Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also

 

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

 

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?"  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 

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

 

- John 14:1-14 

 

 On Thursday, we read what is called Christ's High Priestly Prayer, which He prayed at the Last Supper.  Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.  I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.  I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God; believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."   The setting for the readings of this week is the Last Supper.  This is Christ's final discourse to His disciples. My study Bible comments that many mansions is a word-picture (a kind of parable) of an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speaks of the multitude of blessings that await those who enter the Kingdom of God.  

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  My study Bible comments here that the way we reach the Father is forever established in the Person and work of the Son.  The Son is the truth because He is the unique revelation of the Father.  He is the One who became a human being so that we might have life; as He is our live, not even death can keep us from coming to Him.  My study Bible adds that only in Christ can one come to know the Father, for only in Christ is the way of all truth and all life found.  

Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?"  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  Here my study Bible explains Christ's remark ("He who has seen Me has seen the Father") as follows:  Our response to Christ determines our relationship with the Father.  If we reject Christ then we will never find the Father but if we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves will become "children of God," living eternally in the love of the Father (John 1:12).  While we are human beings are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26), Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son, is Himself the exact image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Christ does not say, "I am the Father" -- He is not.  Instead, what He declares is that He and the Father are one in essence and undivided in nature while being distinct Persons in the Godhead.

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  To pray in God's name does not simply mean to attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" to the end of prayers, my study Bible says.  Rather, to pray in God's name means to pray according to God's will.  Just as an emissary of a king can only be said to be speaking in the king's name if he says what the king would want him to say, my study Bible explains, so also we can only be said to be praying in the name of Christ when we pray according to what He wants.  The purpose is not to get God to do our will, but for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10).  

 

How do we know what to pray for?  We know that in this world things are often unjust, and that life isn't fair.  There is a long, long history of theology in which the questions of evil in this world have been addressed, and will go on being addressed.   It is part of what we live with.  But sometimes, perhaps in our modern consumer society much more strongly than in the past, we might be tempted to think that prayer is a kind of practice in which we just ask what we want.  This can, of course, extend from the mundane to the most deeply personal and important matters in our lives.  But it is a deep effort to learn that oftentimes we don't get exactly what we want, what is "right," or "fair," or even what we think we need.  In circumstances we can't control, we know that all things are in God's hands.  And yet, there remains an evil in the world, abuses, hardship, illness, and death.  Some friends right now are deeply struggling with a tragic illness of their son.  So many are praying for them, for him, and such strong faith is always present within the efforts of his parents.  But, just like some of the tragic stories we read in the Gospels, nonetheless his life stands in danger from this illness (like Lazarus or Jairus' daughter), but we don't all have Christ in the flesh to call upon to give us a miracle or miraculous sign.  I have seen and experienced my share of the miraculous connected with prayer, but this hard circumstance of this tragically ill child is far from certain.  What I have seen from prayer in my own life, however, is a promise of Resurrection that is always present, a gift from Christ on the Cross that must be unforgettable for all of us.  And that is that our suffering is transfigured through God's grace.  Even when we might not get the outcome we want, there is always a glimmer, a light, that shines in the darkness, and this much, I am certain is true.  Through my mother's long illness I learned prayer, even when alone and feeling abandoned, and how it gave me strength, and resources, that I didn't know I could have to continue on one more day, to find the right thing to do, to do what I had to do and care for her the best I could.  These are the blessings of the light that shines in the darkness, regardless of the outcome.  The tremendous love and strength, the resources, and shared community created out of this one family's struggle and their hurting child has been extraordinary to see and to watch, their love a tremendous blessing.  But in their sadness and difficulty, and potential devastating loss, that might be impossible to see.  God's love is there, no matter what the outcome, and this is our light we can share with one another at all times, although none of us knows our outcome.  But this love we know is God's will.  It's important to know that just prior to the words we read in today's Gospel passage, Jesus has said to the disciples (minus Judas), "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).  Perhaps it is in sharing that love that we do the greatest work of God we can do.  

 

 

 

 

 

Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward

 

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake.  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

 

- John 13:36-38 

 

In our previous reading (John 12:27-36), Jesus was preparing for His journey to the Cross, His hour of glorification.  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.  

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake.  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  In today's reading, the lectionary skips ahead, to the end of chapter 13.  Jesus and the disciples are at the Last Supper, and this conversation takes place just prior to His last address to His disciples.  My study Bible comments on this passage that Jesus' first words to Simon Peter ("Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward") are in fact a prophecy of his martyrdom.  St. Peter would suffer martyrdom for the sake of Christ by being crucified upside down in Rome in about AD 67 (see John 21:18-19).  

In today's short reading, at first glance we might think that the focus is on Peter's denial.  But my study Bible places the emphasis on Christ's prophecy of Peter's martyrdom which is to come, Peter's own great sacrifice for the sake of the gospel (Matthew 10:39, 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 17:33; John 12:25).  If we take a look at some of the other passages which accompany this one in today's lectionary reading, we see a common theme of sacrifice.  The Old Testament reading is from Genesis 22:1-14, the story of Abraham's being called to sacrifice his son Isaac.  This story seems to many people to be cruel; they wonder why God would call Abraham to do such a thing, even if God did not intend for this to happen.  After all, Israel lived side-by-side with hostile neighboring peoples whose gods demanded such things.  But if we look closely at the story, it is not a story of a god demanding cruelties in order to be pleased, but a story even about God's provision, of unexpected abundance.  It is a story of trust in God, and yes, sacrifice in the sense that Abraham reserves nothing in his love for and obedience to God.  But in the end, seeing a ram caught in a thicket, Abraham names the place The-Lord-Will-Provide.  This is a story of absolute trust in God, even in the most difficult of circumstances, the sacrifice of what we love.  It's echoed in Christ's prophecy of Peter's own martyrdom, a trust that entrusts everything to God's providence, even one's own life.  The other Gospel reading from John gives us a different kind of a sacrifice.  John 19:38-42 tells us the story of two wealthy and powerful men of Jerusalem, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.  Both of them were members of the ruling council.  Nicodemus we know was a Pharisee (John 3:1).  Joseph of Arimathea was a wealthy man (Matthew 27:57), and also a prominent ruler on the Council (Mark 15:43).  Joseph, in going to Pilate to ask for Christ's body, was making a very courageous and bold choice, and risking everything in his life to do so, for as a member of the Council which pressured Pilate to put Jesus to death, he is defying them and their conclusions about Jesus.  After all, Jesus as a crucified Man is in some sense declared among the worst of criminals according to the Roman laws of punishment.  In this sense, He "became sin" for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), taking on this mantle of public shame and condemnation that went with crucifixion.  Joseph moreover donates a new (and quite expensive) and unused tomb hewn in stone (suggesting it was his own tomb; see Matthew 27:60), while Nicodemus donates the expensive myrrh and aloes for burial, a public act of love for Christ.  Both of these men risk their lives, their substance, and their places in the society to do so.  My study Bible says that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and consequently was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem. St. John Chrysostom has suggested that Joseph of Arimathea was among the Seventy noted in Luke's Gospel (Luke 10:1-17).  At any rate as believers in the early Church, there is no doubt of what persecution and loss they faced.  When we look at each of these sacrifices -- the apostleship and martyrdom of St. Peter, the near-sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, the public donations and declaration of devotion to Christ by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, what we see are various forms of "investment" that comes with entrusting one's life and devotion to God, and all the things that are a part of one's life and oneself.  None of these men knew necessarily what the future held, but their whole trust was in God, in Christ -- Abraham, the first to know the promise; Peter the wavering disciple who would become leader and martyr; and the prominent men of the Council, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.  Each one made choices for a willing sacrifice, an exchange for something more powerful, more essential, a deeper entrusting to God and to God's provision, whether in their own lives or in the greater story of the salvation of the world (John 3:16).  Jesus, of course, goes to the Cross, showing us all what it means to sacrifice for love.  We are now concluding the period of Lent (next week for the Orthodox), a traditional time of the practice of sacrifice, of fasting.  Let us consider these passages and what it means to learn to make choices based on discernment, to sacrifice or give something up because we are essentially investing in something better, greater, that commands a deeper and greater love and loyalty.  This is the substance of what it means to choose, especially when we come to a crossroads.  A marriage is similar; there will be sacrifices we're called to make for the sake of a marriage, or of a child, or an elderly parent.   There will be times when an investment in where God leads us becomes the risk we take, the worthy sacrifice for something more beautiful, more good, more true than whatever other appetites or desires would call for.  This is why we learn discipleship, so that we may become the "sons of light" Jesus names in yesterday's reading, above.  Let us walk in His light, even when it is difficult and there are hard choices to make, for we know the road and the Kingdom it leads to. 

Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward

Christ Carrying the Cross, modern icon by Alexandra Kaouki of Alexandra Icons Workshop, Rethymnon, Crete, Greece

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down My life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

* * * 

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

- John 13:36-38, John 19:38-42

Yesterday we read that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."   So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given  thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  (Mark 14:12-25)

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down My life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  While this passage documents Peter's three-time denial of Christ while Jesus was being questioned by the high priest Annas (John 18:15-27), there is contained here in John's Gospel a prophecy by Christ of Simon Peter's own martyrdom.  My study bible says that Peter would suffer martyrdom for the sake of Christ by being crucified upside down in Rome in about AD 67 (see also John 21:18-19).  

* * * 

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.  My study bible calls Joseph of Arimathea a hidden disciple.  That is, one who believed in Jesus but had made no public acknowledgement of faith.  Nicodemus is one who had come to Jesus by night (John 3:2) and later defended Him before the Pharisees (John 7:50-52).   As they both participate in Christ's burial, they are publicly showing their devotion to Christ, in stark contrast to the fearful disciples, who had scattered.  My study bible also notes that had the apostles buried Christ, then doubters could claim His body was simply hidden.  Luke tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was both a council member and a good and just man.   This refutes any possibility that Christ's body was deceptively hidden by the apostles.  Also, the tomb in which He was laid -- owned by Joseph of Arimathea -- was one in which no one had ever lain before.  The spiritual significance of this, according to my study bible, is that Christ died a death unlike any other person had died:  a death without corruption, one leading to victory over the grave itself  (see Luke 23:50-53).

At times of great crisis, we find heroism and cowardice.  The disciples fail and stumble, even the one who is their nominal leader and spokesman, Peter.  But there are other things that come to light, also.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are both prominent council members, Joseph being extremely wealthy.  (An unused tomb hewn of rock was a very expensive and exclusive possession.)  For these men to step forward to claim and to respectfully bury a man crucified as a high criminal is to risk their own reputations, social status, and possibly their lives.  According to Orthodox tradition, Joseph of Arimathea was imprisoned, and the resurrected Christ appeared to him in prison, convincing him of the Resurrection.  He was later released from prison and banished from Jerusalem.  He then traveled throughout the known world preaching the Gospel, eventually remaining in Britain as an early missionary.  In the Church, he is called a holy and righteous saint.  Nicodemus, according to tradition, is known as St. Nicodemus the Righteous.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, whom John's Gospel tells us came to Christ by night for teaching (John 3:1-21), and who also defended Jesus before his fellow Council Members (John 7:45-51).  Although he plays a conspicuous role in John's Gospel, there is not much known about him after the Resurrection.  Church tradition holds that he was possibly martyred sometime during the first century.  Simon Peter, on the other hand, fails in his own eyes and by his own sworn willingness to die for Christ, when he denies Jesus three times, being first cowed by the question of a servant girl, and questioned by a relative of the man whose ear he had cut off when they had come to seize Jesus in the garden  (John 18:15-27).  Far from dying for Christ, Peter denies being a disciple, to his own bitter regret with tears (Matthew 26:75, Luke 22:62).  All of these astonishing revelations of people within their relationship to Christ teach us importantly how false our judgment can be when based on only a nominal knowledge of a person.  We can neither make Peter be a person of sheer heroism nor make these Council members, Joseph and Nicodemus, "enemies" of Christ because they are part of the religious ruling authority of the Jews which condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy, and gave Him to Pilate for crucifixion.  These are very important elements of the Gospel we all too frequently overlook.  They are lessons for us about just and righteous judgment.  Unless we fully and thoroughly know a person, we are incapable of real judgment.  Jesus tells us so Himself, in John's Gospel:  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  Unfortunately we seem to live in a time when people are extremely polarized by nominal affiliations, such as political party, or which politician one of us may support, or not, as the case may be.  There are all kinds of reasons for liking a particular politician or party, for there is no such thing as a uni-dimensional governing policy, nor a uni-dimensional voter, nor a uni-dimensional politician.  We may choose to hate another for the political party, the sports team, the causes they support or do not support.  At this juncture, when the entire world is in the midst of a pandemic for which none of us has been fully prepared, and no country has a magic bullet to vanquish, we still see division through nominal political affiliation, and even hatred spread through such self-identification.  Even the use of a particular drug with promising effects against the coronavirus illness has become entirely politicized through our news media and deliberate political maneuvering  On this day, much of the world is commemorating Good Friday, the day on which our Savior died on the Cross (for the Eastern Orthodox, that is one week away).   Let us remember the vituperative treatment offered to our Savior, the crowds so easily stirred up and manipulated against Him.  And let us contrast that with what the Gospels teach us, that to judge with righteous judgment is not to judge by appearance.  It is not to judge by one thing or another, nor even a moralistic code which identifies particular behaviors as out of bounds, for even perfect obedience to the commandments of the law did not guarantee the eternal life promised by Christ (see this reading).  Let us remember that in our communion is the fullness of what it means to be a person, and to meet person-to-person -- and person-to-Person -- within the Eucharistic cup.  For this is what it means to truly save and to heal.  St. Peter will return to the fold of the disciples and be forgiven.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, important members of the ruling Council which plotted and determined to have Christ killed, are called saints by the Church.   We cannot judge by appearances, as we are forbidden to do so by the words of Christ Himself.  Our faith depends for its communion upon dialogue, and we cannot have dialogue where varying opinions, for one reason and another, work only to vilify individuals based solely on appearances and not on hearing one another out and coming together as best we can.  On this day, let us remember our Lord and His sacrifice for us, for the life of the world -- and think about what good health in body, soul, and spirit really means.  He offers us life; in hatred and judgment by appearance there is only death.  In our salvation and wholeness, we are all on a road.  Let us follow Him as we can, even as our examples in today's reading show us.  We are meant to be carrying our cross with Him, and righteous judgment is part of the way that we do it.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another

 So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.  Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer.  You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

- John 13:31-38

In our recent readings, it is the Passover feast, and Jesus has been in the temple.  Yesterday we read that 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 Isaiah 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.   Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.  Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer.  You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you."   As it is Holy Week in the West (for the Orthodox and other Eastern Churches, Holy Week is next week), the lectionary skips various passages.  I have chosen for today to include the earlier verses 13:31-35 (the lectionary includes only vv. 36-38).  What has happened in the verses between yesterday's reading and today's is found in 13:1-30, which includes the washing of the feet of the disciples and also the identification of Judas as Jesus' betrayer.   The present reading is set at the Passover Supper of Jesus and His disciples, known as the Last Supper.  My study bible comments that the Feast of Passover commemorated God's passing over the Israelites when God killed the firstborn of the Egyptians (Exodus 12).  It is also linked with Israel's crossing over the Red Sea (Exodus 14) to escape from slavery to freedom.  In Christ, it notes, we escape death and pass over from this world, which is enslaved to sin, and into the Kingdom of God.   After Judas had gone out from the Passover Supper to betray Christ, the Lord presents the final teachings of His earthly ministry.  This is frequently called the "Farewell Discourse."  The discourse continues through chapters 14-17, and includes Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (chapter 17).  Here Jesus calls his death "glorification."   My study bible comments that He does not fear death, and He accepts it willingly.   It notes that the Father and the Son are glorified through the death of Christ, because His death destroys all powers of darkness.  Jesus references His dialogue with the leadership in the temple (specifically, 8:21; see this reading).

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."   My study bible notes that while many religions and philosophies teach people to love one another, Christ's new commandment does something more.  It adds the measure that is asked of our love; we have Christ as our example.  This depth of love for one another is the sign of His disciples, how all will know that they are of such.

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times." Amidst the new and final commandment, there are our own shortcomings, our failed resolutions, and our abiding need to learn to rely on Christ and the strength that is not of ourselves.   Jesus predicts Peter's betrayal, but also, my study bible notes, He prophecies the martyrdom of Simon Peter as well, which Peter will suffer for the sake of Christ by being crucified upside down in Rome in about AD 67 (see 21:18-19).  Thus, Peter will also serve Christ's new command to "love one another as I have loved you."

Spiritual battle, for enemies -- study bible comment

What is a spiritual battle?  This may seem like a strange question to ask at this time, as we prepare for Easter, but in effect Good Friday is the right time to ask this question (for the Eastern Orthodox, that is next week).  Jesus prepares the disciples with His Farewell Discourse, giving them a new command that would seem to have nothing at all to do with a spiritual battle.  Jesus tells the disciples, and all those who will follow in the future, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."  We are to be characterized by love for one another.  How often do we fall short of that commandment, Christ's "new" commandment?  But, in effect, Christ will not only declare this commandment, He will also live it.  He will go to His death in enacting His love for His friends.  We are given Simon Peter's declaration to Jesus, "I will lay down my life for Your sake."  And then there is Jesus' response to him: "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  The great contradiction between the love that Jesus professes is a new commandment for all of them, and the prophecy of Peter's denial (despite his declaration that he would lay down his life for Christ's sake) give us a juxtaposition of our souls and hearts, and the constant battle that we wage to move forward into our faith.  My study bible also says that Christ's commandment is proven out by the measure of His love, that not only did He lay down His life for His friends, but even those who are His enemies.  That is, not for their error or their sin, but for their salvation.  In the Revelation, Christ says, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent" (Revelation 3:19).  Everything we do in the context of our faith, and in the love that Jesus commands us to practice, is for the salvation of the whole world.  It is not so that evil triumphs, or so that we support evil or heinous behavior.   We do not pray for others so that they will continue to abuse us, or practice unloving behavior.  But a spiritual battle exists in the world for the salvation of all, for the triumph of the Light.  May our Easter which awaits us triumph in that light, that whatever darkness has been exposed through our Lent make way for a greater and deeper understanding, a more perfect love, and a true reconciliation in the glory of Christ our God and our hope.

Lord, where are You going?

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

- John 13:36-38

Today's reading, for Good Friday, is a very short one, just a few verses.  For those in the West commemorating the day of Jesus' earthly death, let us consider how they apply to this day.  Most of the Eastern churches will commemorate this day several weeks hence.  But to think on these verses is important for both Good Friday and also the Lenten journey.

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  My study bible tells us of today's reading that "Jesus is saying, 'You cannot die with Me now, but you shall later.'  This is a prediction of Peter's martyrdom." 

Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  Jesus predicts Peter's denial before a servant girl during the time of Christ's trial before the Sanhedrin.  We hear Peter's bold pronouncement of his intention.  The thing with Simon Peter is, we know he is sincere.  But he constantly teaches us that "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  For this reason, we need Christ's spirit, the help that is ever-present with us.

In the person of Simon Peter, we see the great transformation that the Spirit will bring.  In Tuesday's reading, Jesus told us, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but it if dies, it produces much grain."  On the day we commemorate as Good Friday, Jesus will give up His life, in the words of our Evangelist, John,  "for the life of the world."  But the great benefits to so many will be the sending of the Spirit, given to each of us, poured out upon the world.  We will see its effects on Simon Peter perhaps most profoundly.

In today's lectionary reading is also included some verses from Peter's First Epistle, written long after Jesus' death on the Cross:  "Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.  To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven -- things which angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:10-12).   Peter ties in the work of the Spirit with the Spirit of Christ at work in the prophets, and the gospel preached by the Holy Spirit through the apostles.  My study bible says that "even the angels desire to deepen their vision both of the uncreated glory and of what God has in store for creation.  The angels beheld and worshiped Christ in His divine nature; what is new and amazing to them is His human nature."  What we read in St. Peter is the incredible revelation and work of the Spirit as he was transformed from the one who swore his life and yet denied Christ three times before morning, to the great Apostle who wrote the Epistle, above.  The promise of Christ's death on the Cross is precisely that:  the salvation of all of us, just as in the transformation we witness through Scripture and tradition that happened in St. Peter.  Eventually he would be martyred and die for His Lord, for all of us.

But there is also the notion of time involved in all of this.  We note in St. Peter's letter that he states that the prophets foresaw, through the Spirit of Christ, what was to come, and so much of Old Testament Scripture testifies to Christ and to His life and salvation.  St. Peter himself swore he was ready to lay his life down for Jesus, and yet there were three denials before the rooster crowed.  God's Spirit works in God's time, not our time, not according to our wishes, but according to the fullness of dispensation, according to what is best for the fullness of the Gospel as it comes to us and is given to all of us.  So today, let us consider the events in our lives, what we would desire, the things we may fervently believe, and God's time.  That is, what is truly needed at what time.  The prophets foresaw by the Spirit of Christ, and yet Peter is not ready for the heroic death he proclaims in service to his Lord.  But that time would come when it was the right time, after Peter's great transformation into the leader and apostle he was truly to become.  Let us consider this death on the Cross, of the One who laid down His life so that all of us could be saved in the fullness of the Spirit.  In that gift, as Peter's letter suggests, is also His Gospel -- the Gospel of the One who loved even His apostle who would deny Him three times during the trial by night.  He sees who we may be in the fullness of His time and of His Spirit, in His love.  Peter asks, "Lord, where are You going?"  It is the Spirit that will bring him the fullness of the Way, in the time of God's choosing.

Lord, where are You going?

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward." Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake." Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

- John 13:36-38

Today is Good Friday, and for our reading the lectionary has given us Jesus' foretelling of Peter's betrayal. In the Gospel itself, this prediction is placed in a very interesting context. It comes right after Jesus has told His disciples, at the Last Supper, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

And on the other side of today's reading, just after the prediction of Peter's betrayal, Jesus teaches: "Let not your heat be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."

Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward." My study bible notes on this verse: "Jesus is saying, 'You cannot die with Me now, but you shall later.' This is a prediction of Peter's martyrdom." After the Holy Spirit is sent upon the world, so much will change for the Apostles. In the great figures of the Gospels, perhaps none is illustrated so vividly as the change that will come to St. Peter. He is always the excessive, exuberantly emotional one -- he gets carried away with his feelings. When Jesus wished to wash the disciples' feet, Peter at first refused. When Jesus explained that He must do this, that otherwise, Peter "would have no part with Him," Peter exclaimed, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Throughout the Gospels, we see similar evidence of his character. But he truly will become the "Rock" of the name which Jesus has given Him, a great leader of the Apostles and of the early Church. All that is in his character will be crystalized to shape and form someone upon whose shoulders (among others, of course) the church could be built. And in his death, he will die among the greatest of martyrs, and in humility he will ask to be crucified upside-down, so as not to claim equality with His Lord. It will be extraordinary courage and wisdom that will be the hallmark of his apostleship and leadership.

Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake." Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times." And so, with the understanding we have of what Peter will indeed become, we read again of his fast exuberance, his great declarations of love, and of loyalty even to the death. But Jesus knows him, as He also knows us. Peter will deny Him three times that very night. And this will be done out of cowardice before a servant girl.

So, what do we gather from today's passage, and its context of the Commandment of Love, and the promise of the "many mansions" that await those who will be gathered to him? Just this, that love encompasses all of who we are, that Jesus knows who we are -- He, as Christ, is the "heart-knower," as the Apostles (notably Peter) will later refer to Him. Given Peter's vacillating and emotional character, how else does Jesus come to name him "Rock"? (This is the meaning of the Greek word "Petros" - which in English has become "Peter.") We recall also Peter's centrality to our faith: it was at his confession of faith that Jesus was the Christ that this happened. "The rock" is the confession itself; it is this rock of faith upon which the Church is built, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. But it was Peter who made that first confession recorded in the Gospel. And in that faith -- in that confession, which belongs to all of us who do the same in truth in our hearts -- we find this powerful bond, this rock, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail nor conquer. In that bond of faith we find our Friend, the Comforter, who shall lead us into the mansions of which Jesus speaks, through the love of God. After Peter's denial, he returns to the fold of the Apostles. He may as well have repeated his words from the Gospel, "Lord, to whom else shall we go?" He returns, and he is forgiven, and he will go on to lead and to establish the Church in so many fundamental ways. Together with the other Apostles (and martyrs) who are "sent out," and with St. Paul, that other towering figure who underwent tremendous change as a disciple of Christ, Peter establishes for us what it is to live in love in that bond of faith which in which is held the strength of this impregnable rock. It includes all that we are, and Christ's forgiveness in our repentance and transformation into those who may enter those mansions. May we remember this as we go through our lives with our own weaknesses and lack of character and courage, and have the strength and love of that rock of faith to go forward, following Christ in repentance from our failings, and know forgiveness, growth, service, love.