Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  

 

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  

 

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  for in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."   

 

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He  stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

- John 4:27–42 

 

Yesterday, we continued to read the story of Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (see the first reading here).  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain and  you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  My study Bible explains that the disciples marveled not only that Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with an unaccompanied woman, which was potentially scandalous.  For more instances of Christ's dealings with women, see John 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).  

 

 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  This Samaritan woman becomes an early evangelist, according to my study Bible.  Here she testifies to the advent of Christ and brings others to Him.  According to an early tradition, after the Resurrection she was baptized with the name Photini, meaning "the enlightened one."  Together with her two sons and five daughters, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later she and her family were martyred under the emperor Nero, by being thrown into a well.  On March 20 the Church remembers her and celebrates her feast day.  

 

 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Here is yet another instance of misunderstanding in John's Gospel, which opens for Jesus another opportunity to teach.  My study Bible explains that Christ fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father; so, therefore, this is His food.  It also teaches us that we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares.  

 

 "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, Christ commands the disciples to "Behold!" because the townspeople were approaching, ready and eager to believe in Jesus.  Christ compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) to fields ready for harvest.  This command, my study Bible adds, is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone wanting to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity. 

 

 "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  for in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."   According to St. John Chrysostom, those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles, respectively. My study Bible explains that the prophets sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, but they did not see His coming and so did not reap.  The apostles did not do the preparation, but would draw thousands to Christ in their own lifetimes.

 

 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He  stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  That these foreigners are among the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world shows us that the gospel is for all people in every nation, my study Bible notes here.

 

 This unlikely woman becomes a great apostle, and is venerated until today in the Church.  Her name, by which she's known as a saint, is "Photini."  The Greek root of this name is phos, meaning "light."  This name is generally translated as meaning "Enlightened" or "the enlightened one" (as it is above).  But what's important about the root of the name is that it comes from "light," as meaning one who carries light, or is infused by the light, shining, illumined.  What that light implies, of course, is the light of Christ, one who embodies the teaching of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, when He taught to us, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).  In the great mystery of this revelation by Christ to this woman, and her acceptance and understanding of His teaching and His identity as Messiah, is the mystery of illumination, what it means to be enlightened or illumined by Christ.  Regarding the concept of divinization, or theosis, there is often taught an analogy or example of just how we as human beings are capable of adopting the qualities of God through grace.  It is likened to a piece of metal being shaped in a fire, such as a sword.  The metal thrust into the fire takes on the properties of heat and even light, but it doesn't become fire, it remains metal.  So those illumined by God may take on properties of Christ's light, the illumination of the Holy Spirit, to reflect into the world this grace, this gift of holiness however it manifests in them.  In the case of this woman, her receptivity to Christ and her immediate faith captivated a whole town, and became a fire or light which she'd carry to other people and other nations, like the example of the lamp Christ preaches in the Sermon on the Mount.  We could even think of this name as describing someone who is radiant, but no doubt it bears greater similarity to the nimbus or halo of light portrayed around saints or images of the divine. This Samaritan woman, given to us in this Gospel of light by St. John, forms for us an image of our faith, of what salvation really means. The radiant life of Christ, through faith and grace, so permeates her life that she takes on its name. May that light remain shining in all of us so that we share it as she did.  

 

 

 

Who is my neighbor?

 

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  

 

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'   So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  

 

- Luke 10:25–37 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy apostles Christ appointed returned with joy from their mission, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

  And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."   In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is asked, "What is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  He responds with a teaching of these two commandments spoken here in today's reading, adding that on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (see Matthew 22:36-40).  In today's reading, Jesus says, "Do this and you will live."  See also Ezekiel 18:19-32 from today's reading for another context to Christ's words, "Do this and you will live."

 

 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."  My study Bible explains here that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, on the other hand, was notorious as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves, it says, speaks to the natural consequences of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  

 

"Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side."  My study Bible comments that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds do not accompany them.   It cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who writes, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  Moreover, that the priest and the Levite do not help the man also indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.

 

 "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  My study Bible notes that this Samaritan is a despised foreigner, and at the same time in this story he is an image of Christ (John 8:48), for Christ "came down from heaven" (the Creed) to save even those in rebellion against Him.  

 

"So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'   So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  My study Bible comments that the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images.  The bandages suggest the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil stands in for the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  The wine tells us of the communion of Christ's divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  That the Samaritan set the man on his own animal suggests Christ who bears our sins in His own body.  Finally, the inn is the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Jesus Himself pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).  

 

Today's lectionary reading (as indicated in commentary above) also includes a passage from Ezekiel in which God expresses the ways in which people shall live and not die; each is responsible for his or her own sins; if a sinful person turns to righteousness they shall live -- and if a righteous person turns to sin he or she will not (Ezekiel 18:1-4; 19-32).  Today Jesus gives us the two commandments on which "hang all the Law and the Prophets," which are found at Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  The lawyer, then, asks what might be considered a clever question, "And who is my neighbor?"  Jesus' answer is to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which we come to understand that to be a neighbor is to practice something, to do something -- and that is to live a life following Christ, one of compassion.    In the Epistle of St. James, he writes extensively about faith and works, and how they go hand in hand (see James 2:14-26).  There should not be one without the other; neither can save alone.  When he writes that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), he is telling us that we need to live our faith, not simply believe but fail to practice what our faith teaches.  Jesus expresses the same when He points to His spiritual family of mother and brothers:  "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  (See this reading.)   The story of the Good Samaritan in today's reading is an even more explicit and frankly, brilliant, illustration of what it means to live our faith, for it not only touches on the active compassion of the Samaritan, but it even tells us that what it means to be a neighbor is similar to what it takes to be mother or brother or sister to Christ.  It means living our faith, hearing and doing.  Not either one alone, but both, together.  Hearing the word, and doing it; receiving it into our hearts, and living it.  This is where Christ asks us to be in our lives, a living embodiment of the word He teaches, which He receives from the Father.  So much so, that we not only become faithful, but we become a neighbor.  Jesus tells the lawyer, "Go and do likewise."  Let us note that the Samaritan in our parable shows compassion to one who fell among thieves, who strays and is hurt on the wrong path in life.  So should we understand what it is to help those in need of our help, and welcome them back to the inn of our Lord.  For today's parable not only teaches us about being a neighbor, but also that the nature of our Church is to be a hospital, caring for those who need its compassion and active love.  Perhaps it is here we should note that this beautiful parable is found only in the Gospel of St. Luke, who is known also to us in the Church as the "beloved physician."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47–59 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is attending the autumn Feast of Tabernacles.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  He has been disputing in the temple with the religious leaders, who have sought to arrest Him, but have failed to do so.  Yesterday we read that they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can you say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.   You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

  "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  My study Bible notes that, unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth, these enemies (the religious leaders in the temple at Jerusalem) resort to personal insult. 

 

 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."   In disputing with the religious leaders, Jesus has offered several witnesses to His identity.  In John 5:31-47, He offered four witnesses:  God the Father, John the Baptist, His own works, and Moses.  Earlier during the events of this particular festival, He offered two witnesses, God the Father and Himself (see this reading).  Here Jesus offers another witness to Himself as Lord, the patriarch Abraham, "who rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."

 

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  Here Jesus uses the divine Name of God from the Old Testament, first revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).   This is the I AM (in the Greek of the Septuagint and here in the New Testament, εγω ειμι/ego eimi).  To the Jews, my study Bible explains, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as evidenced by their reaction here (they took up stones to throw at Him); see also Mark 14:62-64.  John places special emphasis on the use of this Name to clearly reveal Christ as God, my study Bible says.  This divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death ("If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death," verse 52, above), a power which belongs only to God the Father.

 

Jesus say, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."   It indicates that eternal nature of the Son, and Christ's identity as the Second Person of the Trinity.  This is the name of the the Lord in the Old Testament.  Clearly, as my study Bible says, the religious leaders understand full well the implications of what He claims, as they took up stones to throw at Him.  But Christ's nature which He reveals through this statement is something we must deeply consider for ourselves.  What it would be like to be both fully human and fully divine is not something any of us could say we'd know, for we are not the Christ.  But Jesus' identity both as Son and as Human Being indicates that He is here in the world to live as one of us in order to meet the things that ail us, and to offer us a way out, from sin and from death, from the evil that afflicts the world and separates us from God.  I heard an interesting talk lately about the topic of atonement, which suggested that the deep longing for the Messiah among the Jews of Christ's time was rooted in the understanding that real atonement that was necessary for Israel was something that was a much deeper problem than just a matter of the proper sacrifices and following the Laws of Moses.  To await the Messiah was the only way to reconcile the cosmic problem of the world in the spiritual grasp of evil.  In John's First Epistle, he writes, "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19).  In this Gospel, Jesus speaks of the ruler of this world and the judgment that must come.  He tells His disciples, "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out," and,  "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 12:31; 14:30).  Therefore Christ's identity as Son of Man, both fully human and fully divine, is necessary for the salvation of the world and the created order, and there is none other to do so.  This is what Christ indicates in this statement, when He echoes the name of the Lord from the Old Testament and claims it for Himself.  As His followers, we may enter into and participate in Christ's salvation for the world, which is an ongoing and active process, as we also may witness of ourselves and continue what He has begun. Jesus has said to the religious leaders, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17).   Until the end of the age, Christ continues this work in us, in the world, through the Body of Christ, and invites us to participate in it ourselves.  In today's reading, He gives His identity, He is the I AM, the One who already was before Abraham was born.  His testimony is for us, so that we know whom we follow, and whose redeeming work we serve.

 

 

 

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11–19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his  neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those thing which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  My study Bible comments that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  This illness brought tremendous physical suffering, as well as complete banishment and isolation from society.  It is also considered to be a symbol of our sin.  Jesus tells these lepers, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  This is because, in accordance with the Law, a certificate was necessary to rejoice community.  But, according to St. Cyril of Alexandria, another reason that Jesus gives this command is so that the priests will be convinced by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but these lepers are healed immediately and with Christ's own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and even so she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Jesus asks, "But where are the nine?"  My study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, but only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Thus, it says, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for our faith is that worship is the number one priority.

 

In a recent reading, Jesus gave two parables in response to the Pharisees and scribes, after they complained because He received and ate with tax collectors and sinners (see this reading from a week ago).  At that time, He began His response to them with two parables, both of which had a theme of seeking out that which was lost.  These are the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.  In the parable of the Lost Sheep, a shepherd leave his flock of ninety-nine to seek the one that is still missing.  In the parable of the Lost Coin, a woman has a bridal necklace of ten coins, and she works tirelessly and diligently until she finds the one coin that was lost.  He ended that parable by saying that the woman called her friends and neighbors together, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!"  He finished the parable by teaching, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  Here in today's story, Jesus must travel through  Samaria (a Gentile region) and Galilee, His home region which consists of mixed populations, both Gentile and Jew.   We're told that He entered a certain village, but it's not made clear where.  We just know that  there were ten lepers, standing afar off (as they were required to be separate from community), who -- knowing who Jesus was -- called to Him from afar, referring to Him by name and calling Him Master, pleaded with Him to have mercy on them.  We note that the ten lepers are distanced from the community, in accordance with Jewish Law, and that Jesus also tells them to show themselves to the priests.  But only one of them, we're told, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at [Jesus'] feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  This is now, in a strange sense, the inverse of the parables Jesus taught to the Pharisees and scribes.  Whereas those parables of the Lost Coin and the Lost Sheep were given to express God's tremendous love in seeking out that which was lost, and so seeking a fullness or completion in God's creation, this story of the ten lepers is a very human one, and it describes the very human or worldly response to God and the good things of God for which we're meant to be grateful.  This story follows upon Jesus' teaching to the disciples that, when a disciple has done what is asked, in fulfilling the commands of Christ, we're to say, "We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do."  This notion of "unprofitable," as we discussed in yesterday's commentary, is meant to express the idea that as faithful human beings, we cannot possibly repay the grace of God.  We simply do not have any resources equal in substance or quality to what we've been given.  This story in today's reading illustrates that reality.  How can any human being possibly repay God for the gift of healing -- and from a disease symbolic of sin, thereby akin to being forgiven and released from sin, so to speak?  We don't have any kind of substance or capacity that is like that, with which to repay God.  So it is simply our gratitude that is appropriate to the gift of God's mercy, to grace, and to give glory to God.  To be healed of leprosy is an incredible reprieve from terrible suffering, but where are those others who failed to give any sign of gratitude to God?  This lack of gratitude gives us a sense of what is today called entitlement.  One thing is clear from this story:  it is the outsider, the stranger, the foreigner here who has come back to give glory to God and to give thanks to Christ for his healing.  Moreover, Christ tells him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Let's consider those words, "Your faith has made you well."  This seems to indicate the others are without faith, and given Christ's repeated teaching to others to "sin no more," their ailments possibly will return.  At any rate, given Jesus' response, we can perceive that the fullness of healing, or of any gracious action of God, is not complete without our gratitude and giving of thanks and glory to God.  This is what we should take with us from today's reading, and grasp that as Jesus directly says that it is this man's faith that has made him well, we need to live the fullness of our faith in turn.  The fullness of our faith, in accordance with Christ's remarks today, isn't complete without giving thanks, without giving glory to God.  As we are approaching a holiday season (at least in the West where I live) of official occasion to give thanks, let us take this very seriously.  For perhaps it is true that we cannot live good lives of faith without it.  Modern medicine often tells us that gratitude is a key antidote to depression and other ailments, both mental and physical.  Perhaps this tie with our faith provides the true key to that outcome, as this foreigner becomes the icon of faith.

 

 

And who is my neighbor?

 

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  

Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  

 

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  

 

"So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

 

- Luke 10:25–37 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

  And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Here, Jesus gives two commandments in the Law, in response to the question from this lawyer, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus invites the lawyer to respond as to how he would answer according to what is written in the law.  The lawyer quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18; to which Jesus replies that he has answered rightly.  (Elsewhere, Jesus quotes these two Scripture passages and ties them together Himself when He's quizzed as to which is the greatest commandment in the Law; see Matthew 22:36-40.)  But, the text tells us, the lawyer wanted to justify himself, and so asks another question, "And who is my neighbor?"

 

 Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."  My study Bible tells us that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, by contrast, was known as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves speaks to the natural consequence of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  

"Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side."  My study Bible notes here that titles and positions are meaningless in the sight of God when good deeds do not accompany them.  It quotes from the commentary of St. Cyril of Alexandria:  "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  That it is a priest and a Levite who do not help the man is also an indication of the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.   

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  The Samaritan is a despised foreigner, but He is an image of Christ (John 8:48), as He "came down from heaven" (Creed) in order to save even those in rebellion against Him.

"So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."   My study Bible explains that the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images for first, the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin; second, the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit; and finally, the communion of the divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  That the Samaritan used his own animal to bear the injured man is an indication of Christ bearing our sins in His own body; the inn reveals the Church in which the care of Christ is received.  He pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).  

The parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable only found in Luke's Gospel.  What we first might notice about it is the grace of Jesus in responding to the lawyer who quizzes Him.  Jesus first asks the lawyer what his own reading of the Law is.  Then when the lawyer answers rightly, Jesus tells him so; to follow these two "greatest commandments" is to find eternal life:  "Do this and you will live," Jesus says.  So there is, first of all, great grace at work in Christ's response, and even toward the Law and the rewards it one may truly follow these commandments.   Keep in mind He speaks to a lawyer (likely a scribe) and their allies, the Pharisees, like Jesus, did believe in resurrection.  Jesus uses what we might call a Socratic method in His dialogue; He asks the lawyer questions designed to lead to the correct answer.  But then the lawyer wants to take this another step further, and he asks a provocative question himself, "And who is my neighbor?" referring to the second commandment quoted, to love one's neighbor as oneself.  In response to this question, Jesus tells the parable.  Jesus' method is still one that is very gracious, for He also ends with a question to the lawyer, effectively making His point:  "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  The lawyer's only option is to state the obvious; the one who "was neighbor" to the man attacked by thieves was the Samaritan.  In the telling of this story, Jesus illuminates the limitations of the Law, for perhaps the priest and the Levite are strictly observing other rules here, regarding coming into contact with blood, or the body of one who might be dead.  It reminds us of Jesus' repeated complaints against the legalism of the Pharisees, that they paid more attention to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.  In Matthew chapter 23, in His great critique of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus will say, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" (Matthew 23:23).  It is explicitly made clear that the only true "neighbor" in the story is the Samaritan, because he is the one who showed mercy.  So grace and gracious behavior become lauded all around, both in the behavior of Jesus and in the behavior of the Samaritan, who is a neighbor precisely because he showed mercy on the injured man.  Jesus further shows that in the faith He brings into the world, there are no limits on who a neighbor might be in terms of sect or group; indeed, to be a neighbor is to act as one, and here Jesus places all the definition of the term on the initiative and act of one who shows mercy.  Another aspect of this parable is illuminated in patristic commentary regarding the "going down to Jericho" of the injured man.  This is seen by some as parallel to Adam who sinned and so was cast down out of Paradise.  St. Ambrose writes of this that it was Adam's "change not of place but of conduct made the exile of his nature."  From eternal blessedness, Adam fell among the thieves, so to speak, the influences of the evil one who attacks and torments one stripped of spiritual grace.  So we may see this as our world, in which we need the spiritual care of Christ to tend to our own wounds and healing, and the protective garments of grace.  Christ's emphasis on being a neighbor in the same way He became neighbor to us in the Incarnation is the way to truly fulfill the life-saving command, and return to true life in Paradise.  Over and over throughout the Gospels, Jesus emphasizes that to receive mercy one must practice mercy.  In the Sermon on the Mount, He says, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).  Psalm 18:25 addresses the Lord this way:  "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless."  St. James writes, "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13).  Let us live the commandment as He teaches us, and so find our way to the life He offers.

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"

Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47–59 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is an eight-day harvest festival in autumn, and this is now in the final year of Christ's earthly life.  He has been disputing in the temple with the religious leaders, who have already tried and failed to have Him arrested.  In yesterday's reading, they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which if you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

"He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  The conversation here continues from the dispute in yesterday's reading (above).  We recall that the term "the Jews" is most often used in John's Gospel to denote the religious leadership.  All the people in our present passages are Jews, including Jesus, as well as the author of the Gospel.  Here, these religious leaders, who by now have chosen to be enemies of Christ, are unable to defeat Him through logic or truth, and so resort to personal insult ("Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?").

 

 Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Once again, Jesus speaks of His own witness, who is the Father.  It is the Father who honor Him.  And He claims to these leaders that they don't know the One they claim is their God. 

 

 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.   Jesus has repeatedly emphasized to these religious leaders His deep connection with the Father, who has put all things in His hands, from whom all the words He speaks come, whom He pleases in all things.  Here the term I AM  (in Greek, ego eimi) is clear and explicit as the divine Name of God in the Old Testament, as first revealed revealed to Moses at the burning bush (see Exodus 3:13-15).  My study Bible comments that to the Jewish religious leaders (and perhaps all who hear), this is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, which is evident from their reaction (Then they took up stones to throw at Him); see also Mark 14:62-64.  My study Bible adds that John places special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  It notes that this divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death (verse 52), a power which belongs only to God the Father.

Once again, as He has over the past several readings, Jesus emphasizes His closeness with the Father.  Everything He has, and everything He is, stems from the Father.  Jesus' judgment is true because He is not alone, but with the Father (John 8:16).  If they would know Him, they would know the Father (John 8:19).  Every word He speaks comes from the Father and is pleasing to the Father (John 8:26).  He does nothing of Himself, but seeks only to please the Father (John 8:29).  He says to be His disciple, to abide in His word given to Him by the Father, would make them free; He is the Son, and "if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).  They cannot hear nor believe Him, because they don't love God, and He is sent from God (John 8:42-47).  In today's reading, however, Jesus takes this all a giant leap forward, and enraging these enemies among the religious leaders even more, when He tells them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  This I AM is the divine Name of God.  It is also known as the Tetragrammaton (meaning "Four Letters" in Greek), which we read in our English language Bibles as YHWH, and pronounce "Yahweh" (Exodus 3:13-15).  This I AM is the Lord of the Old Testament, and Jesus has just explicitly stated that He identifies with the I AM.   As my study Bible explains this is unmistakable to the religious leaders, an unmistakable statement of equality with God.  But it's more than equality; He has declared His union with God in all things, but here He declares that He, in fact, is God.  In our Christian understanding through the apostles and all the Scriptures, we understand this divinity of Jesus, the inseparable nature of Father, Son, and Spirit.  But we can see what an astonishing statement this is to the outraged leaders, as they simply seek to stone Him to death on the spot.  But we should take with us the understanding that this is a great and profound mystery revealed.  How can the Son also be God with the Father?  And later, as all three Persons of the Trinity work in divine unity, the "Helper," the Holy Spirit will be sent by the Father in the Son's name, and will teach Christ's disciples, bringing to remembrance all things He has said to them.  This is a promise that stands the test of time ongoing for the life of the Trinity, of the divine Persons, is now and always and ever shall be -- intersecting and working within our time, establishing the Kingdom among and within us, and in an eternal sense offering us to share that life.  For the moment, let us consider all of Christ's words pertaining to His unity with the Father, and culminating with the amazing statement that "before Abraham was, I AM," because it is the ultimate key to who Christ is for us.   For He remains the "I AM," the One eternally present, always with us, the One to whom we turn, the only One to worship, and who is love. 

 

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11-19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  It's important to note that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, toward the Cross, and His "exodus" from this world.  He passes through Galilee (a place of mixed populations) and Samaria, so the presence of strangers or outsiders figures strongly here, and particularly in connection to principles of faith rather than ethnicity.  My study Bible explains that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  In addition to tremendous physical suffering, leprosy meant total banishment and isolation from society.  It is also a symbol of our sin.

Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.   Now the priests, in Jewish practice, were the ones in charge of the oversight and treatment of lepers and leprous houses; one needed a certificate from a priest to be allowed back into community.   My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who comments that Jesus wants to show the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and yet she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Jesus asks, "But where are the nine?"  My study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Therefore, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  My study Bible adds that, for Orthodox Christians, the lesson is that worship is the number one priority.  

It's an interesting commentary that my study Bible suggests that the lesson from today's reading is that worship is the number one priority.  At first glance, one might consider that the message here is all about gratitude and its cultivation.  But when one stops to think about it, one might wonder how gratitude is possible without the foundation of worship, laying down the Source of all things for which we're grateful.  Additionally, we could consider -- in the context of a lesson about gratitude -- that the nine didn't return to thank Jesus for their healing.  But it's possible that they might have done so without the proper idea of who Jesus is.  Jesus does not ask about the nine in the context of their lack of gratitude to Him personally, but for their failure to give glory to God for their healing.  Actually, the word here is cleansing, not healing.  In the tradition of the Bible, leprosy was seen as a sign of sin, and so "cleansing" here is more than healing a physical disease.  It is eliminating a contagion that debilitated not just the body, but rendered one separate from community, and that community is defined especially in the context of worship.  Therefore, once again, there is a tie to the failure to give glory to God.  These ten would have been excluded from community, a community defined by worship.  Once they are cleansed, and thus able to return to community, part of their joy must be a return to worship in community.  But the nine have failed to take joy in this, as God is not part of their focus here.  So this cleansing is quite similar to an understanding about our own possibilities for repentance, and thus "cleansing" from things which ail us in many ways, and keep us far from God.  Repentance is a kind of medicine for healing our minds, giving us a way to see life more clearly, and outside of the places in which we're stuck or in exile from community.  A habitual problem such as an addiction, or a kind of narcissism or selfishness that feeds the ego in some way, or possibly taking a secret joy in cruelty such as gossip, are all examples of sin which mires us in a place of isolation and exclusion and the breaking of community.  Ultimately repentance must be seen in its true meaning, as a change of mind, and one that comes with consequences to our lives.  In the light of today's reading, repentance must mean the restoration to community, in right relation to both God and neighbor.  This , of course, has worship as a foundation.  For without this focus on God as the center of our lives, how does the rest fall into place?  Let us consider these words and teachings today, and how important they are for our lives.  That "higher power" that helps one conquer addiction, that would destroy the pretext of narcissism and self-centeredness as our be-all and end-all, that denies the cruel gossip a secret joy at the diminishing and breaking of community, all of these things falter and fail upon the wheel of worship, the rock that either breaks or crushes.  That is, the one thing upon which we stumble and might return to true self, or which eventually may crush us together with the false notions of self we nurse or cling to (Luke 20:18).  It is worship that provide the foundation for our understanding of what ails us, as well as the cure, the place where we find ourselves.  For without gratitude to God, we are missing the point, and we haven't really returned "home."  In this understanding, we must also take note that it is just the foreigner who returns glory to God, making it even more clear what true community rests upon.  This is assuredly so, as Jesus tells him, "Your faith has made you well."

 

 

 

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11-19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  Leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time of Christ.  My study Bible explains that it brought both great physical suffering in addition to total banishment and isolation from society. It is also a symbol of our sin.  That these lepers stood afar off from Christ tells us about their isolation.

 

And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  Priests were in charge of issuing certificates for lepers to be allowed to rejoin the society.  In Luke 5:12-16, we read of another occasion upon which a leper was healed and sent to show himself to the priest in accordance with the Mosaic Law regarding leprosy.  Once again, this will have the effect of showing to the priests the power of Christ to heal (compare to the story of Miriam's leprosy and Moses' intercession in Numbers 12:10-15).  

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Of Christ's question, "Where are the nine?" my study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Hence, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for faithful Christians, it says, is that worship is the number one priority. 

There are a couple of things to note that come to mind with this story.  First of all, if we look at the earlier case in Luke's chapter 5, Jesus tells the healed leper to "go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  Jesus asks, "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  To "give glory to God" was, in fact, a form of an oath statement indicating true testimony (see John 9:24).  So, we know that intercession and an offering for cleansing were always a part of the understanding of the healing and treatment of leprosy, particularly after healing.  When the nine show no gratitude to Christ, it is in a kind of parallel with a failure to make an offering to God as commanded by Moses.  There is no acknowledgement on the part of the nine as to where their healing came from, that God has indeed healed them.  They additionally fail to acknowledge the divinity in Christ through whom they were healed.  We have to ask why they were blind to this fact -- and also why they show no gratitude to Christ at all.  So not only have they failed to recognize the divinity in Christ, but they have failed in terms of the law of Moses to give the glory to God in the spiritual fullness of the story.  It tells us something about our own blindness to that which sustains us and heals us, our own lack of gratitude when we consider our blessings and how we are sustained by God.  For if there is pride involved here on all of their parts -- except for this Samaritan who was healed, a foreigner -- then it speaks to us about how pride blinds us to the reality of spiritual truth in our own lives.  These nine perhaps entrust their healing only to their religious heritage and not to the reality of God working and present in Jesus.  It teaches us that pride may blind us to the presence of the Spirit of God when the Spirit is at work in our lives, and also about the importance of wakefulness, spiritual alertness.  What just happened?  How did they become healed?  Only the Samaritan, the foreigner, seems to truly understand what has happened in his life and how he was healed; why did the rest of them fail?  This gives us a picture of a fine line between pride in even a beautiful and good heritage and the humility that remains always a deep requirement for spiritual truth and understanding.  It teaches us that humility remains a key for truly being able to see reality, and in order to truly see God's presence in our lives, to grasp the living communion that is present to us.  Let us consider, also, the implications in this story for ourselves and our own lives even on a smaller scale.  Do we look around and recognize those to whom we should be grateful?  Do we acknowledge their efforts on our behalf?  So often it seems simply to be human nature to attribute all good things that happen in our lives to our own good qualities or something about ourselves, but we overlook so much that comes, in fact, from others.  A lack of gratitude seems to be a sort of psychological plague in a society beset by anxiety and depression.  These go hand in hand, and the practice of gratitude is often recommended as part of a healing practice for these ailments.  Let us consider that those who act out of faith and love of Christ -- even as they extend any generosity, kindness, or charity to another -- are also those worthy of a blessing by God (see Mark 9:41, Matthew 10:41-43).  Let us be alert to our spiritual reality and to our benefactors that come in many forms and may be acting in the name of God.  Ultimately, every good and perfect gift comes from above (James 1:17).  Let us remember the power and meaning of gratitude, and what its absence can mean for us.

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47-59 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn festival.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  He has been disputing with the Pharisees, and recently taught, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  In yesterday's reading, they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; was have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

  "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  My study Bible comments that as they have been unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth, these religious leaders who oppose Christ now resort to personal insult.  (See also John 7:45-52, 9:34.)  

Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."   Once again, Jesus defends the power of His word through His close communion with the Father, whose glory it is He seeks, and not His own.  As He has earlier said, the words that He speaks are spirit, and they are life (see this reading).

Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word."  Once again, Jesus returns to His relationship with the Father, whom He has named as a witness to His identity (see John 5:31-47; 8:16-18).  He has repeatedly spoken of the honor He gives to the Father through His ministry (see John 4:41-44).

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  I AM (in Greek, ἐγὼ εἰμί/ego eimi) is the divine name of God in the Old Testament, first revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:13-15.  To the Jews, this declaration by Jesus is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God.  Hence their reaction here (they took up stones to throw at Him); see also Mark 14:52-64.  My study Bible explains that John puts a special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death ("Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death"), a power which belongs only to God the Father. 

 

 These claims in John's Gospel of Sonship and equality with God are quite explicit.  These are not statements which could easily be explained as metaphor, or even products of a kind of grandiosity.  We could ask ourselves how someone could make a statement like this without being insane or delusional.  But the thing is, there really is no evidence in the rest of the text for claiming that Christ is a mentally unbalanced person, or even one who is grandiose.  Aside from the seven miraculous signs John gives us in His Gospel, which obviously point to the presence of the kingdom of God, the text does not really give us ways to explain away such statements without simply flatly declaring it to be a work of fiction.  There is too much historical evidence about Jesus' existence for this to be truly successful as a denial of the claims made here by Christ.   The religious leaders here claim He simply has a demon; that is, He is unbalanced and under the influence of a demonic spiritual force.  But there's an argument against that in the text also, which Christ makes Himself.  The religious authorities claimed He cast out demons by the power of the ruler of demons.  But Jesus asks, if their exorcists in the Jewish tradition that existed at the time also cast out demons, then by what power does He do so?  Moreover, a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, only a "stronger man" could cast out a strong man from his palace and claim his goods (Luke 11:14-23).  All the arguments we could make against such extraordinary claims fall flat, as Jesus is not one to conduct Himself in either a grandiose manner or one in which He seeks worldly power over others.  He does not control or compel people to follow Him through any apparent means of coercion.  His demeanor is righteous, His judgment honest and true, His weapon is the mercy and love of God.  Otherwise there would be no way that Christ could be such a compelling figure, and the power of our faith be something experienced by so many, and in so many ways.  The power of Christ's words, therefore, must remain to us not something simple and self-explanatory, but a truly compelling mystery.  It is something that invites us in to the extraordinary grandeur and power of God, and also into the perplexing questions of just why this is so.  Why the Incarnation?  What is the power of Christ not only to heal, but also to save?  To offer us life that is greater than the life we know already?  In His words, life more abundantly (John 10:10).  Why is God manifest in our world, and present to us?  Why does God need to live the life of a human being, as one of us?  All of these questions are opened up for us in His words.  If we accept what He says as true, then we don't have a question resolved, but even greater mystery and more questions than we'd have otherwise.  And this, too, remains a compelling part of the ministry and figure of Christ:  He invites us in to something that pulls us forward, asks us questions, even questions we need to ask ourselves about our own purpose and meaning in our lives, what we seek, and by what measure we judge ourselves.  It presents us with what one might call "the whole shebang" -- a colossal presence of something we otherwise would never think about or contemplate, the mystery of creation and the Creator.  Let us consider with what gifts we're blessed in such acceptance of so much more to life than we know, for even we are considered worthy for such a God to find us, for the more abundant life He offers beyond what we know.  And that is a great mystery indeed.