Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone

 

 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  

 

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  

 

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

 

- John 6:1-15 

 

On Saturday, we read about Christ's healing of a paralytic at the temple in Jerusalem.  The religious authorities responded by accusing Christ of work on the Sabbath, as it was the Sabbath when the man was healed.  Jesus then began to respond to these accusations by the leaders in Monday's reading.  Yesterday, we read His continued dialogue with them:   "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

  After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  My study Bible begins its commentary on this passage by noting that the entirety of chapter 6 in St. John's Gospel is a parallel to the story of the Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt in a number of important ways.  As we read through those parallels, we will note them.  Regarding these verses, it's noted that in the Exodus account (Exodus 11 - 17) God first performed signs against Pharaoh, and then gave instructions on how to be saved at the time of the Passover (Exodus 11:1-12:14).  Here the multitudes follow Christ because of His signs, and this also takes place at Passover.  

 

 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  My study Bible says that Christ tests Philip to increase his faith, for Philip needed help in understanding Him (John 14:8-10).  Two hundred denarii would correspond to over six months' wages for a laborer.  It notes that Andrew has greater faith than Philip:  he knows that the prophet Elisha had multiplied bread for 100 men (2 Kings 2:42-44), and so offers the food brought by a lad.  However, Andrew still is weak in faith, as he questions what a mere five loaves could do for the number of people there.  

 

 Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  This miraculous feeding in the wilderness is the fourth sign of seven given in St. John's Gospel.  It's so essential to our understanding that it appears on all four Gospels.  The description of Christ as He took the loaves, gave thanks (in Greek, ευχαριστω/eucharisto), and distributed them prefigures the celebration of the Eucharist. There will be many more teachings in this chapter that shape our understanding of the Eucharist.  Here there is another parallel to the Exodus story in that, in the Exodus, the Jews were said to eat unleavened bread because they were hastily driven out of Egypt and had brought no provisions for themselves (Exodus 12:39).  In today's reading, Jesus feeds these five thousand men (and more women and children) with earthly bread because they'd brought no provisions, as they had rushed out to see Him.

 

 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.  Although Jesus had performed greater signs than this, my study Bible comments, these crowds were so desirous of an earthly Messiah that they declared Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19) only when they were filled with earthly things.  Because of this misunderstanding, Jesus departed from them.  

 

Perhaps we're given an all-too-common and all-too-human response to Christ in today's reading.  Because He has filled them with abundance in His compassion and hospitality, these people decide that they must make Him king -- even by force.  Jesus departs, perhaps suggesting to us how determined this crowd was to take Him.  Isn't it typical of human nature, in a certain degree, that once we discover something good or someone generous, then we possibly try to take advantage and use that resource for all it's worth?  It shows a kind of selfish ambition in these people, for their desire is for an envisioned earthly Messiah who would be a king providing for all their needs.  But this is clearly the last thing Jesus wants, and this is shown by His abrupt departure again to the mountain by Himself alone.  Perhaps they fail to see the compassion, and only the food they've been given.  It also shows a lack of understanding of grace, for grace is not a possession we can control and demand, but rather a gift of God with which we in turn must cooperate and learn to respect on its own terms, those terms set down by God.  Our attitude toward our blessings, and even to the fullness of our lives, really expresses in some sense the attitude we have toward God.  Do we understand how grace comes to us?  Are we filled with good things through the right prayers and formulas, a trick of manifestation?  Or are we meant to learn to live with God as guide, Father, loving Creator with Whom we in turn cooperate in our lives, and from whom we learn and grow in faith and obedience?  God's gifts -- here expressed through the compassion of Christ -- are meant to lead us more closely toward God, to help us to grow as we grow in understanding a loving Father, Teacher, Lord.  Honor due and respect due to Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit are things that must come with this territory, and these people who wish to take Him by force have failed to understand that.  They must come to know their place and His place, a particular righteous relationship of Creator and creature.  Our prayers are not meant to simply be demands for things we want and need, but rather a way to approach the One who loves us to our core, and in that love wishes to take us someplace, change us, help us to become something we can't make of ourselves alone.  For that we need faith, and we need to learn about faith and the things Jesus wants of us.  Just as we wouldn't wish for our own compassionate nature to be exploited by one whom we've received and treated in a gracious way, so we need to know God and understand how we are to be in relationship with God, the proper honor and veneration and trust that belongs there.  We need to take God on God's terms, not on our own.  A wise priest teaches, "We don't pray to change God, we pray so that God changes us."  Every relationship asks for proper terms, right relatedness (which is righteousness).  Let us learn from Jesus as He seeks to teach the people throughout this chapter.

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43–51 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the second day of Christ's earthly ministry in St. John's Gospel, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.   I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." Again, the next day [the third day given in the Gospel], John the Baptist stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

  The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  In yesterday's reading, we read about the calling of the first disciples, Simon (whom Jesus named Cephas, an Aramaic word meaning A Stone; Petros/Πετρος in the Greek, from which we derive the English name Peter); and then Andrew Simon Peter's brother.  There was another disciple led to Jesus by John the Baptist who was unnamed, and that is often surmised to be St. John, the author of this Gospel (as it was a custom for authors not to speak of themselves).  Here, Jesus calls Philip ("Follow Me") to become His disciple, and Philip found Nathanael.  Nathanael is also known to us as Bartholomew.  

 

  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  My study Bible comments that no deceit means both having a pure heart and also being straightforward with others.  

 

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."   My study Bible points out that what exactly occurred under the fig tree is not stated.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in his seeking of the Messiah.  Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into Nathanael's heart stir this confession of faith.  This is the fourth day given in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael.  My study Bible comments that they now see Christ as the true Light; the One revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  This parallels the establishment of the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively on the fourth day in Genesis 1:14-19.

 

And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  This title, Son of Man, is a title of the Messiah that, according to my study Bible, had a level of mystery in its meaning.  It indicated a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed of a ladder which connected earth to heaven, and upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is the "ladder" who unites earth to heaven, and therefore is this Son of Man.  

 

 In yesterday's reading and commentary we remarked on the building up of Christ's body of disciples, and of His Church.  This is not something that happens overnight, or in some seemingly miraculous or instantaneous way.  In keeping with the reality of Christ's Incarnation, Jesus builds His Church as human beings must build organizations and communities.  These first disciples, in fact, come one by one, and not as an entire group.  They are first called in a way that is distinctly personal.  That is, Christ's first disciples come by way of John the Baptist, and they were first disciples of the Baptist.  In yesterday's reading (see above), this is made clear as John twice refers to Jesus as the Lamb of God and testifies to his disciples about Him.  John the Baptist explicitly directs two of his disciples to Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God!" making it clear that He is the Christ.  These first two were Andrew and an unnamed disciple, often understood to be the Evangelist John himself.  From there Andrew found his brother Simon, whom we know as Peter after the name given him by Christ.  Following this (the next day) Jesus Himself found Philip, and called him, saying "Follow Me."  At this juncture, let us note the connections that happen one by one in this story.  There is John the Baptist, who teaches his own disciples about Jesus as the Lamb of God; one of these is Simon Peter.  Simon then finds his brother, Andrew.  From there Jesus finds Philip who has another kind of connection to this first set of brothers; he's from Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Simon.  Then Philip himself finds Nathanael and calls him to meet Jesus, saying, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  All of these so far are individual actions, pulling people together one by one.  They are personal in nature.  There are connections between these people besides their discipleship to John the Baptist:  two are brothers, another is from the same town as the brothers, and clearly Nathanael is a friend already known to Philip.  Then there is a kind of an interesting snag:  Nathanael is skeptical.  What good thing can come out of Nazareth?  Nazareth, the town in Galilee in which Jesus was brought up, was not known for any prophecies regarding holy people, or having a particularly special identity in terms of the spiritual history of Israel.  So Nathanael asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"   And Philip responds in an equally level-headed and down to earth way, "Come and see."  He's to find out for himself.  And, of course, Christ responds in a phenomenally positive way to all of this level-headed skepticism:  "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!"  All of this so far contains within it the most distinctively human elements we can find, of a sort of level-headed honesty we might even call "dull" in others, and a Messiah who praises that very quality for it possesses "no deceit."  There's no flight of fancy or fantasy for Nathanael.  We really cannot get less like the seeming mysterious or miraculous than such a story of gathering these particular people together.  This beginning of Jesus' ministry is as down to earth as it can get.  But then Nathanael immediately comprehends something about Jesus, that Jesus knows him, knows his heart.  Jesus tells him that He saw him under the fig tree before Philip called him, and Nathanael is convinced:  "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  But Jesus assures him, He will see much, much greater things than this.  He tells him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  This is a far more profound understanding of the Messiah than even the popular expectations of the Jewish people at the time, far greater than a King of Israel.  But Nathanael is rewarded for precisely his down to earth honesty, his complete lack of pretense.  It's a humbly human story, with disciples called one by one, not a mass of people convinced by something miraculous and stupendous in its effect, and a story that is built through a very personal faith which acts in the heart, a knowing of the soul, a recognition.  All of these very human elements in this story are a necessary part of the Incarnation, God's chosen way to make Himself know to His people.  And yet, hidden in plain sight, so to speak, is the very Ladder dreamt of by Joseph, upon whom the angels of God ascend and descend.  Jesus does not come into the world with great fanfare, with huge displays of power, with an overwhelming compulsion for people to follow Him or to do what He says.  He comes out of Nazareth relatively "unknown," but identified by the Holy Spirit to John the Baptist -- and from there, in this intimate personal way, his followers grow one by one, as called by Him, and led by the Baptist who prepared the way.  For this is our very human story, which contains the Creator, the Son of Man and Lord of all that is, Whom we also may carry with us in our human hearts (Revelation 3:20).

 

 

 

This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him

 

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

 

- Matthew 14:1-12 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus finished preaching in parables, He departed for His hometown of Nazareth.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.  Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.  Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.  So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."  And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.  So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.  And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.  Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus.   This account of the death of John the Baptist is given parenthetically, so to speak.  That is, this "backstory" is meant to tell us why Herod believes that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead.  My study Bible comments that as part of God's plan for salvation, John's martyrdom allowed the coming of the Messiah to be announced to the souls in Hades, for John was the forerunner of Christ there as well as on earth.  Note also that John was held in such high esteem that Herod feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.  My study Bible cites John the Baptist's strictly ascetic lifestyle; he lived in poverty and was clothed in camel's hair.  It notes that Herod's fear of the people's love of John is a testament both to the power of personal holiness and integrity, for the people held John in the highest esteem.

 

The gruesome scene in this story always comes around to remind us of the dangers of martyrdom, which are present to every saint.  John's life is also reflective of the Cross, even before the Cross came, for we can find images and meanings in Christ from both the old and the new.  The eternal realities given to us through Christ are not simply part of His story, for His life alone on this earth.  For Christ's story is the story of the earth; Christ's story is the central event of spiritual history.  For us who believe in Christ and call ourselves His followers, He is this pivotal center, and all else revolves around Him.  Therefore the truth of His life as Incarnate Son is present to us in all the stories of holiness, in all the Scriptures, in one form and another.  In John the Baptist we see sacrifice and gruesome suffering.  We see the highest esteem and love from the people, for his holiness was apparent, and made him a revered figure in his own time.  We see someone willing to live and die for his mission from God, giving up all things in order to serve God.  As my study Bible says, his own integrity created this esteemed image in the eyes of the people.  John the Baptist is considered the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  His life speaks to us of a fearless mission to truly embody what it is to "speak truth to power," as the popular saying goes.  But his depth of reliance on and commitment to God means that this truth comes from God, and it is this appeal of God to the people, and to the powers that be, that John represents, and for which he was martyred.  In his martyrdom is a picture of the Cross before the Cross would come to all of us, so to speak.  He embodies what it is to live a life transfigured in the light of Christ, but in the light of Christ to come, about Whom he spoke to the world, and sought to prepare the people to accept through a repentance in preparation for His coming.  John the Baptist's life teaches us about martyrdom and about greatness, for no other figure so strongly taught us about the life of Christ to come, and no other embodied, at the same time, the humility before Christ that uncovers the truth for all of us. For it is John who said of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).  This is our own statement for the work of the Cross and the Holy Spirit in our own lives.  St. Paul put it this way:  "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31).  Before the Cross came, John showed us his love of God, and pointed the way to Christ, just as he would do (according to the Orthodox tradition) for the souls awaiting Christ the Savior in Hades.  He is, therefore, in all ways true to his title, the Forerunner.  Let us honor holiness, wherever it is found, wherever Christ is revered, and the Cross is known and lived.  

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

- John 14:1-14 

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20-26 

 

 This week is Holy Week, and will culminate in Jesus' Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection.  Yesterday we read St. John's account of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, which we celebrate as Palm Sunday.  Note that this time in Jerusalem marks the start of Passover week.  This is the third and final Passover festival recorded in John's Gospel, and the Triumphal Entry marks the beginning of the final week of Jesus' earthly life.   Yesterday we read that a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!" 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible explains that these Greeks were Gentiles (those who spoke Greek, the lingua franca or international language of the period).  They are Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, having come to participate in the Passover feast.  That they were still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts) to Judaism.  Since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), my study Bible says, the disciples approach Jesus before they bring these inquirers to Him. Glorified is a reference to Christ's death on the Cross.  My study Bible notes that His obscure response indicates two things.  First, the answer these people are seeking will not be found in words but in the Cross.  Second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  My study Bible comments that this image of the grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world.  It is common in Orthodox churches to serve boiled wheat, sweetened and spiced, at memorial services for the departed faithful.  This is a kind of affirmation of God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, this passage is read in the memorial service.

 

 Jesus lays out the plan in today's reading, a plan for His glorification.  This is the great paradox that begins with more explicit language of His Crucifixion and death which is to come.  For, as these Gentiles show up, these pagan Greek-speakers who seek the God of Israel, so we get our first hints of the gospel being sent out to all the world.  And they seek out Jesus, so He has come to be known now outside of Israel.  Again, we're given a paradox in today's reading, just the same way Jesus, the King, rode into Jerusalem in what is called His Triumphal Entry not on a horse or in a chariot, but on the colt of a donkey, so "glorification" is going to mean something seemingly entirely at odds with the world's sense of glory.  It will not only mean His death, but it will mean death by the most notorious means of suffering intended for those who are non-Roman citizens.  It will mean a death by the most ignominious way known under the Romans, a death by a method from which we derive the word "excruciating," a death of ultimate humiliation before the nation, especially for a Jewish man.  And Christ's death will be added to by the religious leaders who will go to further lengths to humiliate Him and show how they despise Him.  All of this is part of Christ's "glorification," in His own words.  For this tremendous sacrifice on His part will be done, first of all, in obedience to God the Father, within the plan for salvation of all the world, meaning all of creation (not just the earth).  For Christ's salvific and redemptive Incarnation as human being is not meant for Himself only; it is not meant as a project for God, so to speak, but as a project for us, and out of love for us.  Gregory of Nazianzinus, also known as Gregory the Theologian (one of only three saints in the entire history of the Orthodox Church to be given this title), is famous for a statement about Christ's Incarnation.  He wrote, "What has not been assumed, has not been healed."  What this means is that every aspect of human life assumed by Christ is healed through His life and divinity, thereby enabling us to enter into and participate in His life and experience that healing for ourselves.  Whatever aspect of human experience, no matter how unpleasant or humiliating or painful, which Christ assumes as one of us becomes capable of being healed simply by His entering into our life.  And this is the great love, the seed that is being planted through His death and sacrifice, so that we might live and be healed and join Him where He is in eternal life.  Christ's life, death, and Resurrection becomes His hour of glorification through this process by which we are saved, by which we may also pray and experience the energies of grace made possible through His Incarnation and His help to us, even in our very present hour, during our suffering, through our prayers, and through His life which He brings to bear on all aspects of our existence, even those caused by influence of the evil one, the devil.  Because of this hour of glorification, there is no aspect of our life, no matter how humiliating or painful, or seeming to be a failure, that Christ has not assumed so that He may be there with us, present to us.  This is about Christ salvation for everything, and for everyone, held out and given as a present, a gift to all of us, if we but will receive it.  Again, Holy Week becomes all about paradox, the good and the evil, the tremendous sacrifice of love and at the same time those who plot against our Savior to bring Him such pain and death.  But God is more powerful than all of these things which seem to be imposed upon Him, for He enters into both our life and our death in order to transfigure and transform it, to defeat death and the forces of death and cruelty for us.  Wherever we go, He is there, for He is willing to make this sacrifice, to fall to the ground as a grain of wheat that is planted for us, to bring about a great harvest.  But let us note another paradox:  He doesn't do this alone; He invites us to live and choose as He does.  He says, "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  He invites us also into glorification and honor such as God bestows, even upon Him.  For we cannot be the Christ, but we can enter into and share in this plan of salvation made glorious in believers and saints, those who love God so that their lives become also set apart for grace and for love.  Perhaps today God has something in store for you, a message, a way to address pain and difficulty, which draws you out of a human drama and into a place where love dictates instead what you can do with your time and your life, God's glory also shining through you.  Take the time for prayer, even in a time when things we cling to may be dying. 

Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43–51 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the third day of Christ's ministry given in John's Gospel, John the Baptist stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard Jon speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).   

 

  The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"   My study Bible comments that no deceit means having a pure heart and being straightforward with others.  Nathanael is also known to us as Bartholomew.  While Jesus is said to be from Nazareth, where He was raised, Nathanael does not know that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem, thus fulfilling prophecy regarding the Messiah.

 

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  My study Bible says that what precisely happened under the fig tree is not something given to us in the Gospel.  St. John Chrysostom teaches that it was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and that Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in his search for the Messiah.  Nathanael is in turn stirred to a confession of faith by Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into his heart. 

 

 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  My study Bible explains that the title Son of Man is a title that had a level of mystery in its meaning.  It indicated a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed a ladder that connected earth and heaven, and upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is that Ladder who unites earth and heaven, and therefore He is the Son of Man.  

Today's reading gives us the fourth day described by John in his Gospel of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ.  It parallels the fourth day of the creation story in Genesis, in which the greater and lesser lights were established by God, governing the night and the day in Genesis 1:14-19.  Here Philip and Nathanael are called by Christ the true Light, who was revealed in the Old Testament, which is a lesser light.  Jesus, as the Son of Man, is that Light that comes into the world, and is from the heavenly origin described by my study Bible.  As the Ladder between heaven and earth, the fulfillment of the prophecy in Jacob's dream, He is the Light who descends to become one of us.  But while He is the Light, He also shares His light with us, bestowing it upon us and making it possible for us to participate in His light and carry it ourselves (see Matthew 5:14-16).  The angels who ascend and descend upon Jacob's ladder are also the ministers of light who help us to go forward and carry that light within us as well ("Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire" - Psalm 104:4, Hebrews 1:7).  In a certain sense, John's Gospel is the Gospel of light, for this Gospel focuses so much on Christ as the true Light, and all the ways that light figures in our faith.  We should also remember that John's Gospel is the one that teaches us that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:5).  The word translated as "comprehend" means both to understand and to take in, to overcome (just as the English word does), and we should remember that this light has come into the world for us.  When we feel overcome by darkness, it is important to understand that the darkness itself, and those who choose simply to be a part of that darkness in the world, will neither understand nor overcome the light we seek.  Our burden and joy is to be bearers of that light in a darkened world, and this has been the mission of the Church and of believers from the beginning.  As disciples of Christ, we're taught to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  In fact, in this Gospel, Jesus will say the same of Himself, that He is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5, 11:9), and that we need that light to walk in the darkness so that we don't stumble.  In some sense, we might view Christ as praising Nathanael as "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit," for seeking to shine a light, so to speak, upon just who Jesus is, doing his "due diligence," as we might phrase it.  It seems more likely, however, that Jesus is praising Nathanael for his lack of flattery, for being straightforward.  Either way, that lack of guile is linked to one who may both receive Christ's light and shine it and bear it into the world, for truth is related to light.  The ultimate Light is Christ, who sees directly into Nathanael's heart, and who likewise knows each one of us more thoroughly than we know ourselves.  Let us seek to allow the light to shine in our hearts, to penetrate our deepest levels, to find us and show us where we need to be.  To have no guile, no deceit, is to hide nothing from God.  

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened

 

 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  

 

And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch,  being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

- Luke 3:15–22 

 

 Yesterday we read the dedication of Luke's Gospel, to Theophilus:  Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.  Then the lectionary took us to Luke's chapter 3:  Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the Baptist son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

 

  Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  My study Bible comments that fire in this context has the primary meaning of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is given to the world at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).  Moreover, this declares the judgment of Christ, in which the faithless will burn (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2-8).  But it is important to understand that this fire is one:  it is the same Power and the same Spirit, my study Bible notes, which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.  

And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch,  being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  My study Bible explains that Herod had divorced his own wife and married Philip's (his brother's) wife Herodias while Philip was still living. 

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  Jesus Himself, of course, does not need baptism.  But in being baptized, my study Bible says, the Lord accomplished several things.  First, by doing so, He affirmed John's ministry.  He also thereby was revealed by the Father and the Holy Spirit to be the Christ, the beloved Son of God.  Moreover, Jesus identified with His people by descending into the waters with them.  Baptism prefigures His own death, giving the ultimate meaning to baptism.  As Jesus entered the waters, He sanctifies the water itself for future baptisms.  The many types given in the Old Testament, such as when Moses led the people from bondage through the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and when the ark of the covenant was carried into the Jordan so the people could enter the Promises Land (Joshua 3, 4) are fulfilled in His baptism as well.  Finally, Jesus' baptism opened heaven to a world separated from God through sin.  In the Orthodox Church, Christ's Baptism is celebrated on January 6th and is commonly known as Epiphany; but more properly it is called Theophany in Greek, meaning "God revealed."  In the very ancient Church, Nativity and Epiphany (Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan by John) were celebrated together on January 6th; in the Armenian Apostolic Church this remains the tradition.  My study Bible says that the Son is revealed by the descent of the Holy Spirit and by the voice of the Father.  It notes that this is the greatest and clearest public manifestation of God as Trinity in human history, as in the words of an Orthodox hymn for this day, "The Trinity was made manifest."  Also, my study Bible says, the words which are spoken by the Father also apply to everyone who is baptized and lives faithfully, as sonship is bestowed by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).   The Holy Spirit appearance as a dove is not an incarnation, it says, but rather a visible sign for the people.  This appearance, moreover, further fulfills the type prefigured at the Flood:  Theophylact writes, "Just as a dove announced to Noah that God's wrath had ceased, so too the Holy Spirit announces here that Christ has reconciled us to God by sweeping sin away in the flood waters of baptism."

Luke writes, "When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened."  Today I notice this powerful phrase that hasn't struck me before, that it is while Jesus prayed that the heaven was opened.  What a powerful statement about prayer this truly is!  It should give us a sense -- so often missing from modern life -- of the reality of what it means to pray and to worship.  In so doing, we connect ourselves with something much greater than ourselves, than our worldly notion of ourselves and our lives, in a way that happens through grace, the power of God.  The reality of the Kingdom of God is present to us even through prayer, though we so frequently seem to lose sight of this.  Modern life often conditions us to think this way.  We're used to a secular sense of who we are and what our world is about, in which we don't necessarily consider God in all that we do and all the choices that we make.  But this isn't the reality that is shown to us in the Bible.  The reality of the Bible is this constant sense of the Kingdom breaking in upon us, brought to us in the voices of the prophets calling us back to it, brought to us in the teachings of Christ, brought to us in the experiences of Israel in the Old Testament, brought to us in the disciples who would later become apostles sent out to  all the world, and brought to us in the establishment of the Church and our ongoing worship and prayers, and especially -- of course -- in the Eucharist given to us by Christ.  Here Jesus fulfills all righteousness (Matthew 3:15) by submitting to baptism by John like everyone else in these scenes of John the Baptist's ministry.  While of course, we may think that our prayers will differ from those of Jesus (after all, He is the Son of God), the text in this sense teaches us once again that we are meant to be like Jesus; we are to do as He does.  His prayer is so powerful that it opens up the heaven, but it is His prayer and His life that bring the Kingdom of heaven to us so that we also may participate in its reality -- and we do that through prayer ourselves.  Let us remember that it is God's grace, the true reality and powerful presence and action that Christ brings to us, that is working in us and among us, in our midst.   But we need to do our part to participate and to receive it; we are invited in to "work the works of God" through our faith and trust in Him, through worship, through prayer, through all these things that we are given. 

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20–26 

 

Yesterday we read that a great many of the people of Jerusalem knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many (even from among the ruling classes of the temple) went away and believed in Jesus. The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!" Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:"Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt." His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. Therefore the people who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"   

 

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible says that these Greeks mentioned here were Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and they have come to participate in the Passover feast.  That they are still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts).  Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), so the disciples approach Christ before bringing these inquirers to Him.   When Jesus speaks of being glorified, He's referring to His death on the Cross.  My study Bible adds that Christ's obscure response is an indication of two things.  First, the answer these Greeks are seeking won't be found in words, but in the Cross; and second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  This image of a grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world, my study Bible explains.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, this passage is read at every memorial service for the faithful who have passed.  In many Orthodox churches, boiled wheat, sweetened and spiced, is served at memorial services.  My study Bible comments that this affirms God's promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  

A grain of wheat springing to life from death is such a ubiquitous image that it is impossible to separate ourselves from Christ's framing of His death and Resurrection.  Jesus says "it falls into the ground and dies."  But this seemingly sad image is contradicted by His phrasing that the grain only remains alone when this doesn't happen.  To fall into the ground and die is to guarantee that it produces much grain.  So we are to understand His death and Resurrection -- that it produced and is producing much grain, much fruit.  In the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, Jesus refers to the returning villagers coming toward Him as a field of grain white for harvest (John 4:35).  But here He speaks of His own death which will give birth to many faithful, and also invites the disciples into this process as well:  "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  It is not just Jesus who will undergo such a sacrifice; others will follow.  Perhaps the sacrifices we make in our lives will take on different forms, but nonetheless, Christ's saying still applies.  For what we give of our time, our efforts, our dreams and goals, these also count when given toward service and following Christ.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says that giving even a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple will be rewarded (Matthew 10:40-42).  This sense of sacrificial giving and receiving permeates the whole of the Gospels, and all of the Christian life.  It is part of the process of transfiguring our lives in His image.  Indeed, we might consider our recent reading in which Mary covered Christ's feet with a pound of highly expensive fragrant essential oil as a story of what it is to make an extravagant sacrifice given for love of Christ, and to be received by Christ with a gracious reward indeed (see this reading).  For we should count also His words teaching us that "where I am, there My servant will be also."  In giving of our own sacrifices for Him and for the Kingdom, so we also become inheritors, servants, and those who dwell with Him even in an eternal reality.  He promises even more:  "If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."   In today's lectionary readings, we're also given the final chapter in the book of Job.  There we read of the tremendous reward, even while yet in this world, which Job receives after his great sacrifice of suffering for the sake of his faith in God (Job 42).  Throughout the Scriptures, then, the sense of sacrifice as gift which will be returned in abundant measure plays its role and gives its message to us.  In Luke chapter 6, we read Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, in which Jesus discusses topics widely covered also in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus says, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38).  This is taught together with the concept of forgiveness, and so it is that in forgiving we "give up" or "let go" of something to God, and we should understand it that way, as a type of sacrifice for which we'll be richly rewarded.  Let us consider, then, Christ's example of His own sacrifice and abundance of harvest to reap as result, and see that in doing so He teaches us to do the same.  For the countless examples amongst the saints and figures of the Gospels and in the Old Testament we have an entire spiritual history to consider.  What else could inspire such faith but the love shown in such sacrifice, especially by Christ the firstfruits who gave His life for us?  For there is no doubt that this is true.  In a highly consumer-oriented modern society, we might have difficulty considering the idea of sacrifice in a positive light.  But it's what makes the world go around, and civilizations are built not on selfishness but on the willingness to give for what might be, and for love of the good.  Let us consider where we make our sacrifices, and why.  What else can give us back so much?

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43-51 

 

Yesterday we read that, on the second day given in John's Gospel of the beginning of Christ's ministry, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"   The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

  The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said to him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  No deceit, my study Bible explains, means both having a pure heart and being straightforward with others.  

Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."   My study Bible comments that what exactly occurred under the fig tree is not stated.  It says that St. John Chrysostom teaches this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and that Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in his search for the Messiah.  It is Christ's foreknowledge and ability to see into Nathanael's heart which stir him to this confession of faith.  

And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  Here Jesus uses the title Son of Man.  It is a title for the Messiah that had a level of mystery in its meaning, my study Bible says.  It indicates a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God and is found in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed of a ladder which connected earth and heaven, upon which he saw the angels of God ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  This "ladder" is Jesus, who unites earth to heaven, and is therefore the Son of Man. 

Today's reading gives us the fourth day of seven in the beginning of Christ's ministry.  Each one parallels the corresponding day of creation in Genesis.  Philip and Nathanael (who, by the way, is also known to us as Bartholomew) are called as disciples, and they see Christ as the true Light, the One revealed who was revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  This parallels the creation of the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively on the fourth day in Genesis 1:14-19.   As we remarked in yesterday's reading, Jesus once again in today's passage shows his insight into people.  In John's second chapter, we will read that Jesus "knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man" (John 2:24-25).  Nathanael's startled and amazed reaction shows that He has understood this about Jesus.  And so, in today's reading in which we get a second collecting of disciples to Jesus, we are once again given a display of Christ's divine insight.  John's Gospel begins by speaking of the Logos, the Word.  That is, Christ in His divine identity.  In the readings from today and yesterday' we're given examples of a divine insight belonging to the Word, and how it reveals itself in glimpses in Jesus and this beginning of His ministry, in the calling of these first disciples.  It is striking, in this light, to consider also Christ's words which He will say later of His betrayer, Judas.  Perhaps it is no accident that these words also are found in John's Gospel:  "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70).  We don't  really know if Jesus knew this about Judas from the beginning, but we might conjecture that such a one is chosen because Christ's ministry is for the purpose of salvation, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17).  Jesus will also say, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Luke 5:32).  At any rate, we can observe that right until the very end, Jesus will continue to attempt to save Judas.  For now, let us observe the glimpses we get of Jesus' divinity, revealed through His ministry.  As John has told us, the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness does not comprehend.  Nonetheless, His light is in the world and remains to guide our steps.