Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him

 

 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

 

- Matthew 2:1–12 

 

Yesterday, we read the final chapter of Mark's Gospel:  Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee;  there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."  This Herod the king is also known as Herod the Great, who ruled Judea from 37-4 BC.   He was the father of Herod Antipas, who will play a role in Jesus' adult life.  Herod the king was a great builder; he was also known as Herod the Builder.  His greatest project was the remodeling and expansion of the temple in Jerusalem, which became known as one of the architectural wonders of the world.  But he was also a cruel leader, even in a world in which leaders were known for their cruelty and absolute use of power.  My study Bible says that an ancient prophecy of Jacob indicated the Messiah would come when a king ruled who was not from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10).  As Herod was a non-Jew calling himself the king of Judea, the coming of Christ was surely at hand.   The wise men, or magi, who come from the East (most likely Persia), were the scholars of their time.   In the Old Testament, my study Bible notes, Balaam (Numbers 23, 24) was one of their predecessors -- a Gentile who anticipated the Messiah.  These foreigners, it says, prefigure the Church, in which membership is determined by faith and not by ethnic lineage.  The star proclaims the extraordinary birth of Christ.  To the ancient pagans, a star signified a god, a deified king (Numbers 24:17).  Christ being born under this star fulfills the prophecy in Psalm 109:3 (Septuagint) and shows all of creation participating in the Incarnation.  (See also Psalms 19:1, 148:3.)

 

 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:  'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"  My study Bible comments that Herod had to summon the Jewish leaders because he knew little about the Jewish Messiah and he feared losing his throne to this newborn King.  The chief priests were the political and religious leaders of the Jews, and the scribes were high cabinet officers.  They knew where the Messiah was to be born, but in spite of all the signs being in place, they had no idea that He had come (see Jesus' remark at Matthew 16:3).  The text quotes from the prophecy of Micah 5:2.

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.   On the fact that the wise men came into the house, my study Bible remarks that whereas the Jewish shepherds worshiped the Savior in the cave on the day He was born (Luke 2:8-20), the Gentile magi came to worship Him some time later.  By then, Joseph and Mary had found a house in which to dwell with Jesus.  This indicates, it says, that Christ first came to the Jews and then afterward was worshiped by the Gentiles.  In an Orthodox hymn which is sung at Compline of the Nativity, the significance of the Magi's gifts is revealed:  "Gold is for the King of ages.  Frankincense is for the God of all.  Myrrh is offered to the Immortal One, who shall be three days dead."

 

What are the significance of these gifts to Jesus brought by the worshiping Magi?  Gold is a traditional gift fit for a king, the most precious metal and purified substance.  Frankincense was such a precious commodity in the ancient world, as it was used for worship all around the Mediterranean and Near East, that the first great trade route of the world was the Incense Route, long before there was a Silk Route.  So frankincense was proper for a god.  Also traded on the Incense Route was myrrh, used in worship but also especially as preservative for the important rites of the dead, thus fit, in the words of the hymn, for "the Immortal One, who shall be three days dead."  What we have in these gifts, then, is a testimony to the understanding of these ancient wise men who come from the East, suggesting the universality of the Christian message and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  For if even these men, simply because they are the scholars of their time, understand this about Jesus, then surely it reveals that although He is born a King in Bethlehem, and from the tradition and prophecy of the Jews, He is meant for the world and to be grasped and understood around the world.  That these ancient wise men could understand the significance of the Christ is testimony to the universal capacity for the reception of the gospel and Person of Jesus Christ the Savior.  As my study Bible points out, Luke gives us the similar reception of the shepherds in the cave, as they were made wise, so to speak, by the revelation of the angels (Luke 2:8-20).  Let us note also the role that the "unseen world" of the angels plays in the wisdom of the Magi, for they comprehend the divine warning given in a dream, and heed the message.  Let us note the contrast with the powerful King Herod, and his advisors the great and learned men of Israel, the chief priests and the scribes, who are the experts in Scripture, and should know about this King born in Bethlehem even if no one else knows.  But, as St. Paul writes, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men . . . God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (see 1 Corinthians 1:25-27).   As we begin reading in Matthew's Gospel, let us ponder the nature of this revelation of Christ to the world, right from the beginning:  it hides itself from the mighty and their powerful learned advisors, and imparts divine wisdom to the humble and foolish, the outsiders and those on the margins, to come to worship and honor the One who is Lord of lords and King of kings.   So it was then, and so, it seems to me, it continues now.

Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John

 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.  He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."  And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this?  For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."  And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.  But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."  And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.  But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.  Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."

- Luke 1:13-25

On Saturday, we read from the beginning of Luke's story of the Gospel, of the unfolding of the mission of Christ in the world.  There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah.  His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.  And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.  But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.  So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.  And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.  Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

  But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John."  My study bible points out that Zacharias' prayer wasn't to have a son, but for the atonement of the sins of Israel (Hebrews 9:7).  Gabriel's announcement is a revelation both that Zacharias' prayer for atonement will be answered and that Elizabeth will conceive a son.  The atonement will be announced by John, who will identify Christ as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.  He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."   Elijah, according to my study bible, is expected to reappear from heaven as the forerunner of the second coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5).  John the Baptist fulfills the spirit of Elijah as he is the forerunner of the Lord's first coming -- as Jesus will teach (see Matthew 11:14).

And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this?  For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."  And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.  But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."  And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.  But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.   My study bible tells us, referring to Gabriel's word to Zacharias, You will be mute:  "Zacharias is disciplined for his lack of faith, yet this also serves as proof that Gabriel's announcement is true.  The silencing of the high priest also reveals a deeper mystery.  The Messiah was expected to fulfill three crucial roles held by various people in the Old Testament:  prophet, priest, and king.  Only Jesus Christ can be said to have fulfilled all three offices perfectly.  He is the true Prophet (Deut. 18:15-18), the true King (23:3; Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:1), and the true High Priest (Psalm 109:4; Hebrews 4:14).  In preparation for Christ's coming, God had silenced for the prophets for many years [we will speak further to this regarding verse 24 further on], and also permitted an illegitimate usurper to occupy the position of king of Judea [Herod the Great, who was not himself Jewish but called king of Judea].  Here, in the last days before Christ's coming, the high priest is also silenced.  With these three roles vacant, illegitimate, and silent, all is ready for the Son of God to be revealed as Prophet, King, and Priest."

So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.  Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."  My study bible tells us that the conception of St. John the Baptist is celebrated liturgically in the Eastern Church on September 23, confirming the sanctity of marital relations for those past childbearing years.  Since the time of Malachi, God had not sent a great prophet to Israel (see 1 Maccabees 9:27).  It says, "Silencing of the prophets served to heighten the anticipation of the Messiah and to make it all the more evident when He came.  As John the Baptist was the prophet preparing the way for Christ, he was kept hidden until Christ was conceived [Elizabeth hid herself].  Once Christ was conceived, John was revealed through the prophetic act of leaping in Elizabeth's womb."

 We see the importance of prophecy to the Gospels, and to the whole of Scripture, the whole arc of the word of God as we know it.  In today's story, Israel has been without prophets for many generations, and there is more to the story in that so many things are not as they should be.  The man on the throne who calls himself the king of Judea is not a Jew.  How can this be the place of the people of God without prophecy, and without a true king for the people?  It is a time when people are already anxiously looking for a redeemer, and the priest Zacharias prays for atonement for the people.  It is a time of expectation and need and hope.  Things are already awry, and barren in a certain sense of the nation of the people of God.  So we have Elizabeth, a woman whom God loves, who stands blameless in her heart as God knows her, but who has a reproach among the society because she has no child.  She and her husband are by now older in years.  And yet the prophecy comes, the announcement of Gabriel.  They will have not just a son, but one filled with the Holy Spirit, a holy man who neither drinks wine nor strong drink.  He will "be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.'"   The quotation is from the prophecy of Malachi (4:5-6) regarding the return of Elijah.    As we have noted above, Christ will call John the one who returns in the spirit of Elijah.  So powerful is the word of the archangel that Zacharias' doubt is enough to render him mute in the face of this extraordinary message, Gabriel's unimaginable good news.  As we noted on Saturday, an archangel bearing an announcement brings something beyond our understanding and comprehension, and represents a power that is uncontainable and unpredictable.  We have only to accept as a response; any other brings its consequences to us, so great is this power with which we interact.  It is a time of the "breaking in" of the kingdom of heaven, a time when God's power is asserting itself and revealing things to us "which will be fulfilled in their own time," as Gabriel says to Zacharias.  God is breaking into history, shaking up a situation in which there is so much that has seemed to go wrong, and this cannot happen without a kind of violence that tears the curtain between heaven and earth (as will literally happen with the curtain of the temple at Jesus' death).  John is the prophet who straddles both the Old Covenant and the New.  He is the last in the line of the Old and the first in the line of the New. He is the Forerunner (Prodromos in the Greek).  He is the herald who will bear the news before the arrival of the king, preparing the people for this event.  His life will be one of great sacrifice for this purpose.  From his conception, his gracious life will bear out this role, as we will see.

Wisdom is justified by all her children

Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'" And that very hour He cured many infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things that you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.'

"For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

'We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned for you,

And you did not weep."

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread not drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by all her children."

- Luke 7:18-35

In yesterday's reading, Jesus healed the servant of a centurion and the only son of a widow was brought back to life from death. Two stories: both of people on the margins of this particular society -- one a man of wealth and power and many servants and men he commands, the other a woman who has lost everything and is facing destitution. The centurion is a man of great virtue: humility and compassion and faith, the woman moves Jesus' compassion for her. The crowds with Jesus and with the woman all marvel: "God has visited His people."

Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'" John the Baptist was put into prison shortly after he had baptized Jesus, and therefore has not been a witness to His ministry. The expectations of the Coming One are many, defined by prophets: see for example these passages from Micah, Zechariah and Malachi. My study bible says that John "probably has not heard Jesus teach, nor seen His many miracles. John also anticipates that Jesus will judge at His first coming, whereas Jesus comes to save and heal. John's question indicates either a desire to obtain secure knowledge or an intent to guide his own disciples to Jesus." Many of Jesus' disciples (including among the Twelve Apostles) were first disciples of John; in a sense they were prepared for discipleship with Jesus having followed John first. John's question reflects the expectations concerning the Messiah, or the Coming One. The reiteration of the question in this passage underscores its great importance.

And that very hour He cured many infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things that you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Jesus responds to John's question -- posed by John's disciples -- with a display of His healing power. These are "miraculous messianic deeds" as my study bible puts it. His words back to John also reflect prophecy about the Messiah, the Coming One: see these passages from the prophet Isaiah.

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.'" Jesus speaks to the crowds who now follow Him everywhere, as His reputation has grown so great. He chastises them regarding John the Baptist -- a man of tremendous humility and holiness, who practiced a kind of radical poverty, and is now in prison. He is a prophet in the mold of a prophet, and Jesus claims him to be the messenger referred to in prophecy (see these passages from Isaiah and Malachi). Again, we are in the realm of expectations and of prophecy -- and there is more to this: Jesus settles the question of any rivalry between them with the seal of union. John was the great messenger of the prophets; there is no division between them despite their seeming differences.

"For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. My study bible says, "Christ recognizes John as the greatest prophet. John belongs to the period of the Old Covenant; the Kingdom of God is inaugurated through Christ. The New Covenant so far surpasses the old that the least in the kingdom is greater than John." John's baptism of repentance, then, in preparation for the Coming One, was -- in the eyes of the Evangelist -- a part of the will of God for His people, of opening up their eyes to what was coming. In such a declaration, we again have a seamless picture given us of transition from the Old to the New, with John the Baptist serving in harmony with Jesus in the context of the One who is to come, the correct expectations of prophecy. There is no division; rather there is fulfillment, with each playing his role in God's great spiritual economy. And this "economy" includes "all the people" who heard, "even the tax collectors" who had received the baptism of John. The only ones excluded are those who have rejected this for themselves, who believe they knew better and have their own "roles" and positions to secure: the Pharisees and the lawyers. The Evangelist tells us flatly here that John's baptism was by the grace of God, and those who rejected it are out of step. It indicates, according to my study bible, a "hardness of heart and no receptivity to the grace of the Kingdom of God."

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned for you, And you did not weep." For John the Baptist came neither eating bread not drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by all her children." Jesus is referring in the verses of chant to a children's game, in which there were two sides. One group of children pretended to be either musicians playing a tune for a dance or mourners at a funeral, and the other would have to respond properly by either dancing or weeping. He compares the leadership (the Pharisees and lawyers referred to above) to such children, who commanded one thing or another, and complain that the other group did not respond properly. Their criticisms of John referred to his austerity, and their criticisms leveled at Jesus and His disciples refer to lack of fasting (see again this previous reading in Luke). And once again, Jesus unites what appear to be diverse teachings and teachers -- a diversity between Himself and John the Baptist, by using the phrase: "Wisdom is justified by all her children." We cannot put limits on the mind nor the manifestation of God in the world: this "wisdom" is that of the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit may work in each of us in seeming contradiction and in our uniqueness but for the true spiritual economy of the world in united purpose. We can see the same in the diverse lives of the saints and holy people who've come before us: a radical uniqueness in the abundance of life and personality as developed through holiness -- but each serving the same ultimate purpose in the divine economy of God.

So here we have a mingling of prophecy and expectations, and those who accept or reject the new -- and even the greatest of the old, because they cannot accept it and cannot perceive the spiritual reality at work. What does it mean when the holy appears and defies expectations? How can we keep from that critical mind that only finds fault because it secretly does not want to accept the radically new and unique appearance of the holy that may defy our personal or worldly expectations, and disappoint our hopes in terms of position for ourselves? How do we keep our hearts and eyes and ears open to the work of the holy in our midst? This is the great question here, and Jesus continually invites us to open our eyes to the work of the Spirit, to the manifestation of the holy, by posing these questions here, and pointing out the great economy of God in the work of both John the Baptist and Himself. God may appear to us in rags, in radical poverty -- or perhaps in the form of a Teacher who eats and drinks and celebrates with His students. But both work for the same purpose, and are doing their part. How do we get to the place where we participate and accept likewise? How do we see the union rather than the seeming contradiction? Where do we go to escape the critical mind that blinds us to our own self-centeredness, and vaunted expectation? Perhaps it is as simple as the question of John the Baptist: we hold our minds open, and ask in prayer to the One. Jesus' ministry of grace was not exactly what was expected -- judgment deferred. But John has his mind open to the purposes of God. Can we do the same without setting our own limitations on God? Can we see God's united purpose in seeming diversity and uniqueness of the expression of the holy?