But if you had known what this means, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice," you would not have condemned the guiltless

 

 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.  

 

- Matthew 12:1-14 

 

Yesterday we read that, follow His defense of John the Baptist, Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  

 

  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!"  My study Bible comments that the Pharisees are rigid in their legalism.  While the Law allowed plucking a few heads of grain in a neighbor's field (Deuteronomy 23:25), they consider this "reaping" and therefore unlawful 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?"  Here Jesus provides Old Testament examples of blameless "violations" of the Sabbath.  In so doing, He demonstrates that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God, my study Bible says.  It notes that the partaking of the showbread by David and his men (1 Samuel 21:4-6) prefigures the Eucharist.  In the Old Testament, this was forbidden to anyone except the priests; but in Christ it is given to all the faithful. 

 

"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."  Jesus is the author of the Law that was given to Moses, and therefore Lord over all of it.  As Lord, my study Bible says, He teaches that mercy takes precedence over regulations, ordinances, and ritualistic observances.  

 

 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.  Once again, Jesus demonstrates the power of mercy, to do good, and to heal.  But the Pharisees are having none of it, and see only His challenge to them. 

 

Jesus' courage in the face of those who criticize is an example of what it is not simply to follow conscience to but allow a love of God to come first before all else.  He brilliantly combines the two greatest commandments in the Law (according to Him), which are first, to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind; and second, to love one's neighbor as oneself (see Matthew 22:34-40; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18).  Of course, as Lord (that is, in His divine identity as Son), He is author of the Law, as my study Bible says.  But He has come into the world to teach us about God, to reveal the Father, and to live as a human being among us, to teach us what it looks like to live a holy life pleasing to God.  Perhaps, as those who seek to be faithful to Him, our greatest challenge in life is balancing these two greatest commandments as He does, and seeking discernment in applying them to our lives and to inform our choices.  In St. John's Gospel, we read another criticism of the religious rulers on the Council.  John writes, "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 12:42).  This also gives us perspective on Jesus' act of healing in today's reading.  For there is a kind of courage necessary in this dedication to both God and to neighbor.  Perhaps it is inevitable that, in seeking to live the commandments of Christ, we also will come up against systems of social order and community or even family norms that see us as rocking the boat, so to speak -- or challenging authority of those who are used to being in that position.  In St. John the Evangelist's criticism of the religious rulers, we find a kind of desire to be praised by others that supersedes the values of loyalty and love of God, and also of neighbor which calls for compassion, for mercy.  The Pharisees in today's reading are zealously guarding their positions of authority, and their legalism is part of how they exert that authority.  Jesus is neither a famous rabbi nor is He a Levitical priest; therefore, in their sight He has no authority they recognize.  In our own lives, in seeking both to please God and to practice compassion, we will likely come up against similar circumstances and forces but in all kinds of varied forms that may apply to our own societies and worldly norms.  In the commentary on yesterday's reading, we began to discuss the topic of "healthy shame" (as opposed to toxic shame).  Here Jesus demonstrates that healthy shame for us in two ways, He acts out of love for God and in following the Father's will, and at the same time, acts out of compassion for a fellow human being who is hurting and handicapped by a withered hand.  The "healthy shame" that is incurred through Christ's loyalty to God, and His courage in incurring the envy and enmity of the Pharisees demonstrates for all of us what exactly that looks like for a human being.  Likely many of us understand what it is to make such choices, for often when we're asked for repentance and change through our faith.  In making such changes, we find that we come up against social structures we're used to, and which others are used to, and the changes in our own behavior and habits are discomforting or disconcerting.  A person with an unhealthy addiction, for example, in seeking to follow a Twelve Step program, will often need to change relationships with those habits and people who either trigger the addiction or in some way enable it, whether they mean to do so or not.  A compulsive perfectionist (through toxic shame) will likely need to change in ways that disturb settled family relationships and habits.  When it is God who takes priority over other loyalties, or when compassion asks of us something different from what we or our social circle are used to or expect, then courage -- of which Christ is our greatest example -- is called for.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 

 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."  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 8:1-17 

 

 Yesterday we read the final verses of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Jesus taught,  "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that 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.  My study Bible reminds us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 - 14.  In Deuteronomy 24:8 we find the description of the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible says that leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or worship in synagogues or in the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), yet Jesus touched the leper, and showed His compassion, revealing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean (Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).  

 

 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 (who was a Gentile) commanded 100 men in a Roman legion.  Jesus is the Savior of all, my study Bible tells us, and in Him all ethnic distinctions are void.  

 

And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   My study Bible says that Jesus' reply, I will come, has been read as a question by many Greek scholars:  "Shall I come?" In any case, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile, even to enter into his house, which would make Him unclean in the eyes of the Jews.  

 

 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 tells us that the centurion expresses unusual faith in Jesus, who is a Jew, by calling Him Lord.  This 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!"  There are only two places in the Gospels in which we're told that Jesus marveled.  One was at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here at the belief of this foreigner.  

 

 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.  Here Christ nullifies any concept of ethnic superiority, my study Bible tells us.  The rejected sons of the kingdom are both Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith.  Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (Enoch 103:8).  These are common expressions in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).  This is also found at 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."  My study Bible notes that this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (where St. Peter is called Cephas) indicate that he was married.  My study Bible adds that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  In this case, He heals by touch; but in the case of the centurion's servant (above) Christ healed by a word.  This healing is immediate and complete; others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or require the cooperation of the person healed or of his loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  As the final quotation in today's reading reveals (from Isaiah 53:4), all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.  

 

 The final quotation in today's reading (from Isaiah) emphasizes something essential to the story of Christ and of Christianity.  It gives us a sense of the Cross, and the Cross is at the center of all things in our faith.  In our own encounters with others, we're encouraged to imitate Christ in that we might have our own sacrifices to make, but when we do so as we attempt to follow Him, our own crosses lead to resurrections, just like the Cross of Christ.  So every healing that we witness in the Gospels is in some sense also like a crucifixion, but lead to a resurrection.  Christ is clearly putting Himself out for all in His ministry; He has come into public ministry to serve, and He does so both by teaching and through His miracles and signs, through the casting out of demons and also of healing.  All of this goes together.  St. Paul also images this vulnerability of the Cross and its sacrifice when he writes of his own infirmity in addressing the Corinthians.  He writes, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 7-10).  We do not know exactly what was St. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" but he speaks of suffering, likely a physical ailment, and characterized it as a messenger of Satan specifically sent to buffet (meaning repeatedly strike) him, a kind of evil oppression.  But God's response is the response of the Cross, and St. Paul's own cross, as he explains, "lest [he] be exalted above measure." the Lord's response is pure grace, and St. Paul's final word the image of the Cross:  "For when I am weak, then I am strong." It is his own weakness and vulnerability, the sacrifice of various hardships for the gospel he preaches, in which Christ's power all the more shines through him.  This is resurrection, even healing, if you will, in the midst of difficulties and tribulations.  Jesus is the same, the prime example of the image of the Cross, for as He preaches and heals and ministers, so His power is magnified and spread through the world, even as He is persecuted and living a life of sacrifice.  The Cross, of course, is the ultimate sacrifice as well as the greatest power, for it will defeat death for all of us that we may follow Him to eternal life.  In today's reading, Jesus exemplifies sacrifice in that He will touch a leper, and dare to enter the centurion's home, each of which can easily earn him condemnation and public opprobrium.  But it is the Lord's power that shows through all that He does and magnifies Him in glory, even as He serves all.  

 

 

You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and he sent Me

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone will to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  

 

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  

 

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as he taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and he sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" 

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?" 

 

- John 7:14-36 

 

On Saturday we began chapter 7 of John's Gospel.  Chapter 6 will be visited after this week, but we're to understand that the controversial events of that chapter figure into the setting here.  After these things (particularly including Jesus' teaching that He is the Bread of Life, establishing the foundation for the Eucharist) Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

  Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone will to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  My study Bible comments that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  It notes that spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize His authority.  St. John Chrysostom is cited as paraphrasing Christ in this way:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."

 

 "Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Once again, Jesus is being sought for a blameless violation of the Sabbath rule (among other things).   That is, for His healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath at the Feast of Weeks, also known as the Old Testament Pentecost, celebrating the giving of the Law (see this reading).  Here He gives another example of a blameless violation of the Sabbath, that of circumcision, and compares it to making someone completely well.  

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as he taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and he sent Me."  The crowds claim, "We know where this Man is from."   But, my study Bible comments, the crowds are mistaken, both in an earthly sense and also in a divine sense.  Humanly speaking, they believe tat Jesus is from Nazareth of Galilee, but He was actually born in Bethlehem, and they're not aware of this (see verse 42; also Luke 2:1-7).  Beyond this, they can't understand that He has come from the Father in Heaven, eternally begotten before all ages, and therefore His divine "origin" also remains unknown to them. 

 

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"    The text tells us that His hour had not yet come:   Christ's hour is the time of His suffering and death.  He is the Lord over time, my study Bible explains, an authority which is possessed by God alone.  He comes to the Cross of His own free will, and in His time, and not according to the plots of human beings (see John 8:20; 10:39).

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  Here Christ is referring to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven ("I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come").  To go among the Greeks means to go among the Gentiles.  My study Bible calls this an unwitting prophecy which points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles. 

 

Jesus asks, "Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered Him, saying, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Note how quickly they tell Him He has a demon, suggesting He's out of His mind and imagining things, or perhaps, as we'd say today, He's paranoid.  It's telling, perhaps, that the people answer Him, asking, "Who is seeking to kill You?"  For we know at least some among the religious leaders are already plotting to kill Him.  Perhaps the people who answer don't know this.  But on the other hand, a little further down, some from Jerusalem already have heard there is a plot against Jesus to kill Him.  They say, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?"  John's Gospel is quite clever in how it suggests to us the huge mixture of responses that swirl around Jesus.  Some from Jerusalem have heard that the religious rulers want to catch Him and kill Him.  Others think He's beside Himself for saying so.  Some notice that the rulers are not saying anything to Jesus, and they say, "But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?"  Isn't this behavior rather typical even of today, with all of our social media and an interconnected entire world, in which people wonder what the leaders know, and what they aren't telling us?  Perhaps the Gospel is quite reassuring to us in that literally nothing much has changed, as much as we think truly that the world has changed in some respects.  All the rumors, and gossip, things half true and half false, the wrong assumptions, and wrong information about where Jesus is truly from (they think He's from Galilee but don't know He was born in Bethlehem) -- all of these suggest to us the modern world and the myriad rumors we can hear about anything, repeated and stretched and turned and twisted one way or another, all available on social media to all who have a voice.  So Jesus walks amidst the same world that you and I do, only He is the Son of Man, the Messiah, both fully divine and fully human, and yet He's misunderstood, and plotted against, and will be betrayed, and defied.  We should take heart that this is the same world, and that He's come before us with His light and truth in order to show us how we, too, should walk through it -- and giving us what is true and what is false.  Even though the people of Israel devoutly hoped in a Messiah, Jesus will be a rejected because He will not be what they expect, what they wanted -- and also because of the plots of the religious leaders who conspire to rid themselves of One so impressive  and well-known to the people.  Note that even while He is there at this festival, the religious leaders send officers, temple police, to seize Him.  Later we read, therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"   So there are those among the people who believed in Him, remarking upon His signs.  So some intuit the truth, although full faith is based not only upon the signs He performs.  But it's not yet His time, His hour has not yet come.  This, too, should reassure us that even in the midst of a chaotic, turbulent, fickle, and frightening world, Jesus is still in charge of the time, God's unfolding has a certain reality to it that we don't perceive.  As Jesus says earlier, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17).   In this world of betrayal we don't expect, things unseen and hidden, plots we can't even imagine, let us take heart that this, too, remains true.  The Father has been working until now, and Christ is working, and so is the Holy Spirit.  It is there we meet our faith midst the world that swirls around us, and there we must remain and stay rooted, for it is the certain reality we can trust and cling to.  Jesus declares, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and he sent Me."  Let us stay true to the One who is true. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What comes out of a man, that defiles a man

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of the disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

'This people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

"For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  

 

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand?  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

 

- Mark 7:1-23 

 

Yesterday we read that when evening came (following Christ's feeding of the five thousand), the boat of the disciples was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus was alone on the land where He had gone to pray.  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.   

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of the disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."   My study Bible frames this is as not concerning the observation of Jewish customs or tradition, which Christ does not prohibit (Matthew  5:17-19; 23:23).  The conflict here is setting human tradition which is contrary to the tradition of God, such as that which was given to Moses for the people.  The tradition of the elders is a body of interpretations of the Law.  For the Pharisees and the scribes this became as authoritative as the Law and often superseded it.  According to that tradition, offerings (which were called Corban) could be promised to God in a way that property or earnings could still be used for oneself, but not for anybody else, including a person's parents, my study Bible explains.  It notes that secondary traditions like this obscure the primary tradition of the Law, contained in God's commandments.  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13.

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand?  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  My study Bible explains that Jesus teaches that food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure.  Evil things are not from God, and these are what defile a person.  

Sometimes Jesus' teachings on the internal life of a person can be somewhat confusing; or rather, the truth is, we might become confused about how they actually apply to our every thought, such as in His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount on murder and adultery (Matthew 5:21-30).  Jesus' emphasis there is on how such violations of the law begin within the heart, and the importance of guarding our hearts and knowing and correcting ourselves in this sense.  But here, His teaching, while it emphasizes the internal state of a person and one's heart, makes clear that what is truly defiling is the evil that comes out of the heart -- not simply restrictions of food.  Indeed, there are things we may avidly consume which are harmful and defiling to us (such as entertainments that encourage lust, violence, covetousness, the components of Christ's teachings about murder and adultery in the Sermon on the Mount just cited).  Jesus' emphasis here on what comes from within, out of the heart of men, is on evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness."  He says that all of these things are evil, and that they all come from within and defile a person.   Therefore, similarly to the teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, we are to guard our own heart in terms of the things we nurture and encourage within ourselves.  Clearly all of these things come from the heart, and so Christ is asking us to be aware of them, to be conscious of where our own spiritual vulnerabilities and temptations are, to correct ourselves and our thinking in this sense, before these things are acted upon.  (An evil eye, by the way is envy.)  It is easy to get caught up in outward appearances, showings of virtue in some sense, and to thus eliminate concern and care for the thoughts we nurture in our hearts as if they don't matter.  But this leads also to the hypocrisy that Christ condemns most vehemently in Matthew 23, His grand critique of the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees.  There, Jesus teaches His disciples that as teachers, the "scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do" (Matthew 23:2-3).  In other words it's not their teachings according to the tradition of Moses that are the problem, but rather their hypocrisy:  "For they say, and do not do."  The practices which He criticizes in today's readings are those things that easily lead to and cover hypocrisy, where greed or covetousness or lust, and all manner of corrupt behaviors that follow, are cultivated and covered by an outward appearance of virtue.  So while one may focus on how well one fasts, or how strictly one can follow outward "good" behavior, if we don't understand that everything we are and do, good and bad, comes from the heart, then we lose the sense of God's presence  to us, and how we need to fight the good fight of faith.  In simplicity and humility we approach God in this sense, for God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). The best of the practices of our faith, the things given in tradition such as fasting during Lent, making the sign of the Cross, all of our liturgical practices and prayer, the use of icons -- all of these things are good and proper when we make proper use of them to shore up our faith, to encourage others, and especially to cultivate and practice a deepening reliance upon God and to learn God's mercy and truth, and live by it in community.  But when the focus becomes purely outward we lose sight of the place to which Christ calls us, and the truth of His teachings in today's reading.  Much of our common life in this time focuses on outward appearance especially through the use of social media.  Many are all too aware of their presence online, what they present to others, how one is seen or can cultivate an image for outward consumption.  Let us also note that those things Christ names as evil things which come from the heart (evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness) can easily stem from and be cultivated by social media and popular culture.   We might call that emphasis on appearance before others and the ruthless demand to adhere to certain social choices our modern day "commandments of men," in the words of Isaiah quoted by Jesus.  An unrelenting focus on outward appearance before others may disrupt the deeply personal reality of faith and of the heart, encouraging us to follow and to fear the crowd more than we focus on the love of God first and its root in us.  Thus our real spiritual struggle becomes one of self-discipline and discernment, holding fast to the love of God first before all else.  Let us consider our focus and remember Christ's words and teachings in today's reading.  For there will always be those who criticize, but the love of God in the heart knows no rival for goodness and truth.

Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost

 

 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."  

 

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

 

- Luke 19:1–10 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.  Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more,"Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight.  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. 

 

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  My study Bible comments that, as mentioned in yesterday's reading and commentary, Jericho was notorious as a place of iniquity and is commonly associated with sinful living (see Luke 10:30).  

 

Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  My study Bible refers us to a passage we recently read, Luke 18:24-27.  It notes that this encounter between Christ and Zacchaeus in today's reading demonstates that grace can accomplish that which is impossible for human beings.  

 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."   My study Bible offers that there are many spiritual interpretations which express the universal significance of this encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus midst this crowd of people.    Theophylact, for example, sees the crowd as symbolizing sins.  He writes, "Crowded in by a multitue of passions and worldly affairs, he is not able to see Jesus."  St. Ambrose sees several parallels.  First, Zacchaeus is short, understood as indicating his being short on faith and virtue.  Second, Zacchaeus has to climb a tree:  this is understood as teaching that no one attached to earthly matters can see Jesus.   Finally, that Christ intended to pass that way reveals that He will approach anyone who is willing to repent and believe. 

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  My study Bible comments that Zacchaeus uses the term give for his free and generous offering to the poor, and the term restore for what he owes the people he had cheated -- and the latter was not a gift, but required by the law (Exodus 22:1).  In doing both, Zacchaeus is not only fulfilling the Law, but he also shows his love of the gospel.  

And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  My study Bible claims that the title son of Abraham indicates that Zacchaeus had become like this patriarch of Israel:  he was counted righteous by his faith, he became generous toward the poor, and he was united to the people of God.  Early records say that Zacchaeus went on to become a bishop of the Church.  

Jesus says, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."   Christ is repeating a theme that He brings to the gospel message over and over again:  that He has come to seek and to save that which was lost.   The people complain not just that Zacchaeus is a sinner, but one that is perhaps a bit larger than life, if we could put it that way.  Jewish tax collectors, like Zacchaeus, were despised not simply for collecting taxes.  For one thing, they worked for the hated Roman occupiers, and against their fellow Jews.  For another thing, as part of their collaboration with the Romans, they were backed by the Roman power of the state and military; hence, they were free to use this power to collect extra monies for themselves and extort them from their fellow Jews.  One can just imagine the perspective of the average people regarding this kind of work and practice, and where the often scathing point of view of those in positions of religious authority like the Pharisees comes from.  In Luke chapter 15 we read of one such encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes, in which they observed Him receiving and eating with tax collectors and sinners, and complained about it.  In response Jesus gave three parables about seeking and recovering that which was lost:  the parable of the Lost Sheep, the parable of the Lost Coin, and the parable of the Prodigal or Lost Son.  Each of these gave the perspective of God -- and specifically of Jesus as Son of Man in His mission in the Incarnation -- of seeking and finding that which was lost.  Today in the story of Zacchaeus we have yet another important confirmation of this aspect of Christ's ministry and mission into the world as Jesus the Messiah.  Zacchaeus is a rather extreme example, and for a number of reasons.  First of all, he's not just a regular tax collector.  Zacchaeus is a chief tax collector.  He directs and has others working under him doing this despised work, considered sinful by the community.  Second, Zacchaeus not only holds this high position for the Romans, but he's rich.  Undoubtedly he got that way through his work and the extortion practices enabled by his position.  There's the additional image of Zacchaeus as someone who is short in stature; therefore he's not impressive but diminutive, and climbing up a tree -- even to see Christ -- is a sort of embarrassing thing for a man in his position to do.  But nevertheless, these two details give us an image that is somewhat humbling.  Zacchaeus has an enthusiasm to see Jesus that turns the intimidating image of the "chief tax collector" into a person who's heedless of what kind of figure he's cutting in the world, in front of this crowd.  Such things invite ridicule, and he (wittingly or unwittingly) subjects himself to that in the midst of people who despise him.  But Jesus another plan and another vision in mind that differs from the crowd and popular opinion, and even the history of Zacchaeus.  Jesus sees something that one can only see from a perspective far beyond the crowd, even above that tree Zacchaeus climbs to get a glimpse of Him.  Jesus sees a son of Abraham desiring to be reclaimed.  Jesus reads a part of Zacchaeus nobody else can see, the part that wants to return to the Lord so badly.  Let's observe Jesus taking the initiative and responding to seeing Zacchaeus climb that tree.  He calls Zacchaeus from out of the crowd, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  And with that invitation, Zacchaeus opens wide his soul to Christ, returning to the Lord with a righteous choice:  "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  He re-establishes himself in relation to the Lord, and in so doing, turns in righteousness to restore relations with his neighbors as well.   In these two practices, in accordance with the Law and also in giving to the poor, Zacchaeus embodies the two greatest commandments as given by Jesus:  love of God and love of neighbor (see Luke 10:25-28).  In so doing, Zacchaeus is reconciled to Christ and to his community, and this is a powerful reminder of what the promise of eternal life is all about.  It comes from a repentance that is a restoration at so many levels, wiping out the debt of sin and creating the bonds of community within the kingdom of God.  On His way to Jerusalem, and passing through Jericho as He passed through our world, Jesus offers to Zacchaeus what He will go on to offer all of us from the Cross, a gift of salvation, if we will but take it.  Zacchaeus grabs hold with all his heart, his mind, his two hands, his short legs, and large pocketbook.  But first, the passage tells us, he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  Let us do the same, and be thankful -- even joyful -- for what we're offered. 

  

 

 

 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:17-20 

 

In our present readings, we are going through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible comments that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions by doing several things.  First, He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15).  Second, He transgresses none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46, 14:30).  Moreover, He declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He is about to deliver to the people as He preaches this Sermon on the Mount.  And finally, He grants righteousness, which is the goal the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31, 8:3-4, 10:4).  Jesus fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold; a living fulfillment of faithfulness and righteousness.

 

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  In the Greek text, Christ's word translated here as assuredly is "amen."  It means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," in the definition of my study Bible.  Here (and elsewhere) Christ uses it as a solemn affirmation; it's a form of oath.  My study Bible describes Christ's use of this word at the beginning of certain proclamations (rather than at the end) is unique and authoritative.  He declares His words affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot (in Greek, iota, what we might read as the equivalent of the letter "i") is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in some Hebrew letters.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed here as the foundation of Christ's new teaching, out of which will be a renewed, new covenant.  All is fulfilled, my study Bible tells us, refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.

 

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."   My study Bible comments here that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  It is not meant to be taken piecemeal.  It explains that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.  

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."   My study Bible explains that righteousness which leads to salvation must exceed that of the Pharisees because theirs was  an outward, works-based righteousness.  But the righteousness of salvation is the communion of heart, soul, mind and body in Jesus Christ. 

As a Jew, Jesus is a faithful Jew.  He has not come to dismantle or to destroy, but rather to fulfill the aims of the whole Law.  The Law (Torah or Pentateuch, meaning the first five books of the Old Testament) is given as a way to gather community, to create and sustain the community of the people of God.  It is meant to give a code of righteousness, a way to build and create right-relatedness with God as the center of the community.  This is why we must have a sense of what the is as a whole concept.  Like other ancient civilizations, this sense of law or code gave definition to a people, and conferred identity and belonging.  This is why it is taken as a whole; where the observance of the least remains an observance of the Law as a whole concept; and a violation remains a violation of a whole in this sense of what is necessary for community.  The system of sacrifices (meaning communal meals) and offerings and the various teachings in the Law are meant for reconciliation and righteousness within the community, and the sustaining of that identity of a people.  For the ancient Athenians, for example, the word that may translated into "law" in this sense is "nomos" in Greek, and it functioned as well to define people as Athenians.  For this reason, at the time of Christ, there were Jews who became Hellenes (as Athenians) and Greeks who became Jews (John 12:20).  So the sense of being one people was much more a focus on this type of code or set of laws that defined the people, rather than the concepts of race we're familiar with.  This is why, in the early Church, this would become an important issue when Gentiles began becoming Christians.  There were those who believed they should first become Jews, whereas St. Paul advocated that this full observance of the Law should not be necessary for those who were not Jews to begin with.  Eventually the very first Council of the Church decided these new Gentile members of the Church should observe these important mainstays of Torah: "they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality" (Acts 21:25).  As for the identity of those who came from pagan societies such as Athens and Rome, this would have to be forged in the light of Christ.  In other words, they retained their identity, but transfigured in the teachings of Christ and through the work of the Holy Spirit.  This is how, for example, we have theology:  those whom we call Church Fathers were fully educated in the classical culture of their time, which included encyclopedic knowledge of science and philosophy.  The applications of Greek philosophy but which served instead Christ the Lord is how we have theology.  In this sense, whatever was good and true and beautiful could serve the Person who was Truth.  In this way, we have a "renewed" covenant, not disparaging or doing away with the old (and our Bibles retain the Hebrew Scriptures), but rather teaching us righteousness and giving us identity as those who also may become "sons [and therefore heirs] of God."  In this understanding, Jesus teaches a righteousness which exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.   As He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, leaving nothing out, so He may become our means of salvation, our center around which we build right worship and right community, leaving nothing out of the salvation plan of God for the world.  In this context it is most important that we see the Eucharist as essential to worship, for through it we participate in His cup and His sacrifice for all of us and for all time.  St. Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  We are properly to understand it as communion, and communion with God in faith is the foundation of all righteousness.  This is what Jesus will proceed to teach us as He preaches the Sermon on the Mount.

 

 

 

 

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:17-20 

 

Currently the lectionary is going through the Sermon on the Mount.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." 

 

 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible comments here that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  He does so in three ways:  first, by performing God's will in all its fullness; second, by transgressing none of the precepts of the Law (John 8:46, 14:30); third,  by declaring the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which He was about to deliver to them; and finally by granting righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31, 8:3-4, 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they foretold.

 

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  Assuredly (in Greek, Amen) means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," my study Bible says.  Jesus uses this term here as a solemn affirmation, a form of oath.  Throughout His preaching, Jesus has used this word at the beginning of certain proclamations, rather than at the end.  My study Bible calls this unique and authoritative; He declares His words affirmed before they are even spoken.  A jot (iota in Greek) is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain letters in Hebrew.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching here in the Sermon on the Mount, the gospel of the Kingdom.  All is fulfilled refers to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ to come.

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  My study Bible comments that righteousness  according to the Law is a unified whole.  It notes that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered to be a violation of the whole Law.  

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."   Righteousness that leads to salvation has to exceed that of the Pharisees as theirs was an outward and works-based righteousness.  The righteousness of salvation includes all of who we are.  As my study Bible describes it, this righteousness is a salvation which includes the communion of the heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  

In terms of the righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, my study Bible points us to Romans 1:17 and 3:36.  In the first, St. Paul teaches this righteousness of Christ as one that is "revealed from faith to faith," and cites from Habakkuk 2:4, "The just shall live by faith."  My study Bible says that this combination used by St. Paul in Romans 1:17 ties together -- as Christ is doing first in the Sermon on the Mount -- both Old and New Testaments.  "The just shall live by faith" is the most often internally quoted passage in the entire Bible.  This cements the centrality of faithful living -- a faith that runs thoroughly within us -- as the key to the fullness of righteousness.  "From faith to faith" indicates that as we receive Christ through faith, then we must live by faith.  My study Bible says that in both Old and New Testaments, humanity has always participated in God's righteousness on the basis of faith.  Faith is more than belief; it is a way of life, from the inside to the outside -- and this constitutes what is understood as "purity," unadulterated by anything else.  My study Bible says that the faithful actively participate in God's righteousness through both belief and obedience.  In turn, this living by faith in Christ is meant to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:7; 15:13).   So, therefore, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets happens through this kind of faith.  That is, faith not merely as an assertion of intellectual belief, but as a life really turned over to Christ, so that we are thoroughly participating in that life which He brought into the world and lived faithfully as the "first fruits" for us.  As Christ became Incarnate, so He lived the life of obedience to the Father as a human being, and transfigured human life for all time, even ascending into heaven, merging both.  As we seek to participate, then, in Christ's life, we in turn are meant to be transfigured, a process which is steeped in mystery, as it includes the mercy and grace of God working in us, as we cooperate with our own obedience, faith, and love of God.  The desire to serve God which we will find in our hearts serves as a kind of engine for this process, a fire that drives us to  be open to God's guidance, to an instinctive love and need within ourselves, and to be healed by God in all the many ways we need it and the world needs it.  This is a love that works in our depths, and it is also a love that is "in action."  Like Christ, when we feel compassion to help others, to serve community, to give a good word, to heal -- in all of these activities prompted by love of God and neighbor we may participate in this active love.  This is righteousness, an active love and obedience lived in faith.  The desire to know God is likely the deepest desire human beings have in our souls.  It is my belief that many hungers and thirsts for other things are simply distractions and covers for this truly deep need for God's love, healing, and communion with our Creator.  For it is there we truly find ourselves, our lives, our purpose -- and the light that leads to that fulfillment which eternally beckons us forward.  That place is the kingdom of heaven where we wish to dwell, to truly live, at all times.  This needs our active seeking and cooperation and engagement, a true faith of righteousness.

This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

'This people honors Me with their lips, 

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me, 

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'

"For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" --  (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down  And many such things you do."

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  

 

- Mark 7:1–23 

 

Yesterday we read that, after sending the disciples across the sea and going Himself to the mountain to pray, when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and Jesus 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. 

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" --  (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down  And many such things you do."  My study Bible comments here that the issue Christ addresses is not the observation of Jewish customs or traditions, which He most certainly does not prohibit (Matthew 5:17-19; 23:23).  The issue, rather, is setting human tradition which is contrary to the tradition of God.  The tradition of the elders to which Jesus refers is a body of interpretations of the Law, which for the Pharisees and the scribes was as authoritative as the Law, and often superseded it.  According to this tradition, my study Bible explains, offerings (called Corban) could be promised to God in a way that property or earnings could still be used for oneself, but not for others -- including parents.  Secondary traditions like this one obscure the primary tradition of the Law, contained in God's commandments.

When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."   My study Bible explains that food cannot defile a person because it is created by God and is therefore pure. Evil things, it says, are not from God, and these are what defile a person.

Jesus tells His disciples, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  Jesus speaks of the heart, referring to it as the interior of a person.  This is the place where the reality of a person is found, the place where judgment would look at a person and discern the truth of what is there.  In the book of Samuel, we read that "the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).  This is what is "within" in Christ's phrase here.  And apparently, it is what we hang onto within ourselves that can defile us, the things that come from the heart.  The heart must be quite a busy place, indeed, as it is also the place of beauty.  In Matthew 12, Jesus speaks of the words that come out of our mouths as a kind of fruit of a tree.  For "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (see Matthew 12:33-37).  When we look at these sayings, as well as today's reading, we have to notice how the heart is linked with judgment, for good or for bad.  This is the place the Lord knows.  Indeed, another name for the Lord is the "heart-knower" (καρδιογνώστης/cardiognostes in Greek).  This is the word that is translated "who knows the heart" in Acts 1:24; 15:8.  Jesus is not implying that we control every single aspect of every thought we encounter.  But He is implying something quite important about the thoughts we nurture and harbor, and even cherish as treasure within ourselves.  If we look closely at His words in today's reading, He's speaking of character traits -- and once again we have to look at the things which we nurture, treasure, and develop within ourselves.  These are the things that become "treasure," for good or for evil.  When I was a child I would marvel at how dirty I could get playing outside, or possibly helping out at my grandmother's farm in the high summer heat.  As an adult there have been times I would marvel over the scrapes or difficult problems I found myself involved in, when I displeased the wrong person or made a mistake.  It's always a surprise, like a new morning, to discover that things we once thought were so difficult could be wiped clean and disappear -- we can find ourselves in a completely different place than we once felt pegged us in the eyes of others.  But it is the truth of Christ's statements here that are borne out through such experiences:  it's the things that we nurture within that stay with us and defile or beautify.  We can help someone in need and produce the fruits of beauty.  We can harm someone out of spite or our own short-comings and stain the heart with something we need to repent.  These are the things that stay with us, the things that go into making us the persons we are, the kind of fruit we bear in the eyes of Christ, the heart the Lord knows.  Where do we go to clean it and remove the stains, the things that hurt?  How do we know its beauty when it shines like gold in the kingdom of God?