But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment

 

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

 

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks  after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 

- Matthew 12:33-42 

 

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Christ who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

 

  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Jesus begins by once again speaking of the heart, and how the depths of the heart bring out what is there through speech.  This is why we, as followers of Christ, practice the guarding of our hearts, and seek to know ourselves in this sense.  We bring all things to Christ for our own healing, thus seeking to make the tree good.  Jesus uses the title brood of vipers for the Pharisees, echoing John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7).  My study Bible says this title indicates their deception and malice, and their being under the influence of Satan -- just as they accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the ruler of the demons (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible explains that the heart in Scripture refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It comments that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  On the other hand, it notes, when malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion.  

 

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks  after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  After so many signs, my study Bible notes, the Pharisees show their wickedness by demanding yet another.  Jesus does not cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent.  The only sign for them will be Christ's Passion and Resurrection; this is the sign of the prophet Jonah Jesus refers to.  He mentions the men of Nineveh who repented at Jonah's preaching (see Jonah 3), and the queen of the South is the queen of Sheba (see 1 Kings 10:1-13, 2 Chronicles 9:1-12).  Adulterous generation is an echo of the illustration used for Israel by the prophets when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 3; Hosea 2:2-13).  

 

Our words are important, and Christ seems to teach and affirm this in ways which are significant throughout His teachings.  For example, when He preaches in the Sermon on the Mount, He likens name-calling to the statute against murder.  See Matthew 5:21-26.  He also suggests the importance of our words -- or really the powerful use of words in sticking to the minimum we need -- a little farther along in the Sermon on the Mount, when He speaks of swearing oaths (Mathew 5:33-37).  There He teaches us, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."  A simple integrity seems straightforward enough, yet how hard is it for us to adhere to this in the heat of a moment, or in times of fear or stress?  But in today's reading, He takes this emphasis on our words to deeper and more profound levels.  He says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."  What does one find in the abundance of your heart?  My heart?  Anyone's heart?  This is a great, and apparently grave question.  For Jesus teaches that we will indeed by judged by those words, and He doesn't speak lightly regarding this judgment.  Even every "idle word" counts.  He says, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Good and evil, justified and condemned:  these are very strong words, indeed.  And yet, the One who teaches us that our words matter so deeply, the One who has fashioned His teachings with such words that they withstand 2,000 years of history to speak to us so clearly -- certainly knows what He is saying, for He Himself is the judge.  He Himself is the only One who really knows the hearts of people (Acts 1:24; 1 Kings 8:39).  If we take His words seriously, then we should begin to take our words more seriously than we usually seem to do.  Particularly if we're talking about "conversation" on the internet, where it's so easy to express an opinion, to "flame" someone with language we might not normally reserve for in-person encounters, we should think about what Jesus has said here.  He, again, isn't just the Judge; He is the Logos Himself, the Word.  He knows the power of words, and He, as Lord, spoke the world into existence at creation (Genesis 1:3).  It's a powerful thing to ponder just what kind of words we may use if we consider that it is also Jesus who taught us that the Holy Spirit Himself would give us words for testimony in times of trial and persecution before the powerful.  Jesus told the apostles in preparing for their first mission, "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matthew 10:19-20).  Consider that it is the Logos, the Christ, who teaches us that the Spirit who proceeds from our Father will speak in us and give us words -- well, that's quite a staggering achievement to grant any human being.  We might call it truly a manifestation of God in and of itself on such an occasion.  Words are so important that Christ gives such testimony primary importance for the apostles as they go out into the world.  We live in a time when the world is encircled and enmeshed within telecommunications almost instantaneously transmitting one word to another across continents and oceans.  And yet, how we do need to take His words seriously!  How we could thrive with a sense of integrity that He asks of us!  How life could be meaningful and profound if we paid attention to what we said with the knowledge that it reveals whatever is in the heart, and that we will be judged by it.  Let us give thought to the power of words, the power He Himself teaches us all about, and exemplifies as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness

 

 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  

 

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

 

- Luke 11:27–36 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.  When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." 

 

  And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  My study Bible tells us that these verses are read on most feasts of the Virgin Mary in the Orthodox Church.  Jesus corrects this woman from the crowd, not by denouncing his mother, but by emphasizing her faith.  People are blessed in God's eyes if, like Mary, they hear the word of God and keep it.  The Greek word μενοῦνγε/menounge is translated here are more than that.  In Romans 10:18, it is translated as "Yes indeed."  This word corrects by amplifying, not by negating.  

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."  The sign of Jonah is explained by the study Bible as, first of all, the fact that the rebellious Ninevites were willing to repent at Jonah's preaching, and second, that Jonah coming out of the great fish prefigures Christ rising from the tomb (Matthew 12:40).  In contrast to the repentance of the Ninevites in the Book of Jonah (Jonah 3), the failure of Jesus' fellow Jews to repent at something far greater -- the preaching of Christ and His Resurrection -- will result in their judgment.  For reference to the queen of the South, see the story of the queen of Sheba in 1 Kings 10:1-10.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light."  Here and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches about disciples bearing the light He brings into the world, thus being light in the world (see Matthew 5:13-16).  God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible notes, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible also notes here that light is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself.  Faith relies on this divine light, it says, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  For much of the Christian Orthodox, the Paschal (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle lit at the altar and passed to illuminate all in the Church with the invitation, "Come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

"The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."  My study Bible explains that the mind (νοῦς/nous in Greek) is the spiritual eye of the soul.   It says that it illuminates the inner man and governs the will.  To keep the mind wholesome and pure is fundamental to the Christian life. 

In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus spoke about casting out demons and spiritual warfare, after He was accused of performing exorcisms by the power of Beelzebub, or Satan.  In the final verses we read, Jesus taught, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."   This is a picture of a person who goes from bad to worse, without repentance or "change of mind."  It is an illustration of how we choose one way, and continue down that same road.  In today's reading, Jesus ends with words teaching us about illumination, choosing the light, and shows that this also magnifies and expands.  Each "way" will continue to grow within a person.  He says, "The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness."   The earliest teaching document known to us in the Church was written before the end of the first century, and it's known as the teaching of the apostles.  This is called the Didache ("Teaching").  It speaks very much of the "two ways," the way of life and the way of death, also found in Jewish tradition.  This is also what is illustrated by Jesus' teaching on darkness and light.  Jesus' explanation about one's eye being darkened, and that darkening the whole of the body, indicates a pervasive growth of the choice for one way; by the same token, the eye being full of light also affects the whole body.  This can be understood as metaphor for the whole of oneself, which is affected by how we see and how we hear (see Luke 8:16-18).  It's important to understand that human nature is not to stand still; we are not fixed eternal points in the sense that God is in the fullness of God's being, which we cannot comprehend nor estimate.  We are fixed in time, and hence we are creatures with movement.  By Jesus' way of speaking, we understand that we are either going in one direction or another; and this explains the importance of the capacity for repentance, for changing our minds and thus changing much more than a simple intellectual process.  For "mind" in this sense involves the whole of the capacity for how we see, how we understand, how we take in even the things of God which are revealed to us in ways that are not obvious, affecting spirit, soul, body, thinking, strength.   Therefore Christ's words come to us today in the context of yesterday's casting out of the demon by the finger of God, the Holy Spirit, who gives us light and helps us to be the shining lamps Christ calls us to be.  As He indicates, the refusal of what He offers, the refusal to open the mind enough to take in His words and follow them, will have eventual consequences, for it is road we join, a way, not a fixed point that stands still.  

 

 

 

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things

 

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.  

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil an adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 

- Matthew 12:33-42 

 

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Christ who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.   Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, neither in this age or in the age to come."

 

  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Jesus here uses a title for the Pharisees whom He addresses, "Brood of vipers."  This is a title for them that was earlier used by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7).  Brood means "offspring," and vipers are an allusion to demonic forces, in addition to the description of one who may be venomous in attacking others.  To be "viperous" is defined as one who is spitefully vituperative or venomous.  In Scripture, my study Bible explains, the heart refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, and also the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It notes that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thought.  But on the contrary, when malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion.  Here Jesus' pronouncements upon these Pharisees and their every idle word refers to their claim (in yesterday's reading, above) that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub, understood as the ruler of the demons.

 

 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil an adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  My study Bible comments that after so many signs, the Pharisees show their wickedness by demanding yet another.  Jesus does not cater to those who demand a sign out of malicious or wicked intent.  The only sign to them, as He indicates here, will be His Passion and Resurrection.  My study Bible also refers to a commentary by St. Ambrose, who writes that unrighteous people, if they do not recognize Jesus as the Christ, will never understand His words nor recognize His miracles.  Adulterous generation was the term the prophets used for Israel, when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 3; Hosea 2:2-13).  

Jesus makes it more clear in today's reading that the failure to discern what is holy rests with the beholder, the one who fails to receive and understand.  Jesus' frequent iterations of "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" testify to the same idea (Matthew 11:15,13:9, 13:43).  But in this case in today's reading, Jesus is not speaking to the average person.  These are scribes and Pharisees, experts in the Law, in the Scriptures, and in their interpretation, who spend all their time debating such questions.  How can they miss the indications that Jesus is the Christ?  They are too busy protecting their positions of authority and power.  So, they demand a sign, although there have already been so many signs performed by Jesus.  But in the minds of these men, they are the ones who are authoritative, and it is in their power to rule on what is what.  Jesus has defied them, and so they come up with ways to challenge what He does, including declaring that He works with demonic forces to perform His works, such as the exorcism of the blind and mute man in yesterday's reading (see above).  Jesus goes right to the "heart" of the matter, so to speak, and pronounces that the evil things people do come from an evil heart, an internal kind of disorder which reflects an unwillingness to repent; that is, to seek to know the good and to do the work of rejecting impulses or habits that keep us from a deeper participation in God's life for us.  Jesus notes a tie between what is in the heart, and the words that come out of our mouths, for better or worse, good or evil:  "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouths speaks."   The scribes and Pharisees dig in even more deeply by responding to Christ's chastisement with a demand for a proof from Him.  This results in a judgment of condemnation by Christ.  Jesus cites those figures of the Old Testament who recognized the God of Israel although they were not Hebrews:  the men of Nineveh who repented at Jonah's preaching (Jonah 3:4-6) and the Queen of the South who recognized the wisdom of Solomon and honored it (1 Kings 10:1-13).  These will in fact rise at the judgment to condemn these religious leaders of the Jews, who have abandoned their duties to the people and failed to recognize God's work among them, the "greater than Solomon" who is here in front of them.  All of these things teach us that each of us have a spiritual responsibility to God whether we want to acknowledge that or not.  But of those who already have a particular spiritual knowledge or understanding, a greater responsibility is demanded.  This is the reason for Christ's particular harsh words for these religious leaders.  So we must consider our own spiritual movement forward in faith, and take quite seriously what we learn on the way.  For we will be responsible for what we know, and we will receive challenges to move more deeply into our faith. At a time when many do not take matters of faith seriously, we should consider the warnings of Christ here, for that is what they are.  They are made so that all people know the truth, and so that all consider repentance, and left to us -- to posterity.  Let us be those who can take them seriously, and guide our lives to a good outcome in faith.  Christ reminds us that the treasure of our heart -- good or evil -- is up to us. 

 

 

 

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness

 

 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." 

 

- Luke 11:27-36 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."   Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.   When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

 

 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  In the Eastern Orthodox Church, these verses are read on most feasts of the Virgin Mary.  Jesus corrects the woman from the crowd, my study Bible explains, not by denouncing His mother, but by emphasizing her faith.  People are blessed in God's eyes if, like Mary, they hear the word of God and keep it (Luke 1:38).  My study Bible further explains the translation,  in which the phrase "more than that" is from the Greek word μενοῦνγε/menounge.  This same word is translated, "Yes indeed" in Romans 10:18.   The correction by the use of this word is through amplification -- not by negation.

 

 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."  My study Bible explains the sign of Jonah as first of all, the fact that the rebellious Ninevites were willing to repent at Jonah's preaching (see Jonah 3), and that Jonah coming out of the great fish (Jonah 2) prefigures Christ rising from the tomb (Matthew 12:40).  By contrast to the repentance of the Ninevites, the failure of the people to repent at something far greater -- Christ's preaching and Resurrection -- will result in their judgment.  For the reference to the Queen of the South, see 3 Kings 10:1-10.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."  We have seen the teaching about the lamp that must be placed on a lampstand to give light everywhere, as it refers to the teachings of Christ lived out in the lives of His followers (Luke 8:16).  Here, Christ uses the same image for the illumination that comes from Himself to us, but it is an image of the mind illumined through His word and our discipline in following Him.  The mind (in Greek, the νοῦς/nous) is the spiritual eye of the soul, my study Bible explains, and thus it is the lamp of the body.  It illuminates the inner person and governs the will.  There is a deeper connection to the "eye" in the sense that we may speak of how we see as the way we view the world, the illumination (or darkening filter) through which we see everything.  

 

If we look more closely at this final paragraph, we see Jesus speaking distinctly about choices we make through which we will come to view the world.  These are choices that govern our outlook through which we will live our lives and see our places in the universe.  He says, "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye."  He first makes clear that the lighting of this lamp, the eye of the mind, governs our entire outlook and even experience of life.  This is not something that partially illuminates or sheds light on small part of life, but rather determines a whole outlook.  In other words, the eye of the mind has the far reaching effect of governing our condition in life, the way in which we find ourselves situated to life and in the world.  "Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."  If our "illumination" is good, then this will light up our whole lives, our whole way of being and experience in life, our souls.  But if it is dark, this darkness permeates also our experience and filter of life, how we see and view everything; it limits us to what is not light, distorting our view and understanding, limiting the reality we may perceive.  This is why discipleship is important; it is why we keep asking, seeking, and knocking (Luke 11:9).  The pursuit of this light, of this illumination, is therefore worth doing with passion, with all the strength we have, as a daily practice, and with the understanding that it is crucial to the full outlook of our lives, our well-being, the choices that we make, the opportunities that we find, because there are no barriers to this eye and its far-reaching consequences in us.  If we live with a darkened mind, then our whole world is darkened, our outlook darkened, our capacity to feel and to know is blunted, our perception of necessity dimmed.  By comparing the people who fail to repent -- that is, to turn toward that light and change their minds -- negatively to the Queen of the South or the Ninevites, Jesus is giving a stark warning about the powerful consequences that result from such a refusal of the lamp of illumination which He offers.  The Queen of the South brought the light of knowledge and wisdom to her people and we read about her to this day; the king of the Ninevites saved his people from a terrible blight due to his acknowledgement of a need for repentance.  He was willing to listen to the wisdom of God, as did the Queen of the South.  But the failure to heed a prophetic word of God will have equally powerful consequences, only in a negative form.  The choice for darkness limits us to a life in which failure to heed the wisdom of a worsening circumstance results in harsher or more blunted conditions, the inability to see spiritually what road we're on leads us to deeper mistakes and more profound consequences.  In Luke 6:39, Jesus uses this same illustration of light and darkness of the eye, only He takes it to the point of blindness:  "“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?"  As Jesus goes through the cities of Israel, He is now on His way to Jerusalem and to His Passion.  His disciples go before Him to herald the advent of the Kingdom come near (see this reading from last week).  This call still goes out to all of us, Christ's illumination and His command, "Follow Me," remain a call to discipleship and the light which will illumine the mind and shape our outlook and experience of life.  For the light still shines in the darkness for us, but the darkness will not comprehend it (John 1:5).

 

 

 

 

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things

 

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 

- Matthew 12:33-42 

 

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Jesus who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." 

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?"  Jesus is addressing an agricultural society; to understand the fruit of a tree is meaningful in context, and also in the light of the words of John the Baptist, which He echoes here.  Brood of vipers was a phrase John used for the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to his baptism.  Brood means "offspring," indicating their deception and malice, and it's also an image of being under the influence of Satan.  John also said, "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."  See Matthew 3:7-10.  Jesus will use the expression "Brood of vipers" for them again in Matthew 23:33.

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  My study Bible comments that the heart in Scripture refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  When God's grace permeates the heart, it says, grace masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  On the other hand, when malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion.  

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  My study Bible remarks that after so many signs, the Pharisees show their wickedness by demanding yet another.  Jesus does not cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent.  The only sign to them will be His Passion and Resurrection.  In the story of the prophet Jonah, we read of his being swallowed up for three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, as well as the men of Nineveh who practiced repentance at Jonah's preaching.  (See Jonah 1-4.)   Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish is used here as an image of Christ's experience of death and Resurrection.  The queen of the South is the Queen of Sheba, who did indeed come from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon (see 1 Kings 10:1-13).  Adulterous generation is an echo of the illustration which the prophets used for Israel, when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  

The things Jesus says in today's reading are highly related for us to His admonition in yesterday's reading about the Holy Spirit.  All of the works to which He refers, whether or not He speaks of His own "signs" or mighty works, or the wisdom of Solomon and the preaching of Jonah, are all signs of the Kingdom, and especially the work of the Holy Spirit in the world.  When Jesus cites the Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh, He speaks of those in the spiritual history contained in the Old Testament Scripture who were able to see, to repent, and to have faith at the signs that were given to them.  The Queen of the South and the men of Nineveh grasped the reality of God at work in their presence.  But the scribes and Pharisees, those whom Jesus calls the "brood of vipers" are incapable of this understanding and recognition.  Through their own hardness of heart, their own lack of desire to recognize any authority in Jesus which would in some way upset their own, they fail to do what those foreigners had done.  They deride Jesus and His works, they declare them to be works of the devil, and they demand signs as proofs before they will recognize any authority in Him as being from God or done by the Spirit of God (see yesterday's reading, above).  We hear Jesus speak of those in the past who were capable of recognizing God at work in the world through the prophecy of Jonah or the wisdom of Solomon.  We hear Him condemn those of His time who fail to recognize anything that He does, although they are the religious leaders and experts in Scripture.  But this passage invites us to ask ourselves if we can recognize the work of God in our midst, in our lives.  Can we perceive the Spirit at work?  Do we understand how grace can be at work in us?  Can we recognize the work of the Spirit of God in others?  Can we perceive it in Scripture or other works?  Do we know the saints?  These remain  living questions for us.  Let us hear in the words of Christ His burning and vibrant call.  We are to guard our hearts, and lay down firm foundations through prayer, study, participation in the life He offers.  In this way we will have "good treasure" from which we can draw forth good things, and recognize also "good treasure"  in what we may see and hear.  A good heart, as Jesus says, may also speak that which is given by grace.  

If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light

 

 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

 

- Luke 11:27-36 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.  When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." 

 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  My study bible let us know that these verses are read on most feasts of the Virgin Mary.   It asks us to remark upon the fact that Jesus corrects the woman from the crowd, not by denouncing his mother, but rather by emphasizing her faith.  People are blessed in God's eyes if, like Mary, they hear the word of God and keep it.  The Greek word μενοῦνγε/menounge, translated as more than that, is also translated as "Yes indeed" in Romans 10:18.  My study bible asks us to note that this word corrects by amplifying, and not by negating.

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."   Jesus refers to the sign of Jonah.  My study bible say that this is, first of all, the fact that the rebellious Ninevites were willing to repent at Jonah's preaching, and second, that Jonah coming out of the great fish prefigures Christ rising from the tomb (Matthew 12:40).  By contrast to the Ninevites' repentance, the Jews' failure to repent at something which is far greater than the preaching of Jonah or the wisdom of Solomon -- Christ's preaching and Resurrection -- will result in their judgment.  The queen of the South is the Queen of Sheba; see 1 Kings 10:1-10.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light."  My study bible comments with several perspectives on the light, as reflected in Scripture and various places in the Gospels.  First, God is the true and uncreated Light; in the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel contrasted with other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  Light is also necessary for clear vision and life itself.  Faith relies on this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  

"The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."  In this context, Jesus emphasizes the lamp of the body, which He says is the eye.   But Jesus uses "eye" -- and therefore our sight -- as a metaphor for how we "see" on many levels, as the mind is the spiritual eye of the soul.  My study bible comments that this eye or lamp illuminates the inner person, and governs the will.  It says that keeping the mind wholesome and pure -- and so therefore as full of the light of Christ as possible -- is fundamental to Christian life.   Jesus emphasizes the quality of the light which illuminates the whole person, or not.

My study bible comments that faith relies on the light of God.  It is in this context that Jesus speaks of a lampstand, and the lamp that must give light to all.  Moreover, Jesus not only speaks of the illumination that may spread to others, but also of the quality and luminosity of the light that is within us, that illuminates the inner person and magnifies the soul.  In both cases, He speaks of the light of God which is shared with us as human beings.  In that light, and in our capacity to reflect it both out to the world and within the inner life of the soul, we find an entire way of being, the way of God and of Christ "the true Light" (John 1:9).  Jesus seems to emphasize in today's reading our own capacities for reflecting this light externally and internally.  As my study bible puts it, we may each become "sons of light" (regardless of gender).  His teachings really seem to emphasize the need for our own cooperation with this light so that it is alive and burning within us, and reflected through our souls and minds, and through all that we do in the world.  He emphasizes the blessedness of "those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  This is an active cooperation with the divine light of God that is present to work among us and within us, a willing reception and following through in living the life of light that is possible through faith.  It is interesting that Jesus speaks in this context of the final judgment, and in the context of those to whom He is present and their lack of willingness to receive Him and His word.  Jesus says, "The queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."  He speaks of the time when all beings shall rise together for the judgment, when those of the present generation who refuse His light will be judged simply by contrast to those of the past who did receive God's light.  So much depends on this capacity to be illuminated by the light of God, to be a lampstand bearing that light into the world, to have it deeply, powerfully reflected in us so strongly that it illumines all of our heart and soul, leaving no room for darkness, no unlit corner where we're unaware of who we are and what we're doing and choosing in life.  If we think of it, prayer is like the spark with which the light is illumined, the lamp is lit, our inner flame becomes bright.  As we pray in communion with that Light, so we may more brightly illuminate it and our souls in the world.  And so, this is where we start, each and and each moment, when we need that light.  Let us consider how blessed we are to hear and life the word of God, to partake of that light, to dwell in it and it in us.  We are ones who are desirous of being the "sons of light" and through Christ's way of being and participating in that light, there is no limit to how deeply it dwells in us, nor how brightly it shines.  It is especially important at this time, when there is much uncertainty, fear, and seeming instability in the world, that we all take this message to heart -- that we be those who hear the word of God and keep it!    It is only through the light of God by which we will be able to see our way.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things

Christ dividing the sheep from the goats. Mosaic. Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, 6th century

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

- Matthew 12:33-42

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Christ who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."   Jesus returns to the image of a tree, which He has used before in Matthew's Gospel (see 7:16-20).  It was also used by John the Baptist (3:10).  This metaphor or image encourages us to develop an internal integrity, so that the fruits we bear outwardly reflect that consistency of character.  Brood of vipers is also an image we've been given earlier, as it was John the Baptist's expression for the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to his baptism (see 3:7).  Brood means offspring; it is an expression, as used by both John and Jesus, indicating practices of deception and malice.  A viper, as a venomous snake, is an image of evil influence, and as used here, begetting poison and pain for human beings.  Jesus speaks of the heart to teach about human life, how our own depth of character and psychology works, linked to the soul.  My study bible explains that the heart in Scripture refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It says that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  But on the other hand, if malice and evil capture a person's heart, they become full of darkness and spiritual confusion.  Again, as with yesterday's reading, Jesus' teaching here ends with an affirmation of the importance of words and the true weight they carry, watching how we speak.  Even idle words measure and "say" something about us, and the warning about judgment is clear.  We should recall that this discussion follows the leadership's accusation that Christ casts out demons by the power of demons, and they therefore blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  My study bible comments that after so many signs, the Pharisees show their wickedness by demanding yet another.  It points out that Jesus does not cater to anyone who demands a sign out of wicked intent.  His only sign for them will be His Passion and Resurrection.  And adulterous generation is the image used by the prophets when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  The Gentiles of Ninevah repented at the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3).  The queen of the South is the Queen of Sheba who came to Israel to hear the wisdom of Solomon and deeply honored that wisdom, a grace of God (1 Kings 10:1-13). 

Jesus has been speaking about the power of God at work in the world through His ministry, specifically the power of the Holy Spirit.  He compares Himself to Solomon, whose wisdom was honored by the Queen of Sheba.  Solomon's wisdom was a gift of God (1 Kings 3:6-14).  It was an answer to a prayer, when Solomon asked for the gift of discernment.  But Jesus says that a greater than Solomon is here, referring to Himself.  Even the Queen of the South revered the wisdom of Solomon, but the leadership treats Christ with disparaging words, claiming that the work of the Holy Spirit through His ministry is the work of demons (see yesterday's reading, above).  Even the Gentiles of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, when God sent Jonah to them.  But Christ's presence yields no repentance on the part of the Pharisees.  Once again, Jesus speaks of Himself and His ministry on no uncertain terms, even as the Pharisees have begun to plot to destroy Him.  He rebukes their demand for a sign, saying, in effect, that with or without a sign their rejection of Him and His ministry only speaks volumes about them.   As they reject Christ and the signs He has already done, so they reject the presence of God in their midst.  Jesus reminds us that all the choices that we make, whatever we do or say, it all begins in the heart.  The heart is the place where we choose what we will love, what we put first, and the rest follows.  Even our own idle words will be subject to judgment, so we must pay attention, take care what we are about and what we do.  Today we have at our fingertips the easy and potentially great impact of social media.  How simple is it to disparage someone, to speak hasty words in anger?  How much do we care for our own heart, to guard what is there, what we discern, what wisdom we ask for from God?    Do we take seriously our own practice and exercise of judgment, knowing that as we judge, so will we be judged (Matthew 7:1-2)?  How carefully do we choose our words?  Or do we let "idle words" mean nothing to us, even as we may be impacting others?  What is important in Christ's teaching is that He asks us to cultivate a kind of self-awareness that keeps us responsible.  What do we value and put first in our lives?  What is wisdom and where does it come from?  If we take our own internal state of being seriously, He seems to say, then our own words will also become more valued and measured.  Ultimately, it is the truth of Christ -- the truth of God -- that matters, as we seek to put that first.  It is the one standard by which we can measure all, but especially by which we should measure our own internal lives, our truth, our ways of reaching out to the world and to the ones we touch with our words, no matter who they are.  Above is a mosaic depicting judgment, in Christ's image found in Matthew 25:31-46. As Jesus warns of judgment -- and that even our idle words will require an accounting -- we should remember that this is a warning and not a final edict.  Even these men to whom He speaks have an option for repentance, as do we all.  Will we be like goats who are still known for their stubbornness, or will we choose the role of sheep who can willingly follow where the wisdom of the Shepherd would take us?  Let us remember that we always have these options alive and well within our hearts.  

When your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." 

- Luke 11:27-36

Yesterday we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.  When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  My study bible notes that these verses are read on most feasts of the Virgin Mary.  Jesus is correcting the woman from the crowd, but not by denouncing His mother.  He rather emphasizes her faith.    People who, like Mary, hear the word of God and keep it, are blessed, in Christ's words.  My study bible also notes that the Greek word menounge/μενοῦνγε, which is here translated more than that, is rendered as "Yes indeed" in Romans 10:18.  It corrects by amplifying and expanding, not by negating.

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."   Jesus speaks about the sign of Jonah.  My study bible says that the "sign of Jonah" refers first of all to the fact that the rebellious people of Ninevah were willing to repent at Jonah's preaching; and secondly, that Jonah coming out of the great fish is a prefiguration of Christ rising from the tomb (Matthew 12:40).  By contrasting the repentance of the Ninevites to contemporary leadership of the people, Jesus says that there is a failure to repent at something which is far greater -- Christ's preaching and Resurrection -- which will result in their judgment.  Regarding the Queen of the South, see 1 Kings 10:1-10.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."  These statements are found in the Gospels in other contexts (such as in the Sermon on the Mount; see Matthew 5:13-16, 6:22-23).  This reinforces our understanding that Jesus used metaphors, figures of speech, and important reflections in many different contexts and throughout His preaching.  Indeed, in Luke's Gospel, the parable of the Revealed Light has been told by Jesus in chapter 8 (8:16-18), after He gave His disciples the parable of the Sower.  Here, as elsewhere, this reference to a lamp and light are given in the context of how one hears the word of Christ, and also responds -- whether or not the light of His words and teachings are taken in and lived and become a part of one's very character.

Jesus makes a serious case about how we listen, what we are willing to hear.  It's in the context of spiritual truth, and in reference to Himself and to His mission.  But when He speaks of light, and a lampstand, it is important that we note that He calls all of us to responsible hearing and listening to truth.  Repeatedly in the Gospels, this is the point that He will make.  In particular, this point is made today to the religious leaders, who are the ones prepared to hear what He has to say, and to understand the authority that He bears.  He likens Himself to the prophet Jonah, and compares His audience in His home country unfavorably to the foreigners who repented at Jonah's preaching, and to the Queen of the South who heard and was awed at the wisdom given to Solomon by God.  How we hear and how we understand spiritual truth is a kind of mystery.  It points to the fact that we don't really know the full depths of ourselves as beings created in the image of God.  How much is the work of grace?  How much is our choice?  But clearly, Christ points to a mechanism of choice that is at work within us.  A "hardened heart" is one that has steeled itself against the light of truth, that has walled itself off in order not to take in this light and to acknowledge what the light would expose.  It is one that avoids opening itself up to change and transformation (in other words, to repentance) and to living the life that would reflect that light.  Jesus gives us repeatedly the message that we are responsible for how we hear, and that rejection of light or truth offered counts for something.  After telling the parable of the Revealed Light, Jesus told His listeners, "Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him" (8:18).   In the case in today's reading, Jesus warns the leadership that their demand for a sign or proof results in judgment.  The Cross tells us that forgiveness is always on the table.  Jesus never stopped reaching out to those whom He wished to save.  But it's important to understand, in the context of both today's reading and yesterday's, that continuing to travel in the same bad direction, refusing repentance or change of mind, also expands the effects of refusal, taking us down a wrong path even to the point where we're incapable of questioning ourselves and our assumptions.   Our own darkness may be further darkened by seeing with a "bad eye" -- just as He preaches here our "whole body" may become "full of light" when the eye is good.  For these men, the danger is that even one greater than Jonah or Solomon will not be able to teach them anything, as their faith is only in themselves.  It should be noted here that there is an allusion to the "evil eye" in Jesus' statement, when He warns against a "bad eye."  The word in Greek (πονηρός) which is translated as bad is really the word for "evil."  An evil eye denotes envy, and this speaks to the motivations of those who demand a sign (Matthew 27:18; Mark 15:10).  To whatever extent we bear this responsibility for how we hear or take in that light, Jesus gives us quite solemnly the awareness that our choices have serious effects within us, and for our ultimate destination.  Each moment offers us a choice of direction, darkness or light -- and an option for more of one or the other to become very part of our being and what we bring into the world.  There is never a time when we don't make this choice about our lives, or a time when our choice doesn't count.

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

- Matthew 12:33-42

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Jesus who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Brood means offspring.  Coming from the context of this discussion (which began with yesterday's reading, above), brood of vipers is an allusion to demonic influence.  John the Baptist also used this title for members of the religious leadership (3:7) and in a similar context of bearing the fruit of one's heart, indicating their deception and malice.  In Scripture, the heart refers to the center of consciousness, as my study bible puts it, the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It is the center of a person.  My study bible notes that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  But on the other hand, when malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."   At this point in Jesus' ministry, after so many signs have been done by Jesus (see, for example, the healing in yesterday's reading, above), the Pharisees reveal their wickedness by demanding yet another sign.  My study bible says that Jesus does not cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent.  The only sign to them will be His Passion and Resurrection, which He calls here the sign of the prophet Jonah, referring to the three days and three nights when Jonah was "buried" in the belly of the great fish.  Adulterous generation is the same one used by the prophets for Israel, when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13; Ezekiel 6:9).

Jesus speaks of judgment, and tells the scribes and Pharisees who demand a sign that the men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.   The Ninevites were foreigners to whom Jonah was sent by God to preach repentance; the king of Nineveh in response ordered the entire community of Ninevites to repentance.  The Queen of the South (the Queen of Sheba) came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, which was also a gift of God.  What can be inferred from Jesus' words is also an indication of the power of the Holy Spirit; where this is at work, witnessing becomes an important potential in each of us.  How we respond to the work of the Spirit in the world, as Jesus said in yesterday's reading, determines the reality of judgment in the world.   Holiness is not so much about the power of an individual as it is about the work of the Spirit and how we respond to the Holy Spirit, as Jesus clearly indicated in yesterday's reading (see above) when He said, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."   At the same time, this remains a testimony to the power of repentance; Jesus does not say that people will never be forgiven for such a sin.  It is both a statement of the importance of our response to the Holy Spirit, and also the power of repentance in faith.  When Jesus tells these men of the religious leadership that the foreigners who responded to the holiness of God will stand with their generation to judge it, this is a statement of the power of the holy.  All their knowledge and understanding, their inheritance as descendants of Abraham and the holy men and women of Israel, does not stand for them as insurance against the reality of what is in the heart.  For all their knowledge and position, it is the active and living love of God, the alertness for the truth of God present to them, that will really count in the sight of God.  And so this lesson also applies to us.  We are the inheritors of Christ's ministry in the apostles and their spiritual descendants, but we, too, must be alive to the work of the holy, of the Spirit, of God present in our world, or all our worship and knowledge and practice means quite little.  We can make an idol of anything; it is living faith that Christ asks of us, a true communion of love with God the Holy Trinity.  How do we make that faith living and active?  Where do we find the place of love in hearts where that communion lives?  This is the powerful question we are asked, and warned about, in today's reading.  Let us be aware that these men know Scripture and practice, the Law and the Prophets, and practices of worship better than anyone else.  They are indeed the religious authorities and the keepers of all that is held holy.  But Christ asks of us not to be like them.  The whole of the Scripture honors those with the humility to have eyes to see and ears to hear, and who respond to the love and presence of God in the heart.  The focus is on the heart; it is the Holy Spirit's presence that creates the whole of the Church and the reality of the Kingdom in the world.