A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:53-58 

 

In our recent readings (beginning with Tuesday last week) Jesus has been preaching in parables.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered  the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 

  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Jesus' own country is Nazareth in Galilee, where He was brought up.  His old neighbors are both astonished and offended at Him.  This double response of both marveling and rejection occurs frequently in those who encounter Christ, my study Bible notes (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Christ's being rejected in His own country fulfills the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha (see Luke 4:26-27), and it foreshadows His rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  

 

What is prophetic witness?  What is the role of a prophet?  It is to call people back to God.  It's intriguing that this story about Jesus' rejection in His hometown at Nazareth appears just after we're told about all of His marvelous parables He's been preaching.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us parables of treasure:  a pearl of great price, a treasure hidden in a field.  He ended with the statement, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  This treasure is the Old and New Testaments, and so much of the scriptures that existed for Christ and His contemporaries consisted of the books of the prophets.  Let's recall also that yesterday's reading included yet another stark warning about judgment.  So, this episode in which Jesus visits His hometown and presents Himself as a Teacher in the synagogue is cast in the light of those teachings and that reminder of judgment.  But His prophetic voice isn't heard in His hometown.  They're not impressed with His gifts of beautiful speech, His wisdom and His mighty works.  Somehow He has violated the social order in acquiring these things, in becoming the Person they see before them now.  So they are both astonished and offended at Him.  They ask, "Where then did this Man get all these things?"  And here is the real complaint.  They're not valuing the treasure He offers them; but they're resentful that He has it to offer.  Jesus says to them, " "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  This statement is so significant, it is found in all four Gospels (see also Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).  So long as Christ's messianic secret was kept, His fellow townspeople knew Him as the carpenter's son,  the son of Mary, brother to extended family James, Joses, Simon, and Judas, with sisters they all know.  So "where did this Man get all these things?"  It tells us about the prophet role, in that the things Jesus offers were always things within Him.  The word He speaks were always treasures which stand the test of time, in the long lineage of the prophets who've come to call the people to God, ostensibly what the people attend synagogue to honor.  Jesus has come out in His public ministry in the appointed time, and that time is now for them, but they reject Him.  It teaches us about things we may live with, things that are true, but which for one reason and another, we simply don't want to hear or recognize.  For this is the prophetic role, to call people out of their complacency with the limitations of what they think they know, the accepted order they don't want disturbed.  The truths revealed by prophets call us to question ourselves and our lives; they call us to change, they call us to return to God.  And this is repentance, this turning to God to find where God wants us to go, what God wants to open our eyes to, how God wants us to go forward and move "closer" to Him.  Jesus' words of treasure call us to this reality all the time.  Let us not be so complacent that we don't want to be rudely awakened to Him and to the truth He brings us.  Let us meet the challenge of today with acceptance and not rejection, for there is always treasure that might be hidden in a field, or a pearl of great price to acquire that we simply don't see, but it's there in His word for us.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Matthew 12:33-42 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

But wisdom is justified by her children

 

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:

"We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not lament.'

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'   The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."

 

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done,  because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

 

- Matthew 11:16–24 

 

On Friday we read that the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus to ask if He was the One whom they awaited, as John is now imprisoned by King Herod.  On Saturday we read that, as the Baptist's disciples departed,  Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament.'  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'   The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."  Jesus here references a popular children's game of the time.  The children would divide into two groups.  One group would pretend to be musicians or singers, and the other would respond -- but in a way opposite that which would be expected.  The first group would either play music for dancing, or sing mourning dirges for a funeral; the second group would pretend either to dance or to weep.  Christ draws a parallel between children playing this game, and the Jewish leaders who responded wickedly both to John the Baptist as being too ascetic, and to Christ for being too liberal in mercy and joy.  

 

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done,  because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."  My study Bible comments that it is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all. 

 

Jesus' expression, "But wisdom is justified by all her children," in some ways gives us a wonderful sense of the myriad possibilities of the saints.  That is, saints come to us in perhaps all walks of life (such as former prostitutes, for example) and varied places and personas such as makes it impossible to definitively categorize an image or life of a saint into one kind of framework.  Christ Himself distinguishes His own life from that of John the Baptist, noting that they form quite different pictures in the world and in their respective ministries.  John was an extreme ascetic, cutting all out of his life save his mission of prophesy in preparation for the Messiah, and living a radical poverty.  Jesus associated with notorious sinners such as tax collectors and others, for as He said Himself, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Matthew 9:12-13).  But what Jesus here commemorates in His teaching is that both will receive criticism from those who look on from the outside, and do not understand their missions and ministries.  When we take a look at the 2,000 year old history of the Church, and its countless saints, we find people from all kinds of backgrounds and lives.  In the history of the Orthodox Church alone, we find lists of saints that are seemingly inexhaustible, from every century.  We can look at saints such as St. Philothei of Athens, a 16th century woman from a very wealthy landowning family who was widowed at a young age (that story, in and of itself, is not that unusual in the history of the saints).  She chose to dedicate her life to Christ, establishing monasteries under Ottoman rule.  Moreover, she distinguished herself by seeking to ransom and save many women from slavery in Ottoman harems, giving them refuge, training them to do other types of work, even establishing a central marketplace with stalls for women to sell the wares and crafts they learned to make.  She was martyred by being beaten for her activities in ransoming and saving women from slavery.  In the city of Athens, Greece the properties she established continue to shape much of the central city.  See her biography here.  We can contrast St. Philothei with a modern saint who established his ministries in Shanghai, China and San Francisco, California during a period of extremely turbulent world politics which centrally affected his flocks.  He is known as St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, St. John Maximovitch, and St. John the Wonderworker for the miracles associated with him.  He ministered in the Russian Empire, in Western Europe, in China, and finally in the Western United States, and is known for care of the faithful amidst seemingly unending strife even among parishioners and within his flock as a bishop.  He ministered even under Japanese occupation in China, and refused to bend to the Soviet authorities in Russia.  He himself was the victim of varied accusations, including slander from political enemies.  In the midst of building a cathedral in San Francisco, he was accused of financial wrongdoing and taken to court by a group which included some of his own church board, other priests, and even bishops, but was exonerated.  He was known for his extreme asceticism and unconventional behavior (such as appearing barefoot to visit the ill in hospital), and his relics lie now enshrined in the magnificent cathedral he built in San Francisco, Holy Virgin Cathedral the Joy of all Who Sorrow.  See a partial biography here.  From these very few examples, our Lord Jesus Christ, St. John the Baptist, St. Philothei of Athens, and St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, we see a wide diversity of saints who lived across the centuries and in varied places across the world.  St. Paul has said of his own holy life, that he was given an ailment we don't quite know, which he called a thorn in his side, and a messenger of Satan.  He prayed unsuccessfully to the Lord to remove it from him, but he was told by the Lord, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  St. Paul concluded, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).   What all of this possibly teaches us about holiness is that while none of us are perfect, God works through us nevertheless.  Let us honor holiness wherever it is found!  For wisdom is justified by  her children.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you

 

 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."  But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.  And He said to them, "Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.  But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"  So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence.  

 

Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."  

 

 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up to heaven.  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple and blessing God.  Amen.

 

- Luke 24:36–53 

 

Yesterday we read that, after the report of the women telling the apostles about the angel at the tomb and the announcement that Christ was risen, Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.  Now behold, two of them were traveling that say day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.  So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.  But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.  And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"  Then one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there these days?"  And He said to them, "What things?"  So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.  But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.  Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.  Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.  When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.  And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."  Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"  And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.  Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.  But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent."  And He went in to stay with them.   Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.  And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"  So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"  And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.  

 

 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."  But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.  Christ's resurrectional greeting, "Peace to you," is proclaimed by the priest or the bishop frequently in Orthodox worship services, as well as in many other denominations. 

 

 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.  But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"  So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence.   My study Bible notes that Christ eats not because He in His resurrected body needs food, but to prove to the disciples that He is truly risen in the flesh.  The spiritual significance given to the fish is active virtue, and in the honeycomb is seen the sweetness of divine wisdom.  

 

 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.   My study Bible comments that it is partial faith that one believes either in a Messiah who only suffered or one who would only reign in glory.  Complete faith sees both, for this, as Jesus indicates, is what was foretold in the Law and the Prophets.

 

Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things."  Jesus teaches the disciples the Law and the Prophets and all that they have said about Him which was fulfilled.   Remission of sins, according to my study Bible, refers to the putting away of sins in baptism, which is preached by St. Peter at Pentecost (see Acts 2:38).  

 

"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."  My study Bible tells us that are endued with is literally "have put on," as in putting on clothing.  The same verb found in Ephesians 6:11, which indicates the complete protection of spiritual armor.  Tarry is literally "sit down" in the Greek.  It's an instruction not only to stay in place, but also to take rest and to prepare attentively before a great and difficult task (compare Mark 14:32).   The Promise of My Father, my study Bible explains, is the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:4).  

 

  And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up to heaven.  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple and blessing God.  Amen.  My study Bible comments that the Ascension of Christ is celebrated forty days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).  This event fulfills the type given when Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11) and marks the completion of Christ's glorification and lordship over all creation.  At the Incarnation, my study Bible says, Christ brought His divine nature to human nature.  In the mystery of the Ascension, Christ now brings human nature to the divine Kingdom.  There He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in His glorified body.  This reveals His glorified human nature -- even human flesh -- to be worshiped by the whole angelic realm.  In the Orthodox Church it is sung at Vespers of Ascension, "The angels were amazed seeing a Man so exalted."  In some icons of the Ascension, Christ's white robes are tinted red in order to indicate the shedding of His blood for the redemption of the world, and the ascent of that life-giving blood into heaven (Isaiah 63:1-3; see also Psalm 24:7-10).

 

 In today's reading, we're told, "Then He said to them, 'These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.'   And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures."  Let us note that right from the beginning -- in the sense that life after Christ's Resurrection has begun here at this point in the journey of the disciples -- Jesus offers wisdom.  And the way that Jesus offers them wisdom is not like anyone else teaches us wisdom.  The Gospel tells us that He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  We have wisdom in the Scriptures, there is wisdom in Christ's teaching, what He literally says to the disciples.  And yet, He also opened their understanding, that they might comprehend.  It takes something more to have understanding, to truly comprehend, than to be told words, than to seek to grasp something intellectually.  Oftentimes, we might hear something and be unable to take it in, to comprehend.  With bad news, this is certainly often the case.  It's also true of news we can barely believe, or things that startle us out of our normal expectations, even exist in contradiction to what we've hoped or assumed.  We need that something different to truly understand and comprehend.  And here is the Promise also mentioned by Jesus, most importantly, in conjunction with His gift of understanding and comprehension:  "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."  This Promise is the Holy Spirit.  In John 14, Jesus tells the disciples at the Last Supper, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:15-18).  A bit farther along, Jesus explains, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26).  This is the Promise of His companionship, His dwelling within us together with the Father and the Spirit, and the One who will "teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  This is the One who helps us to know and to understand, to have wisdom, and to comprehend what we need to know as we prayerfully seek His guidance, and the ways in which we are to understand and to follow His commandments in our lives.  Let us consider the communion we have with God, this great, even staggering Promise of such full communion dwelling within us, this indwelling of love:  "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23).  And there is another part to this Promise, that they will be endued with power from on high.  Let us gratefully rejoice in the Promise He offers, and have the hearts to receive, and to cast all aside that conflicts with this great treasure, the Promise, His gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But what did you go out into the wilderness to see?

 

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

 

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

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.' 

"For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  

 

And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  

 

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

'We played the flute for you,

 And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not weep.'

"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of  tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

 

- Luke 7:18-35

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people (that is, the Sermon on the Plain), He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.  Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region. 

 

  Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."   My study Bible reminds us that John the Baptist was imprisoned shortly after the Baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:14).  Although the Baptist had directed his disciples to follow Christ (John 1:29-31, 35-37), some remained with him.  While John's own faith was undoubtedly strengthened by the signs Jesus performed, my study Bible cites patristic commentary which universally sees this encounter as a way in which John convinced his remaining disciples that Jesus was truly the Coming One.   The great works performed by Christ here are the signs prophesied about the time of the Messiah.

 

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'   For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  Although He was the greatest prophet, John's earthly life and ministry remained in the period of the old covenant.  My study Bible explains that the new covenant so far surpasses the old that the least in the kingdom is greater than the greatest outside of it.  This doesn't imply that John will not be resurrected to the Kingdom, but it is telling us that his life on earth came before something much superior.  Jesus quotes from the prophecy of Malachi, indicating that it is John the Baptist who fulfills that prophecy (Malachi 3:1).

 

 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  See Mark 11:27-33.

 

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not weep.'  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of  tax collectors and sinners!'"  Jesus references a children's game common in His time.  The game was played with two groups of children. One group would initiate musicians either playing a pipe for music to dance, or singing a dirge -- and the other was expected to respond with dancing or mourning.  Here the image is of a second group that does not respond appropriately to either prompt, while the children of the first complain.  The Pharisees were so rigid in their religion, my study Bible explains, that they were unable to respond to and engage the world around them.  So they rejected John as too mournful and ascetic, and Christ as too merciful and joyous.  Jesus compares those who criticize to children playing a childish game.

 

"But wisdom is justified by all her children."  In spite of being rejected by the Pharisees, my study Bible tells us, both John and Christ are justified -- not by the opinions of men, but by their children; that is, those who would come to believe and be faithful.

 

 Jesus seems to chastise the people regarding John.  He says, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts."  The irony to us should be that John is not living in a king's court, but in a king's prison, although we know that King Herod liked to listen to him and "heard him gladly" (see Mark 6:17-20).  But John was neither a reed shaken by the wind, nor a man clothed in soft garments, nor was he gorgeously appareled or living in luxury.  But John the Baptist was "a prophet," and "more than a prophet," as Jesus says.  John lived the radical life of a prophet fully devoted to God, and dependent upon God.  He was clothed in animal skins, and ate food that was available to him in the wild (Matthew 3:4).  Jesus seems to be responding to criticism of John's life of absolute poverty, what we might call a kind of wildness in his devotion to his mission and his place as the one who called the people to prepare for the coming of the Messiah.  Hence, John's title in the Church as "Forerunner."  Jesus says he is more than a prophet; in the tradition of the Church he is the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  While Jesus is perceived as John's opposite in various ways, Christ vigorously defends John and John's way of life in fulfilling his holy mission.  Let us remark upon the loyalty Christ has for all those who serve God, which we can see in His defense of John.  He says to the people, "For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of  tax collectors and sinners!'"  Perhaps the most important teaching we take from today's text is just how God works through God's myriad holy workers, all of them saints and all of them fulfilling their roles in the dispensation of God's plan of salvation.  For each one is unique, and new saints are born every day; there are countless numbers of saints whom we don't know and may never be recognized, and no such thing as a "cookie-cutter" saint or repeat.  This is part of our observance of God's nature of infinite creativity, which never stops, is always renewed, and always surpassing our own limited perceptions and expectations.   In this sense, we are to understand Jesus' very important teaching about the justification of wisdom -- all of the children of Holy Wisdom fulfill the purposes of God which may be unknown or misunderstood by human beings, and yet all are justified in their holiness and their calling.  Even when the holy are seemingly disparate from one another in appearance, such as John the Baptist and Jesus.  John and Jesus are seeming "opposites" in other ways besides the rustic asceticism of John compared to Christ's joyful feasting with tax collectors and sinners.  In the Church, their lives are commemorated at opposite times of the year; John's is when the summer light begins to wane, and Christ's is at the beginning of the time of the year when the light begins to lengthen (Christmas).  John expresses another form of this "difference" between them when he tells his disciples about Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).  God is big enough to hold these differences at once as part and parcel of the plan for the salvation of the world, and perhaps you and I may look at our world and find, indeed, contradictions which we can't explain, but nonetheless are held in the same hands of God for us all.  For our faith is also found in paradox, in that which is so much bigger than we can ever resolve nor know, but which teaches us to look with humility, beyond what we already understand (Job 38:4).

 

 

 

 

 

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:53-58 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant selling beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 

  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Jesus' own country is Nazareth of Galilee, where He was raised.  My study Bible comments on this double response of people being both astonished and offended at Him; it's a frequent response to Jesus (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  It notes that Christ's being rejected in His own country fulfills the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, and it foreshadows His rejection by the whole nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Christ's brothers are members of His extended family; either sons of Joseph by a marriage prior to Mary, or cousins, as "brothers" is commonly used for such.  

Jesus says, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  So important is this statement that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).  Perusing today's reading, one is tempted to encapsulate the response of Jesus' townspeople and neighbors in a modern vein, as something like, "Who does He think He is?"  Well, we can think about that question and laugh at it, because we know who He thinks He is, and we (hopefully) know who He is.  So, thinking about this scene with the old neighbors, we might consider first of all the Jesus of everyday life they knew once upon a time, and the Jesus who comes before them with His now public ministry, an entirely different and surprising category of human being.  Apparently the messianic secret remained just that, until perhaps the wedding in Cana, if we go by the chronology of John's Gospel.  We can imagine that only His mother and human guardian/father were privy to this secret, for it is there at that wedding where we witness Mary prompting Him, and a reluctant Jesus asks her (in so many words) if she's really ready for what will come once His public ministry begins.  And so we find, in today's reading, Jesus back in His hometown, with His mother, His "brothers" (extended family), and neighbors.  All of a sudden, to them, He is this Jesus who is teaching in their synagogue (apparently He hadn't done that in the past), and He's full of this wisdom and these mighty works they now hear about.  The neighbors remind one another that He's still the familiar carpenter's son, the One whose family they all know, and so -- where then did this Man get all these things?  Who does He think He is?  How can this be?  How can both of these things be true?  And so they were offended at Him.  Let's note that Jesus' response does not reveal the messianic secret.  He still does not declare who He is.  Instead, He lives who He is, He acts who He is.  He teaching with authority, and produces wisdom and mighty works, all signs of the Christ's presence, God in their midst.  Note that instead of declaring Himself, Jesus aligns Himself with the prophets of the past, and the ways they also were rejected.  By so doing, Jesus puts Himself in a line with those prophets who, while they were not the Messiah, nevertheless brought God closer to the people, and manifested God's word and works in their midst.  For they, too, are part of this same Kingdom, helping to bring it into the world through their faith and devotion to God, and the Scriptures testify also to their rejection.  It tells us something about the worldly, about how God works in the world, sending servants who will call people out of their complacency, out of their corruption and easy money and currying favor and flattery, out of our somnambulant way of walking through life, going along with what we see and accepting the premises of the ways of life around us.  For this is what prophets do; they shake up the order that forgets God, even those who "draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8).  With their words, the prophets honor Christ, the One who stands before the people of Nazareth and whom they only know as their old neighbor, the One they now resent and whose wisdom and mighty works are an offense to them.  Perhaps what we need to see for ourselves is how we might align with Christ and the energies -- the grace -- that fills the prophets, so that in our own lives even by simply being willing to serve we may shake up the ideas of those around ourselves.  Devotion to God, according to the Scriptures of the Bible, by no means assures us a simple and easy life, one that pleases everyone around us.  But at least, in a world that guarantees to bring some trouble to all of us, we can be assured of seeking something that is indeed worth it, for it is there we will find our joy if so our hearts desire Him as did the prophets (see John the Baptist's declaration of his joy in John 3:25).  Note the outcome of the failure to accept the grace that is offered: He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Here is another question for our spiritual lack of sight or hearing:  how do we know what we have missed?  

 

But wisdom is justified by her children

 

"But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:

'We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not lament.'

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

 

- Matthew 11:16-24 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the disciples of John the Baptist departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"   

 

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."  Jesus here refers to a game which was played among Jewish children.  Perhaps the words are a singsong that accompanied the game.  The children would divide into two groups; one would pretend to play musical instruments or to sing, and the other group would respond in a manner opposite to what was expected.  So here Jesus draws a parallel to the Jewish leaders who responded in deliberate opposition both to John the Baptist as being too ascetic and to Christ as too liberal in mercy and joy.  When Jesus says that "wisdom is justified by her children," He seems to be referring to the fact that as different as the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus seem to be, they are both products of holy wisdom, and their spiritual fruits vindicate them.

 

 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."  These are the Galilean cities in which Jesus had done great healings and exorcisms (mighty works) and so they are witness to the holy power at work in His ministry.  My study Bible comments that it is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all.

Jesus' reference to the children's game teaches us something about the attitude of the critics of both Jesus' and John the Baptist's ministries.  There are those who simply will find fault because they don't want to hear or receive the message that is being preached.  The criticism is erratic and it doesn't make sense -- and it's also immature and childish.  But as Jesus takes on His own criticism of the cities which have rejected Him and His ministry, the tone becomes more serious.  Because, in fact, they aren't simply rejecting His words and teaching, but the actual works -- the spiritual fruits -- that manifest the truth of who He is and what He has to teach, His word.  As my study Bible says, to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him is far more serious than never to have known Him at all.  At the end of yesterday's reading, Jesus called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Here there is a reflection of an idea that is similar to this, as Jesus is asking for spiritual ears that can hear the spiritual messages brought to the people through the work of the Spirit.  Those who saw His mighty works and still rejected Him haven't got spiritual eyes to see.  They don't understand the power of judgment that is inherent in anything with which God may bless and reveal truth to us.  For to reject such efforts is to reject God, and to reject God is to reject life, and all the blessings that includes for us.  We depend upon God for our being, and all that is true, or good, or beautiful.  What is rejected, then, is that substance that is manifest in the works, the reality of the holy power that  is unchanging, and not simply temporal.  Jesus is not performing magic tricks, or spiritual feats to impress people.  His entire Incarnation in the world is God reaching toward us, bringing salvation for those who can receive it, and truly "see" and "hear" it.  In the first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul speaks of maturing in a spiritual sense:  "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.  And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:12-13).  He is speaking here about growth in spiritual maturity and understanding, and let us note the metaphors to sight.  His aspiration is for more understanding, to "know just as I also am known" [by God].  This is what Christ asks us for, this spiritual journey, where spiritual sight and hearing are cherished, sought, and known -- as well as the growth toward greater maturity that St. Paul writes about.  Let us especially note the final line.  Where is faith, hope, and love in the self-serving cynicism of the religious leaders?   Love is also known as "charity" in our traditional language of the King James Bible.  Where is the charity in hearts that are so hard they do not even receive the great healings of human beings they have seen?  Let us remember these words and this teaching, for it is our lack of charity and love that blinds us to such great things we are rejecting -- and the depth of loss that creates for us.

 

 

 

We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament

 

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:  

    'We played the flute for you,

    And you did not dance;

    We mourned to you,

    And you did not lament.'

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

 

- Matthew 11:16-24

 

In Friday's reading, the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus, asking if He is the Coming One, or if they should look for another, for John was imprisoned at this time.  On Saturday we read that when they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" 

 

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:   'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament.'   For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."  Jesus compares His and John the Baptist's critics to children playing a popular game among Jewish children of the time.  The children would divide into two groups.  One would pretend to play musical instruments (for dancing) or to sing (for mourning), and the others were expected to respond.  In this case, He compares them to children complaining that the second group responded in a manner opposite of what would have been expected.  My study Bible comments that Christ draws a parallel to the Jewish leaders who responded wickedly both to John the Baptist as being too ascetic and to Christ as being too liberal in mercy and joy.  But, as Jesus says, wisdom is justified by all her children.  That is, both the ascetic John, and the merciful Christ.

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."  My study Bible comments that it is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all.  

In today's reading, Jesus speaks of the proper response to the grace of God.  Both He and John the Baptist have ministries in which they serve God as they are called.  John was himself deeply ascetic, living in a kind of chosen poverty in order to devote all of his life to God's call.  Christ's ministry appears to be quite different.  As He Himself says, He is criticized for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners -- those with wealth, even gained by what are considered to be sinful means (see this reading, in which Matthew the tax collector, our Evangelist, is called by Christ the Physician).  Their ministries bear very little resemblance  to one another, and yet both serve as they are called to do.  For this is the message of God's grace.  In John's chapter 3, Jesus explains to Nicodemus, an important member of the Council who also becomes Christ's follower:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  In other words, God's grace -- the ways in which the Spirit of God works -- is not predictable nor accountable to worldly human standards.  Jesus and John bear very little resemblance to one another in terms of the appearance and type of their ministries, but in fact both work together for God's kingdom, and each is necessary in the unfolding of this story.  Nicodemus himself is an unlikely candidate for us to expect as a devoted follower of Christ, as He is a prominent member of the Council and a Pharisee, and yet he becomes a disciple as well; like Joseph of Arimathea, another wealthy man from Jerusalem, he will show heroism in service to Christ.  What all of these figures have in common, and indeed all the figures we read about who serve Christ and the kingdom, is just that:  a faith that exchanges one life for another, worldly expectations for the service of God, however they are called to do so in life.  For this is the life of faith, and of taking up one's own cross.  Of course, the wonderful message hidden in Christ's words that "wisdom is justified by all her children" is that in the great and awesome creativity of Christ, each unique life and personality gives us a sense of the magnificent beauty and variety of God's kingdom.  As unique and different as each person we read about who serves God, each is called to play their own part in the Body of Christ.  This is the unsurpassed creativity of God, and why we just keep our hearts open to discernment.  The astonishing beauty of God can also be misunderstood and rejected when we allow our own expectations to cloud what grace is revealing to us.  We think of repentance as mourning for sins of the past; but truly another form of repentance is opening one's eyes to God's unexpected grace, and opening to receive as it is given and revealed.  In order to do that, we discard the limitations God challenges within ourselves, and embrace God's way for us.  This is also the way of the Cross, of taking up our own crosses and following Him.  Jesus' great signs do not move the cities He names to that kind of repentance, or "change of mind."  This in itself, as He reveals, becomes a kind of judgment.  They are witness to His miracles, but cannot accept His gospel -- and both are gifts from God.  This is the danger of wanting a god in our own image, one who will simply conform to our demands.  But wisdom is justified by all her children.

Wisdom is justified by all her children

 

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

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

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.'

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

But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:  

'We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not weep.'

"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

 

- Luke 7:18-35 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus concluded all His sayings (the Sermon on the Plain) in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.  Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

 

 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  My study Bible comments here that John the Baptist was imprisoned soon after Jesus was baptized (Mark 1:14).  Although John had directed his disciples to follow Christ (John 1:29-31, 35-37), some remained with him.  While John's own faith was undoubtedly strengthen by the signs Jesus performed, my study Bible says, in patristic commentary this encounter is universally seen as a means John used to convince his remaining disciples that Jesus was indeed the Coming One.

 

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:   'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.   Jesus' quote regarding John the Baptist is from Malachi 3:1.  By quoting from the prophets, Jesus is clearly speaking of the great honor due to John the Baptist, who lived in poverty but is nonetheless exalted by God.  In contrast to those who are clothed in soft garments, John wore animal skins with a leather belt, and ate what nature provided (see Matthew 3:4).  His radical poverty defined his complete and total dedication to God.  My study Bible comments that although John was the greatest prophet, his earthly life and ministry remained in the period of the old covenant.  The new covenant so far surpasses the old that the least in the kingdom is greater than the greatest outside it.  This does not imply that John will not be resurrected to the Kingdom, but only that his life on earth came before something far superior.  Regarding those who had been baptized with the baptism of John, see Luke 3:7-14.

But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  See Mark 11:27-33.  

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not weep.'"  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"  My study Bible explains that the children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another are playing a game of the period.   It was a game played in two groups.  One group would mimic musicians, and the other group refused to respond appropriately to the type of music that was played, either for dancing or mourning.  It notes that the Pharisees were so rigid in their religion that they were unable to respond to and engage the world around them.  Therefore, they rejected John as being too mournful and ascetic, and Christ as being too merciful and joyous.

"But wisdom is justified by all her children."  My study Bible notes that in spite of being rejected by the Pharisees, both John and Christ are justified, not by the opinions of men, but by their children, those who would come to believe and be faithful.

 

Jesus says in response to the Pharisees and the lawyers,  "But wisdom is justified by all her children."  The men He addresses first of all condemn Christ for the joyfulness of His ministry and condemn John the Baptisn for his asceticism.  Christ's response is that in neither case are they correct, for wisdom works through a myriad of appearances in the world, a pantheon of saints who each embody holy wisdom in their lives and live those choices to glorify God in more varieties than we can understand.  It seems to me that each person has a particular way to serve God, and that we can see this in the variety of saints and their ministries and lives in the history of the Church.  As each one is born and lives in particular circumstances, so each will be called by God to serve in particular ways fitting to the time and place and the choices available to them.  So one thing that we can surely learn from Christ's teachings in today's reading is that we cannot prejudge nor quantify exactly what holiness will do or looks like.  We can see this in Jesus' chastising of those who apparently would look upon John as failure or false prophet now that he was imprisoned.  There were many at the time, we remember, who fancied that he was the expected Messiah, although John himself denied that (see John 1:19-28).  I love Jesus' vivid description in His castigation of those who would now reject John for the hardship of his life:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet."  What did they go out to see in the wilderness where John was preaching and baptizing?  A timid weak reed shaken by any wind that blew, or the man who stood up to the king?  Is John in the king's court, or is he in his prison?  The rough John did not bend as a reed, and never wore gorgeous apparel or lived in luxury, but rather suffered a gory death through the games and feasting of that court!  See Matthew 14:3-12.  But although the ministries and persons of John the Baptist and Jesus seem quite different, they are both called by God and follow God in what they do and how they live their lives and conduct their ministries.  Each has his role to play.  Only Jesus is the Christ, and John has his own important role to play in the story of salvation, as the one who prepared the way for Christ.  John served as the model for the early monastics, especially the desert monks, who would renounce all for the sake of following God.  His asceticism likewise provided inspiration.  But Jesus here mimics those who criticize Him, and we get a very different picture of His ministry:  to them He is "a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!"   In this picture of the opposite of John's rigorous asceticism and poverty, Jesus seemingly makes quite a spectacle of Himself in the eyes of the Pharisees and the lawyers.  In the eyes of these religious authorities, both He and John are not up to their standards of behavior.  But Jesus declares the opposite, that "wisdom is justified by all her children."  What fruits do these ministries bear?  What spiritual fruits grow from John and Jesus?  How do they inspire their followers -- do their children glorify God?    The religious leaders seem to think that it is up to them to fashion what glorifies God and what does not -- to dictate what wisdom is and does, and does not.  But they fail to honor God by failing to see what the people have seen -- even the tax collectors -- in the figures of both Jesus and John.  In emptying their lives to God, each one is transfigured in the power of God, right to the end, and into a fulfillment of an image given by God.  So they form models for our lives, regardless of what each appears to be.  For wisdom is justified by all her children.  Jesus says, "Blessed is he who is not offended by Me."  Let us consider how we honor wisdom, in whatever form wisdom takes.