newfound Church on their shoulders into the world, a very hostile world through martyrdom and exile in the future.  We might consider such a dangerous and enormously significant mission to be something fearful or burdensome.  But it is a mission of the highest significance, the greatest bravery, the deepest sacrifice, and we know of no other powerful mission with such an established and far-reaching outcome.  For all of us are on this mission of securing the Kingdom and the Church in the world, but Christ prepares a particular path for each of us on this "road" (or "way") that He has for us.  In the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, Christ expresses the understanding of this contribution.  Each worker, without regard for how long or how short the duration of their labor, receives the same reward.  This makes sense if every unique contribution is necessary to the project.  Each of us has a narrow way, a particular mission to follow, depending on how we're meant to serve that Kingdom and our Lord.  When we go through challenges and difficulties, when we're asked to make sacrifices, we don't always know why -- just as these disciples turned apostles in today's reading don't really know at this stage why He's sent them alone across the Sea of Galilee, and into such a frightening storm.  But there He is, our answer to all things:  "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   Perhaps none of us knows what we're being prepared for, especially in the fullness of time and of the eternity beyond, and the fullness of the knowledge of Christ and who we are in His eyes.  If our hearts are hardened to Christ's activity and work, we might never understand.  But we're all becoming, and He is the One who shows us the way, in His plan of salvation for the entire cosmos, for the life of the world.

 

 

 

 

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him

 

 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. 

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks --- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

- John 6:16-27 

 

Yesterday the lectionary took us to chapter 6 of John's Gospel, with its focus on the fulfillment of the events of the Exodus and the first Passover.  We read that Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

 

 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  This is the fifth of seven signs recorded in John's Gospel.  As noted in yesterday's reading and commentary, this entire chapter of John's Gospel is one that has parallels to the story of Exodus, suggesting Christ as fulfillment of the first Passover and those Old Testament events.  My study Bible comments that, in the Exodus, Moses leads the people across the Red Sea, walking on dry ground in the midst of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  Here Christ sends His disciples across the sea, and then walks on the sea as if it were dry ground.   

 

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks --- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."   Once again, these are the same people who sought to take Jesus by force and make Him king against His will in yesterday's reading (above), because they "ate of the loaves and were filled."  Here the emphasis shifts again to spiritual nurturing, what kind of food Christ has to offer, and takes on the hints of eucharistic significance.  

 

 Jesus says, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  The theme of food and of feeding will make its mark throughout this chapter of John's Gospel, just as it began with the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness (see yesterday's reading, above).  Here, Jesus makes it clear that these men seek to make Him king by force not even because of the marvelous signs He's done (signs of God's extraordinary presence among them), but simply because they were were fed ("because you ate of the loaves and were filled").  These are the not the reasons to seek Christ.  In fact, when Jesus tells them, "Do not labor for the food which perishes," this is a command, a direct command from God, a prohibition.  He then goes on to issue a positive command, to labor "for the food which endures to everlasting life."  He's teaching them what is worth making an effort for, what is worth laboring, working for.  And we should take heed that we do the same.  For Jesus has also taught us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).  This is what we work for, because this sets us right in the world and with the rest of the world and all the things we need for life.  But then Jesus goes on to teach us something about this food which endures to everlasting life, for it has particular qualities and comes from a particular place for a reason.  Not just anybody can provide us with this food, but only Christ can:  ". . . which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."   He is the Son of Man, a mysterious title known from the prophecy of Daniel (see Daniel 7:13), and which Jesus is teaching is Himself, Incarnate.  But there is more; that is, "because God the Father has set His seal on Him."   We modern English speakers think of a seal as that which closes up something, but that definition misses the mark here (metaphorically and literally!).  Because this seal is literally a mark, a signet, the symbol of a person's identity.  It comes from the mark a signet ring or symbol would press into sealing wax, conferring the authority of the person to whom the seal belonged or represented.  This seal from God the Father is the mark of the Father upon the Son, meaning that all the Father's authority is set upon Christ, upon the Son of Man.  Whatever this Son of Man, this Logos, the Word about whom John's Gospel is written to teach us, commands or teaches is therefore a command from God, just as a letter or communication from a king or president confers all the authority of that office upon its contents.  Therefore whatever nurturing substance Christ gives us, whatever is the food which endures to everlasting life, it does so because God the Father has set His seal upon the Son of Man.  His gift is therefore that which conveys life and death, the absolute authority of God the Father, and there is no other person or being who can do this for us.  Christ, the Son of Man, is the One who can give this to us. 

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47–59 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is attending the autumn Feast of Tabernacles.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  He has been disputing in the temple with the religious leaders, who have sought to arrest Him, but have failed to do so.  Yesterday we read that they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can you say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.   You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

  "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  My study Bible notes that, unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth, these enemies (the religious leaders in the temple at Jerusalem) resort to personal insult. 

 

 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."   In disputing with the religious leaders, Jesus has offered several witnesses to His identity.  In John 5:31-47, He offered four witnesses:  God the Father, John the Baptist, His own works, and Moses.  Earlier during the events of this particular festival, He offered two witnesses, God the Father and Himself (see this reading).  Here Jesus offers another witness to Himself as Lord, the patriarch Abraham, "who rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."

 

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  Here Jesus uses the divine Name of God from the Old Testament, first revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).   This is the I AM (in the Greek of the Septuagint and here in the New Testament, εγω ειμι/ego eimi).  To the Jews, my study Bible explains, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as evidenced by their reaction here (they took up stones to throw at Him); see also Mark 14:62-64.  John places special emphasis on the use of this Name to clearly reveal Christ as God, my study Bible says.  This divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death ("If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death," verse 52, above), a power which belongs only to God the Father.

 

Jesus say, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."   It indicates that eternal nature of the Son, and Christ's identity as the Second Person of the Trinity.  This is the name of the the Lord in the Old Testament.  Clearly, as my study Bible says, the religious leaders understand full well the implications of what He claims, as they took up stones to throw at Him.  But Christ's nature which He reveals through this statement is something we must deeply consider for ourselves.  What it would be like to be both fully human and fully divine is not something any of us could say we'd know, for we are not the Christ.  But Jesus' identity both as Son and as Human Being indicates that He is here in the world to live as one of us in order to meet the things that ail us, and to offer us a way out, from sin and from death, from the evil that afflicts the world and separates us from God.  I heard an interesting talk lately about the topic of atonement, which suggested that the deep longing for the Messiah among the Jews of Christ's time was rooted in the understanding that real atonement that was necessary for Israel was something that was a much deeper problem than just a matter of the proper sacrifices and following the Laws of Moses.  To await the Messiah was the only way to reconcile the cosmic problem of the world in the spiritual grasp of evil.  In John's First Epistle, he writes, "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19).  In this Gospel, Jesus speaks of the ruler of this world and the judgment that must come.  He tells His disciples, "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out," and,  "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 12:31; 14:30).  Therefore Christ's identity as Son of Man, both fully human and fully divine, is necessary for the salvation of the world and the created order, and there is none other to do so.  This is what Christ indicates in this statement, when He echoes the name of the Lord from the Old Testament and claims it for Himself.  As His followers, we may enter into and participate in Christ's salvation for the world, which is an ongoing and active process, as we also may witness of ourselves and continue what He has begun. Jesus has said to the religious leaders, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17).   Until the end of the age, Christ continues this work in us, in the world, through the Body of Christ, and invites us to participate in it ourselves.  In today's reading, He gives His identity, He is the I AM, the One who already was before Abraham was born.  His testimony is for us, so that we know whom we follow, and whose redeeming work we serve.

 

 

 

 

It is I; do not be afraid

 

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well. 

 

- Mark 6:47–56 

 

Yesterday we read that, upon return from their first apostolic mission, the Twelve gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what the had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. 

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  My study Bible comments that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading for the first).  The first time He was with them, asleep on a pillow in the stern.  But this time He has left them to row across the sea, while He was alone on the land where He remained behind to pray.  In this way, my study Bible says, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the middle of the storms of life.  It is I (Greek εγω ειμι/ego eimi) is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God given to Moses at the Burning Bush (see John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  In this way Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  Their heart was hardened:  My study Bible tells us that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not simply the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it notes, they are open to receive His presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.  Again, Christ heals by touch.  My study Bible comments that this shows that His very body is life-giving (see also Mark 5:25-29).  

In today's reading, Jesus reveals His identity as Lord through the use of the Name of God given to Moses, the "I Am."  In the Greek of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, and the Greek of the New Testament, these are the same.  It clearly ties Christ to the divine identity we know as the Son of God, or God the Son, second Person of the Trinity.  But it also ties Christ to God the Father.  In the Nicene Creed, we state our belief "in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made."  So close are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that they act as one.  In today's reading, Jesus affirms that union through His use of the title "I Am" (translated in today's reading as "It is I") and His mastery over the elements of nature tell us so as well.  Also tellingly, Jesus walks across the sea from the place where He had stayed behind, sending the apostles by themselves to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while He stayed on the mountain to pray (see yesterday's reading, above).  There Jesus turns to the Father, after feeding the multitude in the wilderness (again, see yesterday's reading), and we can see that this has become a clear turning point of His earthly ministry.  For in that feeding in the wilderness is the prefiguring of the Eucharist to come, which is irrevocably tied to the sacrifice that Christ will make on the Cross.  At all points, Christ the Son is working in tandem with God the Father, just as at the creation He did the same, and cooperating, as the human Jesus, with that will of the Father as one.  Powerfully, there are places in the Gospels where we find that, although the Father is possibly the most mysterious of the Trinity to us (as Jesus the Son is our mediator, for He lived as one of us, and the Holy Spirit's actions and mercies are known in the world), God the Father is shown to be active and in communion with us.  When St. Peter confesses that Jesus is the Son of the living God, according to St. Matthew, Jesus replied to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).  So, in a sense, God is "all in all" (as St. Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15:28), including in us.  Elsewhere Jesus teaches, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  Christ's miracles of touch, of the domination of natural forces like the sea and the wind, His use of the Name "I Am," and His prayer to God the Father, all tell us about the integral play of the greatest mystery of all to us, God the Father, united to us and to our world through Jesus.  As we read through St. Mark's Gospel, let us come to terms with the powerful reality being revealed to us through the life of Christ, and that purpose toward which it works to bring God as "all in all," including in us.  Let us not minimize the power of prayer, and of our faith, for it links us to the greatest heights of God who seeks to be in communion with us -- so much so that God's only begotten Son was given to us as Jesus, to live and die as one of us, to suffer with us, and to reclaim us for God.  Above all, it is the compassion of God we take with us, as we see in Christ's healing and redemption of ailing humanity, giving not just a temporary physical healing but an eternal life as possibility for us.  For when we imitate Him, in prayer to God Our Father, when we read and study the Scriptures, when we walk and pray with the saints, when we call on the Son and the Holy Spirit, even when we choose an act of compassion, we participate in those energies of God which Christ puts on display and manifests, so that we may also be "sons of God."  Jesus teaches the disciples, "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me" (Matthew 10:40).  Let us remember that He came so that God would be all in all, and to leave none of us behind.  For, like the apostles, even when we seem to be alone, He is with us. 

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"

Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47–59 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is an eight-day harvest festival in autumn, and this is now in the final year of Christ's earthly life.  He has been disputing in the temple with the religious leaders, who have already tried and failed to have Him arrested.  In yesterday's reading, they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which if you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

"He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  The conversation here continues from the dispute in yesterday's reading (above).  We recall that the term "the Jews" is most often used in John's Gospel to denote the religious leadership.  All the people in our present passages are Jews, including Jesus, as well as the author of the Gospel.  Here, these religious leaders, who by now have chosen to be enemies of Christ, are unable to defeat Him through logic or truth, and so resort to personal insult ("Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?").

 

 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Once again, Jesus speaks of His own witness, who is the Father.  It is the Father who honor Him.  And He claims to these leaders that they don't know the One they claim is their God. 

 

 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.   Jesus has repeatedly emphasized to these religious leaders His deep connection with the Father, who has put all things in His hands, from whom all the words He speaks come, whom He pleases in all things.  Here the term I AM  (in Greek, ego eimi) is clear and explicit as the divine Name of God in the Old Testament, as first revealed revealed to Moses at the burning bush (see Exodus 3:13-15).  My study Bible comments that to the Jewish religious leaders (and perhaps all who hear), this is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, which is evident from their reaction (Then they took up stones to throw at Him); see also Mark 14:62-64.  My study Bible adds that John places special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  It notes that this divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death (verse 52), a power which belongs only to God the Father.

Once again, as He has over the past several readings, Jesus emphasizes His closeness with the Father.  Everything He has, and everything He is, stems from the Father.  Jesus' judgment is true because He is not alone, but with the Father (John 8:16).  If they would know Him, they would know the Father (John 8:19).  Every word He speaks comes from the Father and is pleasing to the Father (John 8:26).  He does nothing of Himself, but seeks only to please the Father (John 8:29).  He says to be His disciple, to abide in His word given to Him by the Father, would make them free; He is the Son, and "if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).  They cannot hear nor believe Him, because they don't love God, and He is sent from God (John 8:42-47).  In today's reading, however, Jesus takes this all a giant leap forward, and enraging these enemies among the religious leaders even more, when He tells them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  This I AM is the divine Name of God.  It is also known as the Tetragrammaton (meaning "Four Letters" in Greek), which we read in our English language Bibles as YHWH, and pronounce "Yahweh" (Exodus 3:13-15).  This I AM is the Lord of the Old Testament, and Jesus has just explicitly stated that He identifies with the I AM.   As my study Bible explains this is unmistakable to the religious leaders, an unmistakable statement of equality with God.  But it's more than equality; He has declared His union with God in all things, but here He declares that He, in fact, is God.  In our Christian understanding through the apostles and all the Scriptures, we understand this divinity of Jesus, the inseparable nature of Father, Son, and Spirit.  But we can see what an astonishing statement this is to the outraged leaders, as they simply seek to stone Him to death on the spot.  But we should take with us the understanding that this is a great and profound mystery revealed.  How can the Son also be God with the Father?  And later, as all three Persons of the Trinity work in divine unity, the "Helper," the Holy Spirit will be sent by the Father in the Son's name, and will teach Christ's disciples, bringing to remembrance all things He has said to them.  This is a promise that stands the test of time ongoing for the life of the Trinity, of the divine Persons, is now and always and ever shall be -- intersecting and working within our time, establishing the Kingdom among and within us, and in an eternal sense offering us to share that life.  For the moment, let us consider all of Christ's words pertaining to His unity with the Father, and culminating with the amazing statement that "before Abraham was, I AM," because it is the ultimate key to who Christ is for us.   For He remains the "I AM," the One eternally present, always with us, the One to whom we turn, the only One to worship, and who is love. 

 

 

If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  

 

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  

 

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47-59 

 In our current readings, Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (beginning from this reading).  He has been disputing with the religious leaders.   In yesterday's reading, they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

  "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"   Today's reading begins with Christ's final statement to the religious leaders from yesterday's reading.  As these authorities in the temple are unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth, my study Bible comments, here they begin to resort to personal insult (see also John 9:34).  

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Once again, Jesus speaks regarding potential witnesses to His identity, as if offering testimony.  He will not testify of Himself, as He says for it is not for Him to honor Himself.  But the Father bears witness and honors Him -- and they do not know God the Father.  Then He offers another witness from the Scriptures, father Abraham.

 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  Here Jesus uses the divine Name of God from the Old Testament, first revealed to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  This is the use of the I AM (Ἐγώ εἰμι/Ego eimi) here by Christ, in this particular context, which these men of the Council understand completely.  To them, my study Bible says, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God.  Therefore, this is what they clearly evidence by their reaction (Then they took up stones to throw at Him . . .).  (See also Mark 14:62-64.)   My study Bible adds that St. John places special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim, it says, illuminates Christ's authority, which is even over death (verse 52), which is a power that belongs only to God the Father.

In today's reading, Jesus declares, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God."  This may seem to us like a perplexing statement.  In our modern culture (especially in the West), we are used to thinking about ourselves as reliable witnesses or unreliable, truthful or untruthful.  But this is not the division Jesus is speaking of here, not the same type of discernment.  Jesus is speaking about what kind of yardstick by which we choose to measure things, and particularly to measure what is true and what is not true.  For this measurement -- and especially for the evaluation of this identity Jesus is expressing here -- only one yardstick will do.  There is only One who can measure and testify as to whom Jesus really is, and that is God the Father.  If we go back to Peter's confession of faith in St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus replies to Peter directly afterward, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  See Matthew 16:16-17.  Elsewhere Jesus also speaks of God the Father revealing truth to people, when He says in St. Luke's Gospel, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight."    See Luke 10:21.  What we find in these two episodes is the affirmation from Christ that it is the Father who may testify to people.  Perhaps, of course, this happens in hidden ways.  But nevertheless, it happens, and this is made clear by Christ in His dialogue with these religious authorities who cannot understand nor "hear" Him.  Jesus will repeatedly make this claim, that they simply do not know Jesus because they do not really know God the Father.  Then He gives the example of another one to whom the Lord was revealed through faith, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  In chapter 10, Jesus will refer these men to Psalm 82:6, affirming that the word of God can come to human beings, when He says,  "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, “You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" (see John 10:33-36).  So all of this simply invites us to ask also, what is our yardstick?  By whose judgment do we measure?  If even Christ does not use His own judgment ("You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one" - John 8:15); then how are we to judge with good judgment?   If He says in today's reading, "And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges" (verse 50), then how are we to understand good judgment, apart from seeking our own glory, so to speak?  It is very easy to believe that only Christ can hear the word of God, but what Christ really teaches is that He is from above, and so knows God and heavenly things (John 3:12).  But at the same time, He also makes it clear that through faith, and through grace, we human beings can also be open to the wisdom of God, for it even may come from the mouths of babes.  When the children praise and welcome Him in the temple as the Christ, Jesus is angrily asked by the leaders, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  He replies, quoting from Psalm 8:2, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise' ?" (Matthew 21:15-16).  When we pray, we are putting our trust and confidence in God.  We seek to establish, uphold, affirm, and deepen that communion with God.  Faith also asks of us that we grow in this deepening communion, for we walk a path.  When Jesus teaches, "I am the way," that word translated as way means "road" in Greek.  Part of that deepening reliance and faith means that we must seek for ourselves to know the ultimate yardstick.  Like Christ, we seek the judgment of the Father, we pray for illumination by the Holy Spirit, we ask Christ to show us His path, to lead us in the road of righteousness and good judgment.  We can give up of ourselves and our own glory in order to seek the glory of the One who sent Christ, and whom He brought more deeply to us.  In St. John's chapter 5, Jesus asks the religious leaders, "How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" (John 5:44).  Let us endeavor to do as Christ asks, and seek the honor that comes from the only God, the One whose judgment is true.

 

"Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus said, "I am"

 

 And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.  But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.  And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.   

 

Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.  Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"  But not even then did their testimony agree.  And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But He kept silent and answered nothing Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"  Jesus said, "I am.  And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?"  And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.  Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!"  And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.

 

- Mark 14:53–65 

 

On Saturday we read that, immediately, while Jesus was still speaking to His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."  As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.  And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  Then they all forsook Him and fled. Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

 

  And they led Jesus away to the high priest; and with him were assembled all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes.  But Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.  And he sat with the servants and warmed himself at the fire.  In our previous reading (see above), we read of the young man (frequently thought to be the Evangelist Mark himself, or possibly John) who fled naked after He tried to follow Christ.  Here we read that Peter managed to follow at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.  This sets the stage for the challenges Peter will face in our next reading.  

Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none.  For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.  Then some rose up and bore false witness against Him, saying, "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.'"  But not even then did their testimony agree.  Here we see the desperate search by the authorities (the chief priests and all the council) to find witness testimony that will convict Jesus.  Here are many false witnesses whose testimonies did not agree.   

And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?"  But He kept silent and answered nothing Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?"  Jesus said, "I am.  And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."  Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses?  You have heard the blasphemy!  What do you think?"  And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.  Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!"  And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.  Jesus testifies Himself, in answer to the question of the high priest, "I am."  In Greek this is ego eimi/Ἐγώ εἰμι.  It is the divine name of God as given to Moses in Exodus 3:14, as reported in the Septuagint version of the Scriptures commonly in use at the time.  (When Christ quotes from what we call the Old Testament, it is the Septuagint version reported in the Gospels.)  My study Bible comments that the use of this divine name here, the I am, indicates a theophany, or revelation of God Himself.  The use of this Name by a human being was considered to be blasphemy and was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16; see John 8:58), hence the response of the high priest. But because Jesus is fully God, His use of this Name is not blasphemy.  Rather, He is revealing His unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible adds that it is only in Mark's account that Christ's answer is this direct.  To sit at the right hand of the Power is to share authority with the Father.  This statement was clearly understood by the high priest to be a claim of equality with God, and therefore results in his response. 

 

 Our systems of justice today, particularly in the West, reflect our understanding of the injustice carried out against Jesus Christ.  We know what false witnesses are, we know and accept that the innocent -- and in this case, the profoundly and truly Innocent -- can be falsely convicted through false witnesses.  Even in ancient times, a false witness was unacceptable in legal systems.  Enshrined into our laws today is that this is so, even for defendants despised by the society for all kinds of reasons.  The same is true for testimony that is contradictory.  But the extraordinary thing about this hearing we read about today is that the ultimate witness is Christ Himself.  What is the case when it is the truth itself that people despise and want to reject?  In this case, the One who referred to Himself as the way, the truth, and the life is being rejected for stating clearly who He is.  What are we to make of that kind of a trial and conviction?  How do we see it?  How do we look at it?  What does that tell us, in fact, about our own propensity to reject the things we don't like, the things that threaten us, or take away our own righteous sense of ourselves?  But let us look at Christ Himself, for He came into the world to proclaim His gospel.  Luke tells us that as Jesus went into the synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth, He read the prophecy of Isaiah, saying:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:16-30).  To these words Jesus added, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing," thus rendering indignant to the point of murder the people of His hometown -- who could not accept that Jesus could be the Christ.  Thus we have this similar response in the high priest and members of the Council.  Jesus' truth is unacceptable for them.  It is too threatening to their places and the ways of life they know, the things they hold most precious, just as the people of Nazareth were indignant of their own perceived positions in relation to Jesus and His family.  If Jesus' words were true, what would that mean for them?  How would they have to change their own minds about life, about themselves and their places?  How would they have to change?  So, we must also ask ourselves what we're willing to do to accept a truth we might not like.  Are we prepared to go wherever it is that Christ would ask us to go?  This is the position the disciples were in at this time.  And there is a greater question here.  We know where Jesus will go, and we can see it previewed in the actions of those who spit on Him, mock Him, beat Him, blindfold Him demanding prophesy while they do so.  He will be treated with the contempt of those meting out violence and torture and the cruelty of crucifixion.  From this, we understand Christ's blood shed for us, for telling us His truth, for bringing us the gospel and the good news of our faith.  So as we are baptized into His life, what can we endure for this faith and this truth?  Do we at times find ourselves paying the price for our faith, for those who are indignant at our faith?  How do we know to accept this reality, to bear it even with humility and dignity if there is nothing we can do to change others and their response?  Can we change ourselves to accept our own suffering for His name's sake?  We make many decisions in life, and even the smallest choice can reflect our faith.  Christ declares Himself openly here before the high priest, knowing that His human death is coming.  There are all kinds of ways in which we may also suffer for our choices, some very small.  Those persons who have shared Christ's death for the sake of their faith we call martyrs.  In ways we can't completely understand, their suffering becomes the fertile ground of the Church, and there are martyrs today suffering for the sake of their Christian faith around the world.  For each of us who enter into His life through baptism and the Eucharist, we should put into perspective the times we go through difficulties for our faith, for we enter through participation in His cup, even in small ways, separating ourselves from the way of the world for His way when called to do so.  Let us consider His strength and courage and the power hidden from these men in Christ's truth, for it is there for each of us as well. For when we also find His strength and faith to continue through difficulties, and carry our own cross, then we in turn bring and share it with others as well and help to build His kingdom in this world.  Let us be true to who we are and follow Him.  

 

 

 

But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid"

 

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

 

- Mark 6:47–56 

 

Yesterday we read that the apostles gathered to Jesus, having returned from their first apostolic mission, and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  My study Bible comments that only God has dominion over nature; therefore this miraculous even confirms the divinity of Christ.  We recall the previous time the disciples were allowed to be caught in a storm (see this reading).  On that occasion Christ was with them, but here He had left them alone.  In this way, my study Bible notes, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I can be literally translated from the Greek "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58).  My study Bible says that in this way, Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

 

And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  My study Bible teaches here that to know Christ is a matter of the heart, and not simply the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it says, they are open to receive God's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is understood as "the seat of knowledge."

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.   Christ permits miracles through touch; we understand from this -- and also the healing of the woman with the blood flow in this reading --  that Christ's very body is life-giving.  

 

 If we take the first part of our reading for today, the story begins like a dream unfolding; or, we could say that in some sense it is reminiscent of a dream in the night.  It begins with a setting in which Jesus has stayed behind to go pray upon the mountain, while He has sent the disciples ahead of Him -- across the sea in a boat (see yesterday's reading, above).  Listen to the language of the text:  the disciples are in the boat in the middle of the sea, while Jesus is alone on the land.  Both are images of aloneness in some sense, and of being far away, even unconnected with one another.  We think of all of their activities from the previous day (again, see yesterday's reading, above), and all of the things they do always together, and now they are far apart and isolated from one another.  But Jesus, no matter where He is or how separated from them, sees what is happening with them:  He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  And here is the dream-like quality:  it's three o'clock in the morning.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  Isolated, in the deep dark of very early morning, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee with the wind against them.  This isn't a modern power boat, but an ancient which they must row across the sea.  Can we possibly imagine how frightening such a sight would appear to be?    So it is in this context we hear Jesus' words to them:  "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   The Greek that is translated as "be of good cheer" means to take heart, to be emboldened, take courage, be confident.  It is the right response to the cold feeling of aloneness in the midst of the sea and dark and wind.  The "I Am" has already been remarked upon in the note from my study Bible.  Christ's presence is the presence of the Lord, even the Lord of the Old Testament, and that presence is meant to banish fear.  In Greek the command is a plural imperative addressing them all:  "μὴ φοβεῖσθε," "don't fear," the word for fear the same root that shapes the English word "phobia."  The lesson they (and we) are to take seems to be that Christ is always watching, even when He seems to have abandoned us and is far away, even when we are separated by a great distance and by great differences of environment -- even as Christ is at the right hand of the Father while we here in the world are lost at sea in our own ways and in our own dark nights.  He is watching and His presence is with us nevertheless, just as the Lord was with Israel in the stories of the Old Testament.  We see that the text is careful to emphasize that the disciples really hadn't understood Him yet and His divine nature, for it tells us they were astonished as "their heart was hardened."  They hadn't yet understood the things of the Lord, their faith was such that is would become, and this episode is likely, of course, to have informed their future missions into the world for the Kingdom.  They've just returned from their first missionary journey, but they still have a lot to learn, as do we throughout our lives and in terms of our faith.  We don't know how the Lord is with us, and how our faith works to call the One who comes to our side (the literal meaning of the Greek word Paraclete/Παράκλητος, also translated as Advocate (1 John 2:1).  In this case, they haven't even called Him as far as we know, but His eye is on them and He comes to them to banish their fears, and to still the wind.  It's important that we understand Christ as the God who sees (Genesis 16:13) even when we feel we're alone and isolated, and that we know we must call on the Lord.  Jesus says this also of Himself in His humanity, "I am not alone, because the Father is with Me" (John 16:32).  Even in our own aloneness, let us consider the God who sees, for He is always with us to dispel our fear so we may seek His presence and His way forward for us.  I have recently listened to some statistics that stated that today's generation of younger people seem to be suffering from a greater loneliness than ever before.  Let us consider the importance of Christ's presence as an answer to today's problems for many.