And in His name Gentiles will trust

 

 But when Jesus knew it, 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."

 

- Matthew 12:15-21 

 

 Yesterday we read that at that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 

  But when Jesus knew it, 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."   My study Bible explains that our Lord's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4, as quoted in the text).  The reasons for this secrecy are as follows.  There is first the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders.  Second, the people misunderstand the Messiah to be an earthly, political leader.  Third, Christ wishes to evoke genuine faith not based solely on marvelous signs.  The Servant prophesied by Isaiah refers first to Jesus Christ, and then by extension to all who follow Him.  In the final line quoted from Isaiah (Isaiah 42:4) we understand that the mission to the Gentiles was foreseen in his prophesy. 

 

My study Bible makes clear that Christ was to be an entirely different kind of Messiah than the one of popular expectation -- and possibly popular desire.  He was not to be a powerful king who would overthrow the Roman rule and establish Israel as its own worldly power.  He was not to be another King David in that same sense.  Most of the conflicts that take place between the religious rulers and Jesus are focused on the idea of authority.  As far as they are concerned, Jesus has no authority.  He has no worldly authority to back Him up.  Not only is He not a king, He has no accomplishments or customary things associated with a king.  He has no worldly power.  He has no army, His followers are not soldiers with weapons and chariots; He doesn't come to conquer in this sense.  Not only that, they will demand impressive signs in order to be impressed enough with "proofs" on demand, and He won't give them.  The only signs He will give are those of His ministry:  His teachings and healings, and the rest of those who follow and become His disciples.  But most of them aren't very impressive in a worldly sense either.  It is this same question of authority that will be repeated over and over again that is the stumbling block, especially to the religious leaders.  They don't recognize His authority, for it doesn't come from worldly matters but from God.  It is a similar sense in which the saints who were to follow Christ are not known for their worldly accomplishments, authority, and power, but for the holiness that comes from what they do and whom it is they touch in the world -- and for this recognition one must have faith, or the capacity or desire for it somewhere deep in the heart.  Isaiah's prophesy of the Suffering Servant, rather than a conquering king, is the picture of this Messiah.  In Isaiah's chapter 53 we're given the picture:  one despised and rejected, a Man of sorrows, One who carried others' griefs and yet was esteemed to have been stricken by God, and led as a lamb to the slaughter.  The chapter is very vivid and very apt, and describes what Christ's ministry would have looked like to most people in its time.  As is so frequently the case, the people believed they needed a great battling king to overthrow the Roman Empire from their land, to solve their problems, to provide everything they wanted.  Just like today, people look to might and power to solve their problems, or put their hope in empire, in weapons and armies, and trust in material power to do battle for them.  But the Savior is a different kind of savior, and our salvation depends upon none of these things.  In which will you put your faith first today?  In Whom?  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus notes the desires and anxieties of the people, acknowledging the things the Gentiles seem to possess and seek after.  He tells the people, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  Can we do as He asks?  Will we do that?  In Luke's Gospel, He also asks, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).  In Whom do we trust?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

 

 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke and departed, and was hidden from them.  But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

"Lord, who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"

Therefore they could not believe, because Isiah said again:

"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,

Lest they should see with their eyes,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them."

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 

 

- John 12:36-43 

 

The setting of yesterday's reading is just after Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, having been welcomed by crowds with a messianic joy, and with all kinds of expectations of Him.  But He began to teach about His coming Passion.  In yesterday's reading, He said, "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up/"  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

 

 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke and departed, and was hidden from them.  But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:  "Lord, who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  Today's reading begins by repeating Jesus' statement from yesterday's reading:  "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  John's Gospel has, from its beginning, referred to Jesus as the light, and here He also refers to Himself as that light (see John 1:4-9; 3:19; 8:12; 9:5; 11:9-10; 12:35).  His emphasis is on faith, belief.  But here we are confronted with non-belief, and how faith exists or does not exist in the heart of a human being.  The quotation is from Isaiah 53:1, a prophesy regarding the Messiah.

Therefore they could not believe, because Isiah said again:  "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them."  These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.  My study Bible notes the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that Isaiah's prophecy does not mean that God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful.  This is a figure of speech which is common in Scripture, and reveals God as giving people up to their own devices.  There is a similar understanding in Romans 1:24-26.  To say that He has blinded them is to say that God has permitted their self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  The people did not become blind because God spoke through Isaiah; Isaiah spoke because he foresaw their blindness.  The quotation is from Isaiah 6:10.  Isaiah . . . saw His [Christ's] glory in about 700 BC (Isaiah 6:1) and spoke of Him in many places through the length of his extensive prophecy. 

Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, these rulers are in truth the worst of slaves.  They are enslaved by the opinions of men.  This keeps them from leading as God would have them lead. 

Once again, the Gospel emphasizes that we have a choice.  Belief is a matter of accepting a truth that roots itself in the heart, that comes through the approach of God.  How do we perceive this light?  Where does this perception of light and spiritual truth come from?  Which part of ourselves is capable of discerning it, of taking it in and nurturing it?   In the tradition of Greek philosophy there existed the concept of what in Greek is called the "nous" (pronounced noos).   Some consider it merely to be the intellect, but in the tradition of the Church and theology it came to be understood as the specific faculty capable not just of discursive reason but also of apprehension of things beyond ourselves, spiritual truth, spiritual reality.  It encompasses both mind and heart, in the sense that the heart indicates the center of a person, of the soul, the place that unites soul, spirit, mind:  the intellect and intuition.  This is a place that is not only aware of who we are and what we are, but which can permeate experience with meaning, especially that which is given through prayer and other ways in which the things of God reach to us and communicate with us in the subtle language of this kind of perception.   It is this place of light that constitutes spiritual illumination, and it permeates our lives and the fullness of who we are:  body, soul, spirit, mind -- and mingles with our experiences and our walk in the world.  Hence, Christ's words, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  Prophets and saints throughout the ages saw by this light and spoke by this light.  But clearly, and for all kinds of reasons, this light is neither understood nor perceived by many; there are those who are blind to it, and those who prefer the darkness without it.  At least, this is the language of Scripture, and especially John's Gospel.  Hence, Isaiah's questions, "Lord, who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  In Christ's foundation parable about Himself, the parable of the Sower, He speaks of many reasons why the seed of His truth does not take root.  One of them is illustrated by allegorical thorns that choke the word, said by Christ to be the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13:22).  In today's reading, John indicates that for many of the rulers on the Council, the truth of Christ was clear to them, but choked from fruition because "they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."  They feared exclusion and isolation, being put out of the synagogue by the Pharisees who had chosen as a body to oppose Christ.  (Nonetheless, John's Gospel tells us that Christ had followers among them.  Nicodemus in particular is a Pharisee and also a believer in Christ.)  But this particular fear, of being excluded, socially isolated, stripped of place and position, remains a great power in our world today, and especially through the prominence of social media.  We're all familiar with bullying and what it does, in school among children as well as in the workplace among adults.  We know the impact of exclusion on our lives, psychologically and materially.  We also know the impact that psychological and social isolation can have on our physical health.   But the Scriptures teach us that nonetheless, we are called to faith and to live our faith.  The heroic life of the early believers in Christ makes that clear, and our Savior's Passion sets that example regarding the strongest, highest, and best calling that we have.  We have to consider clearly what a desire to accept this light and live it means to us.  We will always find the compassion and love of God, even when we are called to sacrifice something worldly for that love.  Again, Isaiah asks, "Who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  The prophets and saints we know chose to live this calling, even at the risk of life, reputation, belonging.  Let us seek God's light for ourselves, and our own particular way we are to live it.  Let us ask for the discernment to walk in the way we're called through the world and the thorns it seeks to bring to us today.  For we are called not to be a part of the darkness of the world -- He calls us out of the world (John 15:19):  to walk in the light and become His children of light.   When we love the praise of men more than the praise of God we so easily stumble in our own darkness, our self-imposed blindness.  

 

 

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw His wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them."  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:5-17

On Saturday we read that when Jesus ended His Sermon on the Mount, the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  A centurion (a Gentile) was an officer in the Roman legion, with the title denoting that he commanded 100 men.  My study bible comments here that Jesus is the Savior of all, and in Him ethnic distinctions are void.

And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  I will come, my study bible explains, has been read by many Greek scholars as a question:  "Shall I come?"  Either way, my study bible comments, Jesus is ready to deal gracious with this Gentile, even to enter his house -- which would result in Him being unclean in the eyes of the Jews.  In this sense, we see a parallel to the healing of the leper by touch (see Saturday's reading, above).

The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."   My study bible calls this an unusual expression of faith on the part of the centurion, by calling Jesus, who is a Jew, "Lord."  It says that the centurion's statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is often quoted in liturgical texts as an ideal expression of humility.

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  Only twice in the gospels do we read that Jesus marveled.  One other occasion was at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6).  The second is here, at the belief of this foreigner, the centurion.

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.   My study bible comments that in these statements Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  Those rejected sons of the kingdom are both the Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith, it says.  Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (or Hades) in the Jewish tradition (see Enoch 103:8).  They are also common expressions found in Matthew (13:42, 50; 24:51; 25:30) and occur in Luke as well (Luke 13:28).

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw His wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them."  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities / And bore our sicknesses."  This passage reveals to us that Peter was married (see also 1 Corinthians 9:5, where Peter is called Cephas).  Peter's family home in Capernaum becomes a "headquarters" for Jesus' Galilean ministry, and so the people are brought to Him there.  My study bible comments that Christ's healing miracles are divorce.  Here He heals Peter's mother-in-law by touch.  In the earlier verses of today's reading, He healed the centurion's servant by a word.  Peter's mother-in-law's healing is immediately, but others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or they require the cooperation of the healed person, or of that person's loved ones (Luke 8:54-55) or friends (Mark 2:3-5).  As the quotation from Isaiah 53:4 reveals, Christ's miracles are manifestations of His mission to heal and redeem "an ailing humanity" (as my study bible terms it).

In today's reading we're given different healings, and it is indeed interesting to note the differences in them.  In one case, the healed person is a servant of an official of the Roman Legion, a centurion.  We have to remember how despised the Romans were, generally speaking, as an occupying force, and in particular how an officer of the Legion would have been broadly viewed and feared by the people, so that we understand this text well.  That is not necessarily the case with this particular officer (for we must ask ourselves how and why he approaches Jesus in this community, and with such humility), but in terms of the text itself, it makes the occasion highly noteworthy.  It is made all the more significant by Jesus' statement about the faith He finds in the centurion, and the contrast Jesus makes to many of the "sons of the kingdom" who will be "cast into outer darkness."  Indeed, as my study bible points out, the centurion is a model of faith and humility when he says, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof."   Moreover, the centurion is appealing on behalf of a beloved servant, a gracious act indeed.  Peter's mother-in-law is a matriarch of the household.  She is healed and also gets up to serve, but she holds a high position.  Additionally, to serve Christ is a place of great honor.  She hasn't the kind of worldly power and authority that the centurion commands, but she is nevertheless a respected figure in this Jewish household, and, one presumes, in their community.  As my study bible comments, Jesus heals from a distance and with a word for the centurion's servant.  He heals directly and by touch with this woman, Peter's mother-in-law, who gets up to serve Him in the household, restored to her place.  As my study bible indicates, in Christ there really are no boundaries.  Our reading from Saturday illustrated a similar point, when He healed the leper by touch.  But boundaries aren't simply extended in the ways in which we might understand them materially, or in a worldly sense such as we might expect them to be.  This isn't a question of "rights" but one of grace.  Everything happens through and with faith, and with the humility before Christ that must go with faith.  This expansion and enhancement of an understanding of God's kingdom does not come through a legalistic sense, but rather through a connection of trust, a connection in the heart.  For this is what faith is.  The Greek root of the word for faith actually means "trust."  Trust implies confidence, the kind of confidence which this commanding officer in today's reading put into Jesus, recognizing Christ's authority, even through his humility.  We extend this confidence and trust in Jesus, in turn, through our own expressions of compassion, signifying an extension of community.  Let us consider how we are called by Christ, and what we do when we have confidence in Him, recognizing His authority, and expressing our humility before Him.  Today in the United States, it is Memorial Day, a day when we recognize the sacrifices of soldiers, and so perhaps an appropriate day for today's reading about the centurion.  Let us consider the quotation from Isaiah:  "He Himself took our infirmities / And bore our sicknesses."  Our Lord, the One in whom we can place all our confidence and trust, made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us, and took on our infirmities and sicknesses, the true model of what constitutes a hero.  Let us remember His love (John 15:13) and the place to which He calls us.