In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  

 

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.   This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came into His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  

 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 

 

- John 1:1–18 

 

On December 20, 2025, we read Christ's parable of Judgment, the last reading given to us before the lectionary readings for the Christmas season began.  Jesus taught, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me a drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  This beginning of the Gospel of John, also understood as its Prologue, begins with a parallel to the creation story of Genesis.  In the beginning, however, is meant to convey here the reality of the Creator.   My study Bible comments that Genesis spoke of the first creation, but in today's reading the new creation in Christ is revealed.  Was the Word (in Greek, Λογος/Logos):  The Word is the eternal Son of God, also understood to be the Second Person of the Trinity.  My study Bible tells us that "Was" indicates existence without reference to a starting point.  It's an emphasis on the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos, moreover, can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action as well as "word," which are all attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was With God:  "With" expresses that the Word, the Son of God, is a distinct Person.  He is also in eternal communion with the Father.  The Word was God:  The Word, the Son of God, is, in the words of my study Bible, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  He is Himself God with the same divinity as the Father.  

 

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  Here my study Bible comments that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2) and not simply an instrument or servant used by God the Father.  Will, operation, and power are one, it notes, in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  So, the heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made (He is not a creature) but is eternally begotten of the Father.  

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  Only God has life in Himself, notes my study Bible. So, therefore, the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men:  Here John is introducing humankind as receiver of the divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, my study Bible comments, so believers themselves become children of the light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Some examples given by my study Bible:  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush; the whole nation saw it at the Red Sea; Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision; and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Exodus 3:2; Exodus 13:21; Isaiah 6:1-5; Matthew 17:1-5).   

 

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. My study Bible comments that darkness indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  It notes that those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word which is translated as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome."  So, therefore, darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, and neither can it understand the way of love. 

 

 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.   This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.   He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came into His own, and His own did not receive Him.   Here the Gospel refers to John the Baptist (not the author of the Gospel).  As indicated by the previous verses, the true Light is Christ.  Christ offers light to every person, my study Bible says, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him; so they can neither know nor recognize Him.  Those who accept Him have His light, my study Bible comments.  In the Liturgy of the Orthodox Church, after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion, a hymn declares, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."  

 

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  My study Bible comments that right also means "authority," and that this indicates a gift from God, not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7), it notes, and by grace inherit everything Christ is by nature.  To believe in His name means to believe and trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior.  To be adopted as a child of God, my study Bible explains, is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood); nor are we children of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by our own decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God occurs through a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is accomplished and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:5-8; see Titus 3:4-7). 

 

 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  My study Bible comments that the Word became flesh is a clarification of the way in which the Son and Word of God came to God's people (verses 9-11), and it points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature, my study Bible says:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- everything that pertains to humanity except sin.  As God and Man in one Person, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature, for anything not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  Dwelt among us:  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt ("tabernacled" or "tented" literally in the Greek) in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  Here, the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  His glory refers both to Christ's divine power shown by the signs and wonders of His ministry (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and to Christ's humble service to human beings, shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In each way, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  My study Bible explains that the Son has no beginning, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  Christ is called "only" begotten because there is none other born fro the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery which is called "procession"; see John 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  My study Bible indicates that this phrase qualifies both "the Word" and "His glory."  Grace, it says, is Christ's uncreated energy given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts.  

 

 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  In saying that we have all received of His fullness, my study Bible explains, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, God's children become gods by grace (see John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human.  There is an ancient patristic commentary, describing an image of this process as akin to shaping metal in fire.  Metal thrust into fire takes on the properties of fire (such as heat and light), but it does not cease to be metal.  In the same way, human nature permeated by God takes on properties of the divine nature.  Grace for grace is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace.  

 

No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  My study Bible says that no one has seen God at any time means no one can see the nature, or essence, of God, for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  Only One who is Himself divine can see God, and so therefore, the Son is the only One who can declare God to us.  This revelation of God's energies can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw God's glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).  

 

Today's reading, and the notes from my study Bible, make it clear to us that our faith often depends upon a particular way of seeing Scripture.  I write "seeing" Scripture in the sense that words act like icons, particularly in Scripture.  The importance of each word emphasizes what we are told about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Second Person of the Holy Trinity.  We are told, for example, that Jesus is the Word, the Logos (Λογος in Greek).   But this word (meaning Word), Logos, has several meanings in Greek.  The thing that may be hard for us to take in (for we in the West are used to thinking in ways that ask for precise or limited meaning), is that Logos can mean all of these things at once, and that they are all true of Christ (as my study Bible noted).  This is true of several words simply in today's Prologue to John's Gospel, such as the word translated as "comprehend" (in the darkness did not comprehend it).  The word in the Greek text can mean both to understand and to take in, or overcome.  Both are true, and fortunately in this case, the English word "comprehend" substitutes nicely, as it also can indicate both.  What we may need to get used to, if we are to think in terms of symbol or icon as applied to words in Scripture, is that all meanings may be true at once, and without contradiction.  Simply taking the first verse, or first sentence, of John's Gospel, teaches us about reading words as symbols or icons, full of meanings.   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God asks us to consider many things, including what "the beginning" can mean when it applies to God and precedes time, which was itself created by God.  We also need to consider what it means that "in the beginning" the Word was with God, as my study Bible also explained in its notes mentioned above.  Before time, before all ages,  before creation, the Son was with God, equally divine, of the same essence.  And, finally, the Word was God.  Father, Son, and Spirit are God the Holy Trinity, three Divine Persons, indivisible -- for where One is, there are the Others also.  These things imply a depth hard to understand, and beyond our own capacity to know in the depth that God knows who God is.  But the words -- used as icons in Scripture -- imply this depth for us, give us a sense of who God is, and of course, who Christ is (which is the purpose of this Prologue to the Gospel).  Words as symbol or icon convey much more in the mind of the Church, and the understanding of Scripture, than the word "symbol" as commonly used means to us today.  In the Greek historic understanding of "symbol" is contained much more than simply a label or image without substance in an d of itself.  Like the icons of saints we might encounter in an Orthodox Church, or a symbol such as a flag or an official badge indicating rank or office (like a police officer's badge), these symbols or icons open a door to more meaning, to a substance we perceive and may behold, and within which we act in accordance to that meaning and relationship to the object we behold.  For example, a flag of a country might mean certain things in one context, but to observe someone burning that flag might mean we experience a visceral sense of destructive intent to our country.  The flag, as symbol, is much more than simply a label.  The Word is so much more than simply a name for Christ, but an indicator of the One who co-created with God the Father, speaking all things into existence (as in the commands of God which created all the cosmos which we find in Genesis 1, such as "Let there be light" in Genesis 1:3).  The Word itself conveys the idea that it is Christ who gives all things meaning, that He is the substance behind all things, and come into the world to assume human life in order to heal all things, to set right, and to open the door to us to dwell in His Kingdom in righteousness, even as Christ is also the Judge.  All of these things combine in this divine Name, the Word, the Logos, to teach us who Christ is whom we revere and worship, who shows us the way, and who loves us and teaches us what love is and how to live it.  Christ the Word is also more than our Creator, but also our Savior, giving us meaning and life, and ultimate purpose for our own lives.  This Prologue to John's Gospel gives us a perspective that orients us to the deeply spiritual understanding that pervades this particular Gospel (and other writings ascribed to St. John), and what is called a Johannine perspective, essential to Orthodox theology.  As we read through the Gospel according to St. John, we will have more occasion to view the story of Jesus Christ through this particular lens.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

 

 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. 

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  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."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

- John 2:23—3:15 

 

Yesterday we read that the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.   And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

 

 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  How do we know that Christ's earthly ministry lasted three years?  It is in John's Gospel that Jesus is recorded attending three Passover feasts between His Baptism and His Passion.  The other two occurrences are at John 6:4 and 11:55.  Here John testifies to Christ as the "knower of hearts,"  an attribute of God (see also Acts 1:24, 15:8).

 

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."   My study Bible says that Nicodemus, this man of the Pharisees, believed that Jesus was from God, but here his faith is still week, as he was afraid of his peers and so therefore came to Jesus by night.  After this conversation, Nicodemus' faith will grow to the point of taking the brave step of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), and eventually making the bold public expression of faith in preparing and entombing the Lord's body, together with Joseph of Arimathea, another prominent member of the ruling Council (John 19:38-42).  According to some early sources, my study Bible adds, Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and consequently removed from the Sanhedrin, and forced to flee Jerusalem.  

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  My study Bible notes that the term in Greek translated as born again can also be translated as "born from above."  It clearly, therefore, refers to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  This heavenly birth is baptism, and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).  The new birth, my study Bible tells us, is just the beginning of our spiritual life.  The goal of this life is the entrance into the kingdom of God.  

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Here Nicodemus misunderstands, and so questions the possibility of a second physical birth.  Misunderstandings are frequent occurrences in John's Gospel (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  Jesus uses such opportunities to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal meaning.  

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."   Christ makes clear that to be "born again" (or "from above") is a reference to Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit given at chrismation; that is, to be born of water and the Spirit.  

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"   To be adopted as a child of God is not a matter of the flesh, but a matter of the spirit.  My study Bible calls it a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is the action in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (see also Titus 3:4-7). 

"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."   This is a play on words used by Jesus:  the Greek word πνευμα/pneuma means both wind and Spirit.  My study Bible comments that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  Similarly, the Spirit moves where He wills and He cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas.  This is yet another attribute of God.

 

 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes here, earthly things refer to grace and baptism given to human beings.  These are earthly, not in the sense of "unspiritual," but only in the sense that they happen on earth, and that they are given to creatures.  The heavenly things would concern the ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father, and they relate to Christ's eternal existence before all time and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.  It says that a person must first grasp the ways in which God works among human beings before one can begin to understand the things that would pertain to God Himself.  

 

 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  Jesus refers to the time during Israel's wandering when Moses lifted up an image of a serpent to cure the Israelites from deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  This miracle-working image, my study Bible notes, prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross.  As believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, it says, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them.  Just as the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of Christ's death becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself.  

There is a lot of what we might call "paradox" to contemplate in today's reading.  First of all there is the classic sort of misunderstanding that occurs when Nicodemus hears Christ's "earthly" descriptions of being "born again" or "born from above" in Baptism.  This is the way that we are introduced to this subject through Christ's teachings with Nicodemus in John's Gospel.  This paradox of earthly understanding and what we might call the sacramental understanding contained in the things of the Church and the ministry of Jesus Christ to us in the world becomes the foundation of our faith, and what we experience in our faith.  It is this paradox of spiritual things coming together with worldly things -- the spiritual reality of Christ permeating worldly things to be present to us -- in which we find the practice of our faith.  Thus, Christ uses worldly terms to describe what is a sacramental event, the "washing" of the Holy Spirit in Baptism.  When we are "born again" or "born from above" it is in this sacramental coming together of earthly elements and the Holy Spirit working through them.  This sort of paradox gives us a picture of so much that is a part of our faith, of the birth of Jesus Christ Himself through the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, so that as Son of Man He is both fully divine and fully human.  As He indicates in today's reading, He is that Son of Man who came down from heaven, so that He is both heavenly and earthly at the same time.  Moreover, Jesus gives us in today's reading a teaching about the final sign that will come in His ministry, His "lifting up" on the Cross.  So, just as Moses was directed by God to lift up the image of the snake for the people to focus on, to save them from the venom of the snakes biting them, so Jesus will also be the life-giving image on the Cross for all of us -- and through this instrument of dreaded death by Roman punishment, He will be the ultimate Liberator from death for all of us.  This paradoxical event is perhaps the greatest paradox for us of all, but it is the way our God comes into the world as one of us, interacting with all that we know, and transforming all of it, even with us in this world.  But just as Christ says in today's reading, it's important to remember that "the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes."  This power of the Holy Spirit is the power of God at work, as unpredictable to us as where the wind comes from and where it goes, for God works in ways we don't know and don't understand -- we cannot contain nor prescribe the way of God.   "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord (Isaiah 55:8).  As Jesus says, these things are "earthly things," for Nicodemus as a teacher of Israel surely must know of the working of the Holy Spirit through the events of the Old Testament, God finding ways to be present and active among God's people.  But these are sacramental things, where God comes to work with us, within us, and among us amidst the things of this world.  In our sacraments of the Church, earthly things become vehicles by which and through which God is active in the world -- such as in the sacrament of the Eucharist.  These are mysteries to us, but they are mysteries made for us here in this world, just as the Son of Man has come down from heaven for us as well.  Let us be grateful for the things He reveals, and the gifts of sacrament we are given.  

 

 

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  

 

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

 

- John 1:1-18 

 

On Saturday, we read  that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho, and passed through on their way toward Jerusalem.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  Today the lectionary begins John's Gospel.  Right away we understand John's Gospel to be different in some sense from the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  In the Eastern Church, John the Evangelist is also titled John the Theologian, one of only three saints in the history of the Church to be designated by this formal title.   We are to understand John's orientation to Christ as fulfillment of the Old Testament, of Jewish spiritual history.  In the beginning recalls to readers the creation story of Genesis.  But here the focus is on the Creator.  Moreover, Genesis spoke of the first creation, but here in the beginning of this Gospel (today's entire reading is called the Prologue of John's Gospel), it is the new creation in Christ which is to be understood.  Was the Word ("Logos" in Greek):  My study bible comments that the Word is the eternal Son of God.  "Was" indicates existence without reference to a starting point, and it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word."  All of these are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word Was with God:  My study bible says that "with" shows that the Word (that is, the Son of God) is a distinct Person from the Father and that He is in eternal communion with the Father.  The Word Was God:  The Word -- the Son of God -- is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  Christ Himself is God with the same divinity as the Father.  My study bible adds that some twist and mistranslate this phrase to read "the Word was a god" in order to propagate a heresy, that the Son of God is a created being; that is, a creature and not fully divine.  Such a translation, it says, is unsupportable, false, dishonest, and deceptive. 

 

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  Here John's Gospel tells us that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalms 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2) and not simply an instrument or servant used by the Father.  My study bible teaches that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore, we know that the heavens and earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made but is eternally begotten of the Father.

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  Only God has life in Himself, my study bible comments.  Therefore, the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men:  John now introduces humankind as receiver of the divine light.  By participating in the life of Christ the Son, believers may become children of the light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2).  The entire nation of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21), Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision, and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).   My study bible comments that darkness indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth, it says, prefer ignorance for themselves and strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The Greek word which is translated as comprehend means both to "understand" and to "overcome."  Therefore, my study bible says, darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, nor can it understand the way of love.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  The man sent from God is John the Baptist.  That the Baptist occupies such a prominent place in the Prologue of John's Gospel indicates his significance in the story of Christ, and the spiritual history of the Bible.

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  My study bible comments that Christ offers light to every person, but the world, and even many of His own, refuse to receive Him.  Therefore they can neither know nor recognize Him. Those who accept Him has His light.  In the Eastern Church, a hymn is sung after receiving communion, declaring, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."

 

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  My study bible points out that the Greek word translated as right also means "authority."  (It is a different word than is used in Greek for a right under Constitutional law.)  It is akin to "power."  It indicates a gift from God, and not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7), and by grace inherit all that Christ is by nature.  A note indicates that to believe in His name means to believe and trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior.    Adoption as a child of God is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood), as it was in the Old Testament, my study bible explains.  Neither is a believer a child of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), or by a human being's own decision (the will of man).   Rather, to become a child of God is a spiritual birth -- by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is accomplished and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:5-8; see Titus 3:4-7).  

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"   That the Word became flesh is a clarification of the way in which the Son and Word of God came to God's people ("That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him").  It points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  My study bible tells us that the Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- all that pertains to humanity with the exception of sin.  As both God and Human in one Person, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature, for anything that was not assumed by Christ would not have been healed (St. Gregory Nazianzinus).  The Word dwelt among us:  In the Old Testament, God's presence dwelt (literally "tabernacled" or "tented" in the Greek) in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  Here, my study bible explains, the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  His glory is a reference both to Christ's divine power shown by His signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and also to Christ's humble service to humankind, shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In these ways, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:   My study bible says that the Son has no beginning, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  Christ is called only begotten as there is no other who is born from the Father (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery called "procession" -- see John 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  As used in the text, this phrase is complementary to both "the Word" and "His glory."  Grace is Christ's uncreated energy which is given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth would include His faithfulness to His promises and covenants, and to the reality of His words and gifts.  

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  My study bible explains that in saying we have all received of His fullness, the Gospel confirms that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, it says, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35), without ceasing to be human.  A traditional analogy given by the patristic writers is one of metal thrust into fire (such as when a metal object is being formed).  The metal takes on the properties of the fire; i.e. heat and light.  But, at the same time, it does not cease to be metal.  So human nature permeated by God takes on properties of the divine nature.  Grace for grace is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  To say that no one has seen God at any time is to say that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God.  To see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  Only One who is also divine can see God (and thereby "know" God as God knows God).  Therefore the Son is the only One who can authoritatively declare God to the world.  This revelation of God's energies can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23).  Isaiah saw God's glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41). 

 

 This Prologue of John's Gospel is so essential to the faith as to have given us a great deal of what the Church confesses in the Nicene Creed.  We can read its roots in this text that is given to us today.  Moreover, this Prologue of John's Gospel gives us the foundation of Christian theology, its verses providing us with literally centuries of thought as the foundation to what we understand of God and God's ways of interacting with the world, and especially of the Incarnation.  And, of course, one feels that it shall continue to do so for centuries to come.  When we begin to think about God, to ponder the full essence of God through the relationship we experience through time by Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, these passages simply serve to deepen both our experience and the mystery that we enter into through faith and through the life of Christ.  All of it complements everything we read in the Synoptic Gospels, and it always remains remarkably consistent with Jesus' acts and life that we read therein.  There is so much here to consider, and its truths are so deep, that I would wager the material involved here is inexhaustible in terms of ideas regarding Christian theology and understanding of the nature of God and of our creation by God.  The whole of life itself -- and, of course, of creation itself -- must be seen as a gift of God in this context.  We cannot simply think of ourselves as existing simply as a cosmic accident, or through some happenstance of biological process, or of having appeared in the universe as a kind of exception to the cosmic order.  In fact, none of these things can explain our existence as it is given to us by this Prologue and fulfilled in the Gospels in the story of Jesus Christ.  Here we are absolutely and positively told that we exist through divine creation, for a purpose, by a God who loves us, and who, for some divine reason known to God our Creator, wants to save us by keeping us in divine relation to God.  This is called grace, and through that grace, God makes it possible not only for us to become more like God, but also to become closer to God in a communion that involves not just us, but really the whole of the creation.  Life only exists in God as Source of life, and from there life is given to us.  In fact, an entire cosmos and all that is in it is "enlivened" and given purpose, meaning, fulfillment, and even adventure, in the sense that we are all headed somewhere and for some purpose, as evidenced especially by the Incarnation of the Son into our world as one of us.  We are not just here fumbling our way through something impossible to understand or to find meaning within.  We are here for a purpose created by God, given life by God who loves and cherishes us, who sent God's Son to live and to die as one of us, and to do so for us, so that we might have life more abundantly (John 10:10).  You matter to God as I matter to God, as the grass is clothed more beautifully than Solomon in all of his glory (Luke 17:27-28), as the little sparrows matter to God (Luke 12:6-7) who created all, and for a purpose known to God.  This Prologue of John teaches us about love, as John's Gospel will go on to express more and more fully as we progress through its chapters, because God is love (1 John 4:8), and so sends us the Light so that we might be filled with that light.  All of this is simply done for us, for our world, for all of creation, so that we might find our way into deeper communion and deeper life.  Let us reach toward the light and grasp the grace we are offered.

When did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give you drink?

Alpine Ibex goat on a precipice; cliffs are symbolic of the dangers of sin

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Talents:   "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'   Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and his your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory."  My study bible calls today's entire reading the "majestic climax" of His discourse on His Second Coming and the end times;  clearly this is Christ's prophecy of universal judgment to come at that time.   It comments that as the Cross is now near to Jesus, He raises the hearer to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat, with the whole world before Him.  The standard of judgment expressed here is, in the words of my study bible, "uncalculated mercy toward others."  What is emphasized are the works that are produced by faith; a saving faith always produces righteous works.  When one is motivated from the heart, the works one does reflect the state of the heart, our true inner state.  When Jesus speaks of the "least" (verse 40:  "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me") refers to all the poor and needy, my study bible says.  The needs which are described in this parable are both physical and spiritual; in that respect, those who need food and drink also hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel (see also 5:6).

"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on His left."  My study bible comments that Christ uses sheep to illustrate the righteous, as they follow His voice, and are gentle and productive.  Goats illustrate the unrighteous, as they do not follow the shepherd, and they walk along cliffs, which represent the dangers of sin, even the threat of oblivion (see 8:32, also Psalm 37:10, Revelation 9:11).

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'"   Inherit is a term commonly used with sons and daughters, as opposed to strangers or servants, my study bible points out.  The righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"  My study bible comments that to see Christ in everyone is the fulfillment of the great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (22:39).

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  My study bible says of the fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels that it shows that God did not create hell for man.  Rather, people choose this torment by their coldness of heart.

How will we be judged?  Judgment is a great mystery as no one really knows the depths of our hearts as the Lord does.  Just like in Jesus' parables about the good and the bad growing together (such as in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (13:24-30), the "sheep" and the "goats" remain clear to Christ, but possibly indistinguishable to us.  We might look around ourselves and think that we can easily identify those who practice mercy and those who do not, but appearances can be deceiving either way.  We don't know everything about someone else, both merciful and cruel behavior can be something hidden, that others simply do not see; and again, one has to know the heart of a person to truly understand their motives.  One thing is certain, however, and that is that Jesus expects of us mercy if we desire to receive mercy, and most particularly this is true if we are His children by adoption.  His children will be "like Him," and perhaps above all we can see that Jesus is compassionate.  Time and again we read that He was "moved with compassion" for those in need; it also describes the behavior of the merciful Master understood to be the Lord in one of His parables (9:36, 14:14; 18:27).  In one patristic commentary, the sheep and the goats are images of human beings in whom Christ is either thriving or ailing.  That is, it is the healthy Christ in us who shows mercy in all the ways of the examples given here, and it is an ailing Christ in us who fails to do so.  In either case, the help and nurturing of the Christ in us is the practice of mercy.  Let us note, however, that mercy is not the product of a morbid guilt, and does not preclude justice.  Indeed, Christ's justice is perfect, as in so many cases mercy is the true prescription for justice.  Neither should we forget that kindness is mercy; even if we are unable to fulfill a direct and explicit request, kindness remains possible to us.  This is ultimately about seeing Christ in others, and especially the practice of the first and second greatest commandments:  to love God with heart and mind and soul, and to love neighbor as if our neighbor were ourselves.  When we think about mercy, we must think about nurturing and feeding (as in those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness"), because without proper nurturing we do not truly feed the Christ in us.  This is not simply about giving things to whomever asks, but about the practice of mercy.  It is not merciful to spoil a child or simply to indulge them in bad behavior:  just the same, we offer what we know or believe to be good if we ourselves we in the place of the recipient.  In another light we might shed on the "hidden" nature of mercy, we might compare a person who has spent a lifetime with a primary aim of seeking power and wealth who fails to practice mercy, but we can ascribe the same to a person who has spent a lifetime feeling pity for themselves and hence excluded the need for themselves to practice mercy to others.  No matter where we fall on the scale of life's benefits or unfortunate circumstances, there is one thing of which we can be certain:  we will all be called to account in Jesus' teaching of judgment.  There is none who does not fall into this picture of the sheep and the goats.  There might be times in our lives when we fit one or the other.   Let us note that Jesus emphasizes as sin in this parable the sin of omission:  those who miss the mark are those who fail to put into practice a calling to mercy.  What we begin with, however, is the understanding that in the journey of life we mustn't forget our main calling:  we are all called to become children of God by adoption.  It matters not where we start, nor even what life hands to us, we are all called to this vocation.  How do you need the call?  Let us remember that another way in which this parable has been understood is that when we suffer in life through the failure of mercy, Christ suffers with us, as He is neglected through us.  When we receive mercy in life, Christ also receives mercy through us.  None is alone, and none is born by nature to find a place "with the devil and his angels."  Indeed, even there, Christ comes offering constant mercy and calling us to the same, as it is truly His will that all might be with Him.  If we find ourselves seemingly stuck on a dangerous cliff, He'll show us the way to proceed.  It is His very gospel that calls us out of the prison of the evil one, the mindset of selfishness and abuse, of predatory violence and neglect.  Even the least of us may show mercy -- for this door of Christ is open to all of us, for "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep" - John 10:7).

Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

- John 8:33-47

In our current readings, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles.  Yesterday we read that He spoke again to the Pharisees who question and seek to accuse Him.  He said, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."   Jesus teaches about freedom in a depth meaning, even in a type of existential sense.  Sin works as a kind of slavery, it does not cherish us as human beings.  But to become a son (and therefore heir) by adoption is something different.  It is to become a member of the household of Christ who loves us.  It is to be given the fullness of life.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father."   My study bible says that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Instead, Abraham's true children in fact share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, our Lord wanted to detach the Jews from racial pride and to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature.  He teaches that they must come to faith by their own free will.  The idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that was preventing them from coming to Christ.

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word."  Proceeded refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather He's saying that He's sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.   Jesus has repeatedly told these leaders that if they truly loved the Father, they would hear His word and understand Him.  Their hearts betray their ability to hear the One sent by the Father.

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  My study bible explains that just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing his attributes, as Jesus has expressed in the verses above, likewise, those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil.  In particular, that would entail a hatred for truth.  Possessing such attributes results in being called the devil's children.  Again, Jesus repeats the link between the love of God and the capacity to hear His words.

At Jesus' time, although emphasis on genealogy was clearly important, lineage was emphasized more by household than purely by blood relation.  Adoption was a common practice, ensuring lineage and inheritance.  (Augustus Caesar, for example, was a maternal great-nephew of Julius Caesar, but was named in Julius' will as adopted son and heir. Augustus was in turn succeeded by his adopted son and heir Tiberius.)  Identity was shaped through affiliation of household, lineage, family branch, clan, community.   We can see the cultural importance of the extended family group even in the language of the Gospels, as those called Jesus' brothers and sisters are more likely to be either step-children of His mother Mary by an earlier wife of Joseph, or cousins.   The notion of fatherhood as given by Jesus in today's reading shifts the view of lineage from a worldly perspective to one of a spiritual perspective, emphasizing the orientation of the soul.  Whose character do we emulate?  What traits do we take on?  Where does our heart place us in deference to its true objects of love?  Jesus emphasizes the state of the heart, and more clearly, what our true preferences are, what or whom we love.  He returns always to the love of the Father, and in so doing, reminds us of the depth of communion that is at work determining everything about us, even true identity.  It is in this sense that we are to understand paternity.  The person (or Person) you love will be the one whom you emulate, whose characteristics you take on, to whose ideas you will be receptive.  Jesus says elsewhere that the whole of the Law and the Prophets hang on the two greatest Commandments.  The first is to love God with all our heart and soul and mind, and the second is to love neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:36-40).  In the great consistency of the Gospels and Christ's teaching, our very identity and character is determined within the framework of such a command. Everything depends on what we put first in our hearts, and whom we truly love - or not.

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46

In our current readings, it is Holy Week and Jesus and the disciples are in Jerusalem.  He has taught them about the destruction of the temple, and also about end times, the time of His return, and of judgment.  In illustration of that time and of judgment, in Monday's reading, He gave the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins.  In yesterday's reading, He gave another parable:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  so take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  Here He speaks more plainly of the time of His return.  It is the climax of His discourse on end times, the Second Coming, and the Judgment, and it is a prophecy of the universal judgment to come.  My study bible says that since the Cross is now near to Him, He raises the hearer to the sight and the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat and the whole world before Him.  Sheep are used to illustrate the righteous, as they are those that follow His voice, and are gentle and productive.  Goats symbolize the unrighteous as they follow their own way (not the shepherd) and walk along cliffs, symbolic of the danger of sin.

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"  The standard by which Judgment comes is uncalculated mercy toward others.  There is an emphasis on works of faith, because saving faith produces righteous works.  The things we do reflect our true inner state, says my study bible.  We remember that Christ is the heart-knower.   The least of these My brethren repeats a theme used with the disciples when Jesus repeated taught about care of the "little ones" (see Matthew 10:42, 18:6-14; Mark 9:42, Luke 17:2).   In that understanding, the needs described here reflect both physical and spiritual needs.  Those who are hungry or thirsty aren't only those who need food and drink, but also those who hunger and thirst for righteousness -- the hope of the gospel.   We note Jesus speaks of the least of these My brethren, and also of inheritance.  My study bible points out that inherit is a term used for sons and daughters, not strangers or servants.  The righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).   The least of these My brethren is also reflective of Christ's earlier teaching to the disciples, again illustrative of the "little ones" - the powerless, humble, and vulnerable, who will come to His Church:  "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me" (Matthew 18:5). 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  My study bible notes that Jesus says the fire was prepared for the devil and his angels:  this indicates God did not create hell for human beings.   But those who ally themselves with the ones who work against God's love and mercy through coldness of heart choose the same for themselves.

If we look very closely at today's reading, we get quite a clear picture when we consider and keep in mind that Jesus is speaking to His disciples.  Just as the language echoes language used earlier in the Gospel when Jesus was teaching His disciples about care of the little ones who will come to them, so the language is very evocative of the mission of the disciples:  service to the littlest ones, the least of these.  We are reminded of His teaching that whoever would be great among them must be the servant of all, and whoever would be first must be slave to all - "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (see Matthew 20:26-28).  In this light, the emphasis is on those who would be His disciples, and how each of us chooses to care for the least of these My brethren.  In this light, there is a clear emphasis on those who will come to Him, but that is not so easily delineated either, for Christ's Church is everywhere that the Spirit is, in each heart touched by the Spirit.  In this respect the teaching is about how all those who may come to Him are cared for by those who would be His disciples.  In this perspective, to give food and drink, to take in a stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick and in prison is to minister to all those who would come to Him, who need Him.  To feed, clothe, to take in strangers, to visit the sick and in prison is to address all manner of spiritual care, not only "good deeds" to those who are in want.  To be a disciple is to step into His shoes, so to speak, to walk and He walked and do as He did, to remember His priorities and keep His commands as those which serve the least of these My brethren.  The earlier parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins and the parable of the Talents teach us about the things God entrusts to us, the use of mercy and grace, the gifts were given to use in His name.  Both of those parables emphasized what we do while the Master is away, while we await the Bridegroom.  Today's reading speaks plainly about what we do, and what we neglect to do.  But all of it is in service to Him, and service to Him means -- as He has taught over and over again -- service to the least of these, the littlest ones, in whom we must see Christ.   Ultimately, we reflect the work of discipleship, of feeding and nurturing the sheep, as Christ, in His final appearance after the Resurrection, will tell to Peter, "Feed My lambs" (see John 21:15-22).  We note that this passage in John 21 is often referred to as the "restoration" of Peter (after his three-time denial of Christ before the Crucifixion).  It is a restoration to discipleship.  We note another detail in that passage as well, that the disciple who is not named (understood as John the Evangelist himself) has his own work to do for Christ, further cementing the understanding from the past two parables He's given that the work of feeding and nurturing and caring for the least of these My brethren, may indeed take on innumerable forms in accordance with our gifts of grace, our "talents."  Those who are sick and in prison are not just descriptions of physical suffering, but also understood as images of those who suffer spiritually.  Judgment is a kind of final roll-call in which the Knower of hearts, who is Christ, places those who would be in His Kingdom and those who would not (see Revelation 2:23).  If we look at the text with an understanding of the teachings that have come before it to these disciples, what we see is an emphasis on their service, on how they treat the littlest ones -- the most humble and powerless and vulnerable -- who would come to Him.  By extension it is a warning and teaching to all of us who would be His disciples about how we are to live our lives in relation to any who may be in His Church, who may come to Him and be one of the least of His brethren.   Only the true knower-of-hearts, Christ Himself, understands who may be one of His own in this respect, and so for us, it remains to use the discernment He teaches.  Yet we must remember that we do not know whom we may receive - for all bear His image -- who will respond to the care we give in His name. 

You will be sons of the Most High

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father is also merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

- Luke 6:27-38

In yesterday's reading, Jesus began what is sometimes called "the Sermon on the Plain" (because we are told that He "stood on a level place"). The preaching and the message are similar to the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount which we know from Matthew's Gospel. In Matthew's Gospel, this covers many readings (see chapters 5-7). Today we continue with this Sermon as given us by the Evangelist Luke. My study bible has noted, "Jesus taught many of the same things over a period of three years in a setting of hills, plains, the lakeshore and the cities, and we have His teachings in various versions."

"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." These teachings give us a picture of peace. We are taught that our attitude is not to quickly seek revenge, retribution or recompense. Rather we practice a loving and merciful attitude. For the past several readings, it is this quality of mercy that has been stressed -- first of all, in the application of the law, for it is God's will, which is love, that is to be served by the law; the law is to minister to mankind, God's creation. But in this teaching, Jesus is giving us a way to "be like God."

"But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father is also merciful." We are not only encouraged to "be like God" - but we are told that we are to be "sons of the Most High," children of God. We become His by adoption. Jesus is inviting us, His listeners, not merely to be disciples, but into a deeper relationship of sonship.

And there is also a very significant notion of exchange going on here. We are to exchange a worldly sense of justice for a different one. The actions that Jesus asks of us here don't really make sense in the context of the way we think of "justice" in worldly terms. We are asked to "opt out" of one system, so that we are initiated into a different one. Earlier in this Sermon, Jesus taught that the reward of those who suffer now is great in heaven. Here, too, we are asked to exchange one system for a different one, in heaven. God the merciful is called "our Father." We are to seek to be His, to belong to His way as His children.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." My study bible notes here: "The Kingdom of God calls us to a way of life in which mercy abounds. We must: (1) Refrain from judging. By definition, human judgment precludes mercy. (2) Do not condemn. Condemnation causes us to depart from mercy. (3) Forgive. Forgiveness can only come out of a heart of mercy. (4) Give. When we give abundantly we receive from God in the same measure." I think that Jesus is giving us a powerful antidote to the understanding of justice and judgment that we get from the world (perhaps by inference, from the "ruler of this world"). The most important understanding that we can infer from this section of today's reading is the notion of our own self-responsibility. We are told that "with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." We hold ourselves to a standard. Our "contract" if you will, is with God our Father, this is the source of right-relatedness. We have a responsibility to walk in His way of mercy. This is the basis for good judgment, not a worldly sense of judgment or justice.

In John chapter 12, we read Jesus words, "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out." We have to reconcile the repeated understanding of judgment in these Gospels with Jesus' words here that we are not to judge and condemn. Therefore, we understand that it is not judgment as a concept that is the problem, but rather the way we judge, how we condemn, how we understand judgment from a "worldly" perspective. From that basic relationship as children of Our Father, we take different notions of what good judgment really is. We learn to practice in exchange -- we give up one system of judgment so that we may learn another, that of Our Father. Our Father's law is mercy and love, as opposed to that of the "ruler of this world." It goes back to the Greatest Commandments. We put the love of the Father first, from there we learn righteousness, love of neighbor, and conduct becoming "children of the Most High." It is a bond of love that teaches us who we are, who we must be and become. Can you forge that bond with your Most High parent? It will teach you what you have not learned otherwise; and we exchange one system of understanding for another. This, too, is the process of repentance to which we are called as children of the Most High.