I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life

 

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." 

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

- John 8:12-20 

 

In our current readings, Jesus is at the eight-day Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, an autumn festival.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  Yesterday we read that while everyone went to his own house, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, staying with the other pilgrims to the feast.  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."   

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."   At the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, great lamps were lit in the outer courtyard of the temple, called the Court of Women (perhaps relevant to the story in yesterday's reading, above).  These were four oil-fed menorah lamps, 75 feet high, kept lit all night.   Their brilliance was so stunning that it illuminated the city.  These lamps were meant to remind the people of the pillar of fire that guided Israel on their wilderness journey following Moses.  It is in this context that Jesus says of Himself that He is the light of the world.   In so doing, my study Bible says, He declares Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light.  In the Scriptures, it adds, God the Father is light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), an attribute which is bestowed on followers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  In the chapter that follows, Jesus will confirm His claim with the sign of opening the eyes of a man born blind (John 9:1-7; esp. verse 5).  

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  We recall that in chapter 5 (John 5:31-47), Jesus gave four witnesses to Himself as testimony to confirm His identity as Messiah and Son of God:  God the Father, John the Baptist, His own works which bear witness, and the Old Testament Scriptures.  Here, Jesus first defends His own judgment and contrasts it with that of the leaders, who do not truly know "where I come from and where I am going."   Only He knows these things about Himself.  He contrasts their judgment according to the flesh, with His judgment which always comes from the Father.  He offers two witnesses this time for testimony:  Himself, and the Father who sent Him.  

Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.  My study Bible explains that because the Son and the Father share the same divine nature, one cannot be known apart from the other (John 14:7-11).  

Once again, we're given an example in today's reading of how Christ is the fulfillment of the "types" we read about in the Old Testament Scriptures.  As the great lamps of the Court of Women were illuminated, lighting up the whole city of Jerusalem in an image of the pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:17-22, esp. verses 21 and 22), Jesus declares, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."   We have to consider how Christ is the fulfillment of those brilliant lamps of illumination which commemorate the pillar of fire leading the way in the darkness.  First of all, He is the Lord, and so we consider Christ the divine Son to have been active in leading the people of God throughout Israel's history and in this case specifically through the Exodus.  Jesus has used the language for the identity of the Lord proclaimed to Moses, I AM, in Exodus 3:14.  He will make this connection explicitly clear as we reach the end of this chapter, when Jesus declares to the religious leaders, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58).  We may also understand Jesus as "the light" which illumines our way in the world.  That is, the way of one who would be a pilgrim and disciple to Christ, to find our way to God, even as we pray to our Father as He taught, "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (see Matthew 6:8-15).  Christ is the light that leads the way for those who desire God's kingdom manifest in this world.  He is the light that restores sight to a man blind from birth in the following chapter, as another aspect of His works or signs done at this Feast of Tabernacles.  Of course, St. John's Gospel tells us that He is the light shining in the darkness, that the darkness can neither understand nor take into itself (John 1:1-5).  Whether we believe that He is the One who provided the pillar of light, or Himself was present in the pillar of light, whether we understand the Eternal Word to be that which illumines or enlightens life itself, if we believe that this light is personally present to guide us and communicate with us through the mystery of the great communion of saints, all of the above is at once possible.  What we understand of His light communicates, guides, illumines us spiritually, enlightens our minds, uplifts our hearts with hope, and teaches us what we need in life and how to go forward in the path towards God and God's kingdom.  This is where we start, in that myriad of ways the light can show in our lives and has been present with humankind from the beginning. 

 

 

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of the Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. 

 

- John 7:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Christ's teaching, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him," many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by the Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.   This chapter begins a section in John's Gospel (John 7:1-10:21) which covers events during Christ's visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  This entire section (nearly three chapters) covers eight days.  It is now the final year of Christ's earthly life, in which He taught in the temple and attracted much public attention.  My study Bible comments that some thought He was mad (John 7:20); others believed He was the Messiah (John 7:31, 40); and still others (such as the religious leadership of the Sadducees and Pharisees) considered Him to be a threat (John 7:32, 45-52).  The text tells us that the Jews sought to kill Him.  We must remember that in John's Gospel, the term the Jews is used like a political label, and most often denotes the leadership in the temple at Jerusalem and those who serve them.  Some suggest this term is more accurately translated "Judeans," and in that context we understand that those designated as such in this Gospel are either among the leaders in Jerusalem (in the region of Judea) who generally treat Christ as a threat, or among their followers in Galilee or elsewhere.  As stated frequently here on this blog, all of the people in this text, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are Jews, including Christ and His disciples among whom is the author of this Gospel. 

Now the Jews' Feast of the Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Succot) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  It commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai and the people lived in tents, or "tabernacles."  Together with Passover and Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks), this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  My study Bible explains that it contained numerous sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43), and we will be examining Christ's preaching and teaching in light of those events.  In later terms, the final day of the festival included drawing water from the pool of Siloam (which plays a role in the text) which would be mixed with wine and poured out at the foot of the altar.  My study Bible explains this was both a purification and done in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Moreover it include the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple, reflected in Christ's teaching in references to light.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  Christ's brothers are extended family, either children of Joseph (His earthly guardian) by a previous wife, or cousins.  In the language of the Bible, and still today across the Middle East, various relations are referred to as "brothers" (for example, Lot, the nephew of Abram, is called his brother  in  Genesis 14:14-16).  Pertinent to this passage, my study Bible references Matthew 12:46-50, Jesus' relatives have still not yet understood His identity and mission.  In that passage, Christ points to a spiritual family which is based on obedience to the will of His Father.  

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible explains that Jesus' going to the festival not openly means not with a grand, public entrance.  This will happen on Palm Sunday, a week before His death and Resurrection (John 12:12-16).  Let us note how the people are already afraid to speak of Jesus openly for fear of the religious leaders.

As happens frequently in the Gospels, we notice Christ's cautious response to the circumstances in which He finds Himself.  So often He is dealing either with those who have hostility toward Him, or reject His mission and message in another way (such as seeking to force Him to be king (John 6:15).  In today's reading, His "brothers" (or kinspeople) seem to ridicule Him, suggesting that if He is really such an important figure He should act in accordance with what is expected of someone who seeks to be publicly known.  They say, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."   Judea is the center of Jewish authority and official life; it is the region in which Jerusalem sits.  His brethren almost sound like modern publicity agents, encouraging someone who wants to be a pop star or a famous public figure to go out and show themselves to the world, making an impression to get more followers.   Again, as is often the case in the Gospels, the encouragement is to show His "works" -- the marvelous healings and other signs.   Often it's demanded of Jesus that He shows a proof to those who don't believe, so that they will be convinced.  This repeatedly happens on the part of the religious leadership; they demand proof of His authority to act in the temple as He does (John 2:18).  It's as if we're supposed to understand that there is a worldly way to go out into the world and show greatness, and then on the other hand, there is God's way.  There is Christ's way.  And Jesus always sticks to the mission.  He always follows what His Father tells Him.  In this case, to go out and prove to the world -- and especially to the religious leaders, or even to His disciples as His relations suggest -- is not the way of Christ the Savior.  It is not the way to know faith and to understand it.  At this stage of His ministry, it is not the way that salvation must be brought to the world.  Faith must work on a different basis; His ministry must unfold in a particular way, and not through means of sheer publicity, public impression, or signs designed merely to convince rather than to point toward God.  Jesus teaches us to be discerning, and to know the time.   In today's reading, He tells His relatives, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready" and  "I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  Elsewhere we're told that His hour had not yet come (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20).  And still at other times we will be told that His hour has come, meaning the time of His glorification in His Passion, death, and Resurrection (John 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1).  These examples teach us about our own need for discernment; the right time is not at just any time for particular things. While we may not have the perfect discernment of Jesus, but we may in faith seek to live prayerful lives, seeking that kind of guidance and discipline that He shows.  He doesn't follow the world, doesn't live by conventional worldly "wisdom" such as the challenges His kinsmen submit to Him to show Himself to the world.  There are times when we are, in fact, called out of the world.  This is indeed the very definition of the sacred, something set apart for God, and that is also the story of the whole of the Bible, and all those called by God.  What we should aim for is to fulfill the promise in the life that Christ leads to show us by example, and seek in a prayerful life to find our own particular time and discernment about what we do.  It is not so much that we need to be as perfect as Christ is in such obedience and discipline, but we do need to understand that we might be called out of the world, out of what is conventional, through a life of devotion and prayer in seeking what God wants of us.  Just like Christ's hour, this is the way of the Cross, to forego what might be expected or even demanded by "the world," and find instead God's way for us.  Let us seek to bear that difference in the struggle marked by the love of God.

If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him

 

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of the one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in the Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  

 

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

- John 10:19–42 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn festival.  It is the final year of His life.  Many of His memorable teachings took place against the images and commemorations during this Festival, which are recorded in John 7:1-10:21.   In our recent readings, Jesus has been disputing withe the religious authorities.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father." 

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of the one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Once again, we recall that the term "the Jews" is used in John's Gospel as a political label, to designate the religious rulers, and not the people.  Here that is made evidently clear, as there is a division among these members of the leadership who have been disputing with Jesus in the temple.  Some plot again Him, and say He has a demon and is mad.  But others question, asking, "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"   My study Bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs, but perceive the holiness of His words ("These are not the words of the one who has a demon").

 

 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in the Jerusalem, and it was winter.  The Feast of Dedication took place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles.  It was known as the Festival of Lights (also called Hanukkah).  My study Bible explains that it commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated it in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1-4).  We recall from yesterday's reading (above) that, at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd.  At the Feast of Dedication, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated, many of whom were themselves shepherds.  

And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me."  Both what Christ told them and the works He had done already answered their question, my study Bible notes.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind (see this reading, in which Jesus healed a man blind from birth, the sixth sign of seven in John's Gospel) or perform these signs that bear witness to Christ.  Moreover, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people as Christ did (John 7:46; 10:21).

"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."  My study Bible remarks that Christ's words, "As I said to you," indicate that these are the same Pharisees whom Christ addressed three months prior (see John 10:1-5, from yesterday's reading, above).

"I and My Father are one."  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus responds to their question by revealing Himself to be fully God.  My study Bible explains that one means one in nature or essence.  He is God before all ages (John 1:1), and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  The plural verb are (in "I and the Father are one") indicates two distinct Persons, while at the same time affirming a continuous unity.  These leaders clearly recognize the claim of divinity, and therefore they accuse Jesus of blasphemy.

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Jesus cites Psalm 82:6 ("I said, 'You are gods'").  My study Bible explains that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and thus can rightly be called gods.  My study Bible quotes St. John Chrysostom, who comments that Christ is effectively saying, "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"  Additionally, Jesus again refers to the works He does as testimony to that divinity.

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  As Christ goes voluntarily and according to His own will to His Passion, these accusers are not able to arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30; 8:20; see also Luke 4:28-30).  Let us note the many who believed in Him there.

In today's reading, Jesus says to the religious leaders:  "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  In these words, it seems to me that one can hear Jesus doing His best to save even these leaders who oppose Him, right to the last minute.  Here, in this confrontation, He is at the Feast of Dedication, a winter festival (we know it commonly as Hanukkah), which is taking place during the final year of Christ's earthly life.  When the Passover comes, it will be time for His final entry into Jerusalem, on what we know as Palm Sunday.  But here, these words seem to plead for their faith -- not to save His life, for He already knows He will go to the Cross, but to save theirs.  He is offering to all the people, even these most arrayed against Him and who plot against Him, an abundant life, an eternal life, if they can but believe and come into communion with the Father in this way.  He offers them the witness of the works that He does.  These are "signs" with which these religious leaders, experts in Scripture and Jewish spiritual tradition, must be already familiar.  They are signs which they are abundantly capable to recognize in this spiritual and religious context, but they do not, and they will not.  What this suggests is that this is, indeed, Jesus' deepest need, His most fervent desire.  He seeks to save all, to bring all into communion with Him to the Father.  In yesterday's reading, He said to them, "I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd."  He is the door, the gate, to the more abundant and eternal life that is offered, and they have but to heed the signs and take faith from that recognition.  So many have understood the spirit and truth in His words, even among these leaders.  There are those who say, "These are not the words of the one who has a demon."  And they ask about the signs,  "Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Three times in yesterday's reading, Jesus reiterates that He will die for the "one flock," for the sheep.  He finally says, "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  There can be no doubt, therefore, that He knows He is going to His death, and that as He does, therefore, His greatest desire is to save all those whom He can -- and to offer to these religious leaders the salvation of communion through Him with the Father for the promise of abundant life.  He is not pleading for His own sake, or for His own life, but for theirs.  So let us consider the depth of His love, His fervent wish that all be saved.  For this must be the deepest command of all, the depth of Christ's priorities above all things, and the reason behind all things.  When we go through difficulties, if we survive even our own mistakes and errors, when we are tempted to think of our lives as unneeded, unwanted, discarded, or tainted, we should think about this.  For Christ wants most fervently for each one of His sheep to be one with Him and the Father, for the abundant life He promises, and that trumps every objection and every obstacle.  That fervent love and desire can overcome anything.  Let us never give up on that love, and hold fast to it, above all things.  

 

 

And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!

 

 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered; and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. 

 

- Luke 9:28-36 

 

Yesterday we read that it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered; and His robe became white and glistening.   The event which we read about today is called the Transfiguration (in Greek, Μεταμορφωσις/Metamorphosis).  This "altering" of His appearance is a transfiguration.  The specific type of change here gives us a sense of what is being revealed, for this is what is called a theophany, a revelation of God.  In particular this indicates the divinity of Christ, through a display of His uncreated, divine energy.  The white and glistening light from His robe is not a reflection of the sun, but a showing forth of something that is natural to Christ Himself.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" and St. Peter confessed, "You are the Christ of God."  Here, my study Bible points out, several elements of the Transfiguration show that Christ is Messiah and God.  Let us note that this is about eight days after that confession of Christ, and also Christ's first warnings to the disciples about His Passion to come.  This is one hint about what is revealed here, for often the Resurrection is referred to as the eighth day, the beginning of a new kind of life, a new time.  Because God is light, my study Bible says, the light all around demonstrates that He is God.  

And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  Moses and Elijah give us the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1), all those who live to Christ.  Moses represents the law and all those who have died; while Elijah represents the prophets and -- as Elijah did not experience death (2 Kings 2:11) -- all those who are alive in Christ.  My study Bible comments that their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.  There is a lengthy note on what is translated here as Christ's decease.  In Greek this word is exodus/εξοδος which literally means "departure" or "road out."  It refers to Christ's death.  My study Bible says that His death is intimately connected to the glory of the Transfiguration, because Christ is glorified through His death (John 12:23).  The term "exodus" reveals that Christ's Passion is a fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover, and that it is the true exodus from enslavement into salvation.  My study Bible adds that this revelation of divine power confirms that Christ's death will not be imposed upon Him by outside forces, but will be a voluntary offering of love -- no arresting soldier could have withstood such glory if Christ had not consented (Matthew 26:53).  And this will be the understanding that the disciples take with them.  

But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  Note that Moses and Elijah are recognizable to Peter, also affirming the communion of saints in Christ.  My study Bible tells us that these aspects of the Transfiguration are seen by Peter as confirmation that the Kingdom has come.  He knows that the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, which incidentally takes place this week) is the feast of the coming Kingdom, and so he asks to build tabernacles (also called booths, or tents), as was done at that feast, to serve as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  This event makes possible the understanding of John the Baptist as one who came "in the spirit and power of Elijah" at the time of the Messiah (Luke 1:17), rather than a return of Elijah himself, which many expected as an interpretation of Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6).  

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.  Finally, the Holy Trinity is manifest here at the Transfiguration.  The Father's voice is heard from heaven testifying to Christ's divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of the white and glistening light surrounding Christ's person, and the cloud overshadowing the whole mountain. 

The Transfiguration presents us with a kind of "fullness" about who Christ is.  This event, occurring about eight days after Peter's confession, and Jesus' affirmation that He is the Christ, together with His prophesy of His Passion, more fully reveals what it is to be the "Christ of God" (see yesterday's reading, above).  We're given a theophany, a revelation of God.  And this is God in a complete sense -- not that all possibilities and manifestations of God are present in explicit detail for the disciples, but that God the Holy Trinity is here, Jesus revealed as divine Son is here.  These are all stunning and vivid images that the disciples will take with them as they proceed together with Jesus toward Jerusalem and His Passion.  This vision will sustain them through what will unfold, and it informs the experience of the Passion from the correct point of view -- giving to the disciples, and to we faithful who follow, the correct picture of Christ's voluntary sacrifice, His defeat of death and sin, and the power of the Cross.  For it is not only Christ who is transfigured in this event, but this event defines the very power of Christ in our world.  His death on the Cross will forever transfigure death and suffering, turning the most dreaded instrument of the Empire's punishment into a symbol of Resurrection and the power to conquer evil.  Transfiguration is the very act which characterizes Christian faith, for redemption and salvation have the effect of transfiguring us, the divine power of God helping us internally to turn away from sin, to become transfigured in the image of Christ into those faithful who may produce spiritual fruits (Galatians 5:22-23).  The revelation we're given through the Transfiguration gives us the fullness of the picture of Christ's identity, which we must take with us through His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- especially through His suffering on the Cross.  We can take away from Him neither His humanity nor His divinity, for both inform us of His voluntary suffering on our behalf, His willingness to lay down His life for His friends (John 15:13), and His Ascension through which our humanity becomes a part of heaven, preparing the way for the end of the age.  Let us consider His transfiguring power in us, for this is part of the work of faith in the One revealed to us.  

 

 

If You do these things, show Yourself to the world

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that many of Christ's disciples, after they heard His teachings concerning eating His flesh and drinking His blood, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.  

 

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  In chapter 6 we read of events that took place during the second Passover season recorded in John's Gospel, in which Jesus disputed with the religious leaders ("the Jews" is used in John's Gospel most often to denote specifically the religious leadership, and not the people in general).   For this reason He does not want to walk in Judea, the center of the religious establishment and the temple.  We are now beginning to read of events which took place during the final year of Christ's earthly life.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Booths) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  My study Bible explains that it commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or tabernacles.   Along with Passover and Pentecost, these formed the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included may sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, the final day of the feast also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as a purification and also in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Later on the images in this chapter will inform Christ's teachings on light and illumination, reflecting the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  See also 2 Maccabbees 10:5-9.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  His brothers speak in earthly or worldly terms (show Yourself to the world), but Christ's mission is one that testifies to the evil in the works of the world (see Matthew 16:2-24).  My study Bible explains also that in Jewish usage (and for that matter, today in the extended Middle East), the term brother can indicate any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz referred to his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  Jesus Himself had no blood brothers, as Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here were either stepbrothers; that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins.  We can understand this in the action of Christ at the Cross, in committing the care of His mother to John His disciple (John 19:25-27) -- for this would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.  

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible explains that not openly means not with a grand, public entrance as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  John's Gospel gives us the divisions of the people, adding that no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders. 

What does it mean that Christ testifies that the works of the world are evil?  Jesus says to His relatives, when they encourage Him to show Himself openly, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."   His "time" to which He refers is the time of His Passion, and we must understand this also in the context of testimony to the evil works of the world.  The Crucifixion itself, as plotted by the powerful leaders for their own reasons (Matthew 27:17-18), is an act which expresses this evil -- however, it is entered into voluntarily and knowingly by Christ, for it is the culmination of this testimony.  As it is Christ Himself, Incarnate God, the power which is also at work transforms and transfigures the Crucifixion itself, turning the Cross into a sign of Resurrection and God's power against evil.  As noted above, when St. Peter encourages Jesus to avoid the Cross, Jesus responds to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).  It is one example of how a worldly way of thinking does not correspond to God's thinking, and specifically to the mission of Jesus Christ and what He must do in His testimony.  In today's reading, Jesus' extended family, not understanding His mission, encourages Him to "show Yourself to the world."   They reason that "no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly," and that He should "go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing."  But we know that many of Christ's works, in their immediate context, were done by Christ in secret (Luke 8:54-56), or in far away places (such as His revelation of Himself to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4:1-42), with Christ frequently admonishing the beneficiary of His grace and healing to "tell no one."  The "world," by contrast, would clamor for publicity.  Somehow, as in the words of Christ's brethren, everything depends upon proofs, upon showing something to the world that would compel belief (Matthew 12:39).  But often in the Gospels, the deliberate stirring up of crowds is something which in itself is used with evil intent, and misleads leads the people (Mark 15:11).  Faith, however, comes from something more than this, as we have read taught by Jesus throughout chapter 6:  it is the working of Father, Son, and Spirit within us that draws us to know Christ, and works within the heart of human beings.  John's Gospel will continually teach us that even the very Incarnation of Christ tells us something about what it is to seek and know Christ.  His mission is at work in the world but not of it (John 17:14)  There is something more that we seek, a mystical component that feeds also soul and spirit, and that prompts us to wish to know His path for us, and to grow in faith. 

 

 

 

 

No man ever spoke like this Man!

 

 On that last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee." 

 

- John 7:37–52 

 

Yesterday we read that about the middle of the Feast of Tabernacles Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

 

 On that last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.   My study bible tells us that the last day, that great day of the feast was the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  The ceremony of the drawing of water, in which water from the pool of Siloam (meaning "Sent") was mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, is the context for Christ's words, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."   This was to commemorate the water pouring from the rock struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7).  But the living water Christ is speaking of, my study bible says, is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the new life that accompanies this gift.  

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.   The Prophet refers to the expected Messiah, the Savior foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  The Christ (the Messiah, "Anointed One") was expected to come from Bethlehem, the town of David (Micah 5:2). 

 

 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  My study bible reminds us that the chief priests had sent officers of the temple to arrest Jesus in the middle of the Feast (verse 32; see yesterday's reading, above).  By the time this last day of the Feast had arrived, no arrest had yet been made, because these officers had been converted by the teaching of Christ.  St John Chrysostom comments that although the Pharisees and scribes had "witnessed the miracles and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from either one.  But these officers, on the other hand, even though they could not claim any such learning, were "captivated by a single sermon."  When the mind is open, he says "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."  

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."  Nicodemus had come to Jesus by night to be taught by Him (John 3:1-21) and since had increased in faith.  But his defense of Jesus was still based on our law, my study bible says, and so was not yet a public profession of faith (see John 19:38-39).  According to the law, Jesus must be given a hearing before He can be judged (Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 1:15-17).  The Pharisees make a broad claim, that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.  My study bible says that in doing so they show their blind hatred, and also their ignorance of the Scriptures -- for the prophet Jonah came from Galilee, from the town of Gath Hepher, which was only three miles from Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25).  

I'm always struck by the sheer confusion around Jesus.  John's Gospel gives us a picture of an increasing level of hysteria on the part of the leadership, even as their threats to Jesus begin to rise because of His growing popularity.   But nothing will come together until it is time, "His hour of glory" (John 12:23).   In the meantime, the officers at this Feast of Tabernacles (a sort of temple police) are simple unable to take Him, as they are stunned by His speech and teaching.  And if we pay close attention to Jesus' teachings in today's reading, we see they are, in effect, mysterious to the people who hear them, as is quite common in John's Gospel.  He says, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."   It's only after Jesus is glorified that even His apostles really understand that in those rivers of living water, He's speaking of the Holy Spirit.  And yet, the people are coming to faith in Him, the officers too amazed to arrest Him.  It's quite eye-opening to perceive that despite the chaos, the rising  division around Him, and all the forces stirred up among the leaders and the people, Jesus simply persists in His message, in what He's come to do.  He's come to preach and teach about the Kingdom and the realities that must be revealed.  He's Incarnate Lord for a reason, and has a mission to fulfill.  Nothing interferes with that mission:  not the attempts of the leaders to stop Him and arrest Him, not the confusion of the people, not the misunderstandings about the figurative language that He uses, not the fear and turmoil of the disciples that is to come, not the controversy -- none of it matters in terms of the fulfillment of His mission.  He persists and pursues what He is meant to do in union with the Father and the Spirit.  Judas' betrayal won't stop Him, and the Cross will not stop Him, because all of it will be a part of this mission, all used by God for a purpose.  It doesn't indicate a lack of prudence on Jesus' part, because we've already observed that He is quite prudent:  there are occasions when He deliberately evades Jerusalem and the religious leadership, even leaving Galilee for a time to go to Samaria (John 4:1-42).  It isn't a kind of recklessness that He manages to stir up controversy around Him.  All of this is for a purpose, and His hour is chosen.  But it is a kind of courage fortified by faith, and even the power of the Cross is in the midst of it all.  There is a lot that Jesus will endure as Messiah, but none of it is wasted, because His highest calling isn't to do His own will but to be true to the Father who sent Him, so that His mission of salvation for human beings is complete.  Possibly the greatest mystery of all is the Cross, but even that we understand as used by God to destroy death for all of us.   If these mysteries have indeed come down to us in the Church, perceived by the holy, trusted to give strength and hope to countless people throughout the centuries, and continuing to do so, then we can simply marvel that none of it was lost.  None of the controversy and complication and misunderstanding stopped any of this message from getting through and having its effect, and continuing to do so today.  Indeed, what we can truly assume is that Christ's revelation has more yet to give us.  The one mistake we can make is to underestimate His mission and ministry and the power of His words, for they continue to be "the words of eternal life" as St. Peter said (John 6:68).  If we ourselves look to Jesus as the image for our lives, we can't help but learn from Him:  from His humility and His courage, His willingness to serve, and His infinite capacity for faith and love.  He teaches us how we are to be in the world, and to have endless faith in the word and teachings of eternal life, for in them we find life for ourselves.  And this life cannot be stopped.

Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

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

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

- John 7:14-36

Yesterday we read that at this time in Jesus' ministry, He remained in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the religious leaders sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up to the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  My study bible comments on this passage that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  It says that spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize God's authority.  It quotes St. John Chrysostom's paraphrase of Christ's words:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."   See this reading for the incident to which Jesus refers, in which He healed a paralytic on the Sabbath, at the Feast of Weeks (Old Testament Pentecost) in Jerusalem.

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from:  but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."    My study bible remarks that these crowds are doubly mistaken.  In terms of Christ's human identity as Jesus, they think of Him as being from Nazareth in Galilee.  But Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem (verse 42; see also Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, they cannot understand that Christ has come from the Father in Heaven (who has sent Him) eternally begotten before all ages.  Therefore His divine "origin" is also unknown to them. 

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

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus aid to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  To go among the Greeks means to go among the Gentiles; that is the "Greek-speakers," as at that time Greek was the lingua franca or common international language used for trade, commerce, literature, etc.   The Dispersion would refer to the diaspora of the Jews (the Greek word translated as "dispersion" is diaspora/διασπορά); that is, Jews who live outside of Israel proper, including proselytes and converts to Judaism.  My study bible comments that this is, in fact, an unwitting prophecy, which points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles.  Indeed, our New Testament Scripture was originally written in Greek, and the gospel was carried into the world using the Greek language.

It's noteworthy and interesting that Jesus' first response to the accusations He encounters is to teach, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Nicodemus will say something similar to the Pharisees:  "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?" (7:50-51).  In a similar vein, in Acts of the Apostles, Gamaliel offers counsel for good judgment, when he prescribed leniency for the apostles who were preaching the gospel of Christ:  "And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God" (Acts 5:34-42).  Jesus, Nicodemus, and Gamaliel offer an insight already present in the Law:  a teaching for righteous judgment.  All too often, we fall into similar patterns of ignoring what we know are prescriptions for good judgment, and our passions and fears get in the way of practicing good judgment.  What Jesus seems to suggest is that even if they do not understand Him, even if they cannot for the moment accept His doctrine or find anything familiar in it, even if His actions seem nominally aberrant, the responsibility to judge with righteous judgment remains.  Jesus, by His suggestion, seems to assign this responsibility across the board, to all of us, no matter where we are in our religious understanding.  John's Gospel provides us with the perspective that we are all on a road, and all may be in different places regarding our depth of understanding or embrace of the faith of Jesus.  But nevertheless, such differences should not play a part in our capacity for righteous judgment, and our responsibility for refraining from judgment based on appearances.  Christ calls us to our capacity for insight and compassion.  Hardness of heart is condemned across the board in the Gospels.  Our capacities as human beings capable of discernment always remain with us, and give us a responsibility for failure to engage in humane and just behavior.  Let us consider His words and teachings, and what they imply for all of us, regardless of our understanding, or where we are on the journey of faith.  He calls us to embrace a level of dispassion that befits those created to be capable of good judgment, and of faithfulness to Creator.  Let us pay attention!  The crowds who view Christ are in the middle of all kinds of forces that seek to persuade them one way and another.  There are forces of hatred and of fear, of enmity and envy, of desire and need, and in the midst the people question and don't know which way to turn.  But good judgment, Christ suggests, remains possible, even in the midst of uncertainty and manipulation.  So we are here in this world, subject to the same forces, and assigned by Christ with the same responsibility for righteous judgment.

Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 

- Matthew 21:1-11

 Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho on their way toward Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

  Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"   Today's reading gives us the image of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday (so named for the branches spread by the people on the ground, verse 8).  My study bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah who would deliver Israel from Roman control and reestablish David's kingdom.  But in humility, Christ shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He doesn't ride on a horse nor in a chariot, but rather on a donkey -- which is a sign of humility and peace (see Zechariah 9:9, quoted by the people who welcome Him).   Noteworthy also is that Matthew reports a colt as well as a donkey.   In patristic commentary, the two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom, the colt being an image of the "untamed and uninstructed Gentiles who would pass from unbelief to faith" (Vespers of Palm Sunday Orthodox hymn).  My study bible adds that the entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The people who spread their clothes on the road before Jesus did so as if paying reverence to a King.  My study bible says that this is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and even our very lives, for Christ.  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, associated with messianic expectation.   It was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom).  On the seventh day of the festival, as branches were waved it was recited seven times.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

 Jesus enters into Jerusalem, welcomed by the crowds.  We note that they call Him "the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  This is not precisely who Jesus is, although He is welcomed in a way that suggests the welcoming of a king, or the Messiah.  The verses from the psalm they chant are used at the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, which commemorates the time Israel wandered in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.  Perhaps the text is meant to give us a sense that although these crowds welcome Him, all is not understood about Jesus.  There are mixed messages running through the crowds, and this is something important for us to understand.  Is He a prophet?  The Church does not say so, and He has indicated this is false in this reading, in which He asked the disciples specifically who people say that He is, and who do they think He is.  The messianic expectations of the time also lead to those in the crowds expecting the manifestation of a kingdom of Israel that will last forever -- if He is truly the Messiah, people will reason, then why is this new kingdom not appearing for them?   They've surely heard of the miraculous cures that have happened and all about His ministry.  Jesus even enters into Jerusalem from the East, as was expected of the Messiah.  But in His choice of transportation we find an expression of humility, not a warrior king, and that is indeed a message about what type of Messiah He is.  In John's Gospel, Jesus teaches to the Samaritan woman that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).  The people who will remain His followers must see through all of this, the worldly expectations, the varied and conflicting messages that stir the crowds, the misunderstandings -- and the intentions of the leadership -- in order to understand precisely what this means.  What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth?  How do we see past our own worldly expectations to find spirit and truth to lead us?  Neither do the people expect that the Messiah is divine, but rather an exalted human being.  Jesus defies all expectations in His ministry.   He defies the expectations, desires, and even demands of the desired Messiah.  He challenges every assumption about Himself.  Even these who proclaim and welcome Him do not necessarily understand Him.  There is an important message for all of us here, in that it is not what the crowds say about God or Christ that matters.  It's not what the rest of the world thinks about our faith that counts.  The God who is Spirit and must be worshiped in spirit and in truth will often be misunderstood and miscategorized, ill-defined and distorted by people's desires of God.  But the message of the heart is something else altogether, and it requires great humility to accept it -- and ongoing prayer to continue in His path for us.  God's life of spirit and truth will always ask of us to tear away our expectations, to check our own desires and projections, and to find His love, His way.  Without the necessary humility, we won't come to that understanding of the life He gives us -- and without the commitment to spirit and truth in the heart, it's much too easy to be misled by the strong emotions and persuasion of the crowds of our times.  Let us consider this Man on the donkey's colt, and remember that He became one of us for all of us.  So many expectations are always placed upon Him.  Will we, too, be disappointed if He doesn't fulfill all of ours?  Or will we be capable of shoring up our faith and resetting our compass to His light?