You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment"

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

- Matthew 5:21–26

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the disciples, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  My study Bible tells us that this repeated formula in Christ's Sermon on the Mount but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  Christ is the Creator of humankind and also Author of the Law; as the Lord He can speak with this authority.  While there is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:4; Mark 3:5), here Jesus is forbidding sinful anger, and He identifies it with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell is in Greek γέενναν/Gehenna.  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna was the Valley of Hinnom.  It became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By Christ's time, the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered endlessly.  Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  Hell is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace.  

 

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  Peace with other believers, my study Bible says, is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, a preparation of the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).  See also Jesus' formula for mutual correction in the Church, in Matthew 18:15-20.

 

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  My study Bible points out that St. Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here Jesus teaches it in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  Delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26). 

 

Forgiveness and reconciliation are important concepts in the Church, and it's important to note that these are two different words for two different things.  While we are all commanded to forgive, it's not always possible to reconcile.  For example, this is true of an abusive or harmful situation, in which two parties may conflict to the extent that harm is created, or abuse is tolerated.  But forgiveness is the "giving up" of sin in the same sense that a debt can be forgiven, as we'll read in the following chapter of this sermon (Matthew 6:12).  We do this in the context of prayer before our Father in heaven.  As shown in Jesus' teaching on mutual correction (Matthew 18:15-20), reconciliation calls for steps beyond forgiveness.  In today's reading, Jesus seems to teach us the importance of guarding against offenses, and also the reparation for offenses.  We read in the Gospels examples of such reparation and reconciliation, for example, in the story of Zacchaeus the chief tax collector (Luke 19:1-10).  In the story of Zacchaeus, it must be understood that tax collectors were despised within the Jewish society, for they were fellow Jews who worked for the Romans, routinely taking more than was necessary for paying tax and using the power of the Roman state to practice extortion for their own benefit.  In Zacchaeus' case, when Jesus comes to Jericho where he lives, and calls upon him, Zacchaeus states, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  Of this reconciliation, a reconstitution of community, Jesus says, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  But nonetheless, we can always practice forgiveness, the "giving up" or "letting go" (as the word literally means in the Greek), as Jesus teaches us as part of the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father.   Here in today's passage, Jesus places the emphasis on the aggressive act of anger which is unjustified, and provokes unnecessarily through insult or injury of some kind.  Raca is an insult implying a person is empty-headed; "you fool" is the translation of an insult implying mental deficiency, undevelopment, lack of intelligence.  In Greek, it is μωρος/moros, from which we derive the English word moron.  In modern Greek, this word is used to literally refer to an infant.   One imagines that such demeaning insults mean something additionally significant within a social or public context.  Christ's comments just prior to the ones in today's reading spoke of the Law and the Prophets, and Himself as fulfillment.  If we think about the Law given by the Lord to Moses, we understand the important community emphasis on those laws; they weren't simply made in order to teach individuals what to do and how to act within an individual context.  The Law was made to create a community of God's people, and the prayers and practices of the Temple were designed to ameliorate the effects of sin in community.  The blood of sacrifice that was to be sprinkled upon the altar was for purification (not payment) -- and this is another prefiguring of Christ and His Blood shed for us.  Therefore we see this particular sin of anger without cause, and the casting of insults upon others within community, as akin to murder.  It destroys relationships and relatedness, and we are to understand righteousness as right-relatedness. In today's reading, Jesus begins to explain to us why and how we are to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.  Christ's gospel is part of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, but it extends beyond a legalistic scrupulosity of simply following the rules.  Instead, we're to begin to come to terms with the inward passions that drive harmful actions, and of course this will correspond to the action of the Holy Spirit, the Helper, which would come to us as a gift of Christ's fulfillment of His mission (John 16:7-11), and as part of Christian Holy Baptism.  Within the context of community also comes the need for reconciliation and forgiveness.  But this is done within a community meant to be "the people of God."  The remedy for sin is holiness, not payment.  This is where Christ is leading us, and what the Incarnation as salvific remedy for the world is all about.  The fire of hell is the same purifying fire that is the Holy Spirit, and our experience of that depends upon our orientation to where He leads, our acceptance of the repentance to which we're called.  

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

- Matthew 5:21-26 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught,  "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  My study Bible comments here that the repeated formula but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority (Matthew 7:29).  As the Creator of humankind and the Author of the Law, Christ can speak with this authority.  It's also important to note that while there is anger which is not sinful (Psalm 4:4; Mark 3:5), Jesus is forbidding sinful anger -- which He identifies here with murder.  The council is the supreme legal body among the Jews.  Hell is "Gehenna" in the Greek.  In Jewish history, Gehenna (which is the valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices linked to demons (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  My study Bible explains that King Josiah had put an end to these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  But by Christ's time, this valley had become a garbage dump, which smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of such associations, Gehenna thereby acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  Hell/Gehenna, my study Bible says, is the final condition of sinners who resist God's grace.

 

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  My study Bible describes peace with other believers as a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the Eucharistic prayer is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness, which prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14).  

 

 "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."   In St. Luke's Gospel, this teaching is placed in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59).  Here it is placed in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  My study Bible says that delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).  

Once again we must observe that Jesus, in His role as the One who is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, is focused on a proper way to build and maintain community.  That is, the community of the people of God.  Here, He expounds on anger and its effects.  Note that He says that "whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment."   The "without a cause" is certainly something we can understand as unjust and mistaken.  But let us see the other examples Jesus gives.  Raca! is an insult that seems to demean a person as worthless.  According to Easton's Bible Dictionary, it's derived from a word meaning "to spit," an expression of contempt.  Such types of name-calling strip others of their dignity, reducing them to something less than fully human.  If we think about going to court over something like that, it reminds us of slander, or defamation.  It is a way to take away honor or standing.  The word translated as Fool! in modern Greek means infant, but it seems that at the time the Gospel was written it indicated being not fully formed in the sense of witless, brainless, even without spiritual or moral understanding.  So it's another step in terms of demeaning someone, reducing them to something less than human, even something detrimental to society.  It's a way to create scapegoats.  What we need to think about in each of these cases are the uses of such language upon others and what they often lead to or excuse in terms of violence.  Even for mass violence, such as genocide, detrimental terms become a means whereby murder is justified, even wholesale deprivation of nominal or normal social rights.  The effects of such types of anger, cavalierly encouraged or entered into, are disparaging to relationship, community, family -- a sinful way to destroy relationships on any level.   I have witnessed relationships destroyed, even to multi-generations, through irresponsible anger.  Consider our command to love neighbor, and what such types of anger do to destroy relationships which God establishes, and particularly, for example in a marriage.  Here Jesus describes the recipient of such sinful anger as a "brother."  Unchecked, and freely indulged in as a passion, anger becomes extremely toxic, and leading to destructive consequences, such as murder or other forms of harm.  This is where the historical church understands unchecked indulgence in passions, and the Lenten practice of fasting to develop discipline to deal with such temptations.  So here is where we have Jesus' equation of anger with murder, and all too often we can witness these effects of anger too-freely given and expressed.  Demeaning and degrading, harming those who are abused by it, and causing even emotional or spiritual harm that can burden a person for a lifetime, leaving scars that wound on levels even if one doesn't see them.  Moreover, its victims may also return that anger in destructive, over-the-top ways and endanger their own salvation.  As such, we all need to check our anger, be responsible for it, deal with our passions; and the practice of the penitential Psalm 51 used to help us be aware of our own capacity for sin.  On a universal scale, we see emotions like anger stoked, hyped up through propaganda and media, denying justice for "some" who are the exceptional "morons," or "stupid fools" or treated with loathsome contempt.  It is a way to create scapegoats, on a personal level and on even an international level.  Unjust anger, anger without a cause, is used to manipulate warfare and oppression.  Jesus is cognizant of all of this, and teaches us that we are responsible for every idle word.  For the cosmic court of justice is never out, and always lies at the ends of our journeys, where the one whom we chose unjustly to make an adversary "may deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  Today we have at our disposal a previously unheard-of capacity to make others pay (in a worldly material sense) out of our anger, or envy, or desire on a colossal scale.  Perhaps we would be wiser to remember Christ's words. 

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

 

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His wn elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

 

- Luke 18:1-8 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; now will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together." 

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart . . .  My study Bible comments that persistent and faithful prayer, as is exemplified in the parable that follows this statement, is the remedy for the tribulation just described (see yesterday's reading, above).  See also 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

. . . saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  Of Christ's final question here, "Will He really find faith on the earth?" my study Bible says that the Lord often uses this form of question when speaking of characteristics that are rarely found (see Luke 11:11; 12:42).  Note the emphasis on both persistence and faith in prayer, as we "cry out day and night" to God through prayer, and His emphasis on the faith He hopes to find at His Second Coming.

The Persistent Widow is a story, as the Gospel tells us, which is meant to convey that we always ought to pray and not lose heart.  To modern ears, perhaps, we hear this story of a widow pleading persistently with a judge, and maybe we wonder what that has to do with praying -- and specifically with our praying, our particular prayers.  Are we pleading with God for revenge against someone who's harmed us?  But didn't Christ teach us not to seek vengeance (Matthew 5:38-42), and to love our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48)?  Why are we hearing a story about a tough judge, with no fear of God or regard for human beings?  Well, the whole point of this parable is about the effectiveness and power of prayer.  Jesus has just taught about the "end times" and the difficulties and tribulations which are coming (in yesterday's reading; see above).  Essentially, He is preparing the disciples -- and us, the future members of His Church -- for the difficulties ahead.  That is, the end times that begin after His Ascension and as we await His Second Coming.  He knows our faith will be a spiritual struggle, and He likens us to a widow, who feels she has no power and authority, nothing with which to persuade the judge, no clout nor material power, and no coercion to use to her advantage.  She has only the judge to rely upon, so she turns to what she has available to her:  she is capable of being persistent and pleading before the judge.  And this is where we are when we pray.  This doesn't necessarily mean that when we pray we are simply asking for things we want, or complaining about our lives, or any of the sort of demands we might think of in a courtroom.  But as analogy, this is a different kind of a courtroom.  This is a courtroom (and a Judge) where our souls are in the balance, and the care of our spiritual lives in this world.  Do we go through difficulties that challenge our faith?  Is life a struggle in which we seem to be scarce of resources for our own resilience or security?  Do we struggle against our own difficulties or personal weaknesses and flaws?  The real answer to all of these questions is in prayer, for Christ's purpose in telling this parable is simply to remind us of the power that is persistence itself -- in the frequent, daily, regular engagement in prayer before our Father the ultimate judge.  This "unjust judge" is not an image of God -- but if even an unjust judge will rule in one's favor because of persistence, how much more do we think God hears us and hears our prayers?  It is an assurance that in this communion, we are heard, but that we need to do our part by being persistent, enduring in the practices of our faith and especially in regular prayer.  To engage in prayer is to come before God, to participate in the life of God, to be engaged in that courtroom, so to speak, in the place where God hears.  In practicing regular prayers, like, for example, the practice of the Jesus Prayer, of using regular prayer rules like Prayer of the Hours, we spend time before God just like the persistent widow.  We become regularly engaged in this place that sustains us and gives us hope -- and will respond with what we need.  Often, I find, prayers are answered seemingly indirectly, through inspiration, an idea we hadn't thought of, a strength we suddenly find, a way of going forward.  But regularly remembrance of, and engagement with God through prayer is essential, especially during periods of difficulty or darkness in our lives.  Let us be persistent and endure in our faith, as He teaches.

You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

 

- Luke 12:49-59 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus preached, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!"  Fire is a reference to the proclamation of the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible comments that this fire both enlivens the faithful and judges the faithless; it purifies virtue and destroys sin (see Luke 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

 

"But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"  Baptism refers to Christ's Passion.  See Matthew 20:21-23.   

 

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three."  My study Bible comments that there are two kinds of peace.  False peace is the one to which Christ is referring here.  That kind of "peace"  is a shallow harmony which results from ignoring issues of truth.  But genuine peace is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct, because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, my study Bible adds, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).  

"Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  My study Bible says that this is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 7:6.   Additionally, besides its literal meaning, which has been experienced in the Church since the time of Christ, the older generation divided from the younger generation is symbolic of  first, the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, and second, the spiritual struggle between our old, sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  

 

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?"  This time is the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the first coming of Jesus Christ (see Luke 10:9).

 

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."  My study Bible comments that, just as a guilty person would attempt to reconcile with their opponent before facing an earthly judge, even more so should one be reconciled to God in Christ before facing Christ's dread judgment.  

The idea of reconciliation before meeting the judge is an important one.  Jesus is speaking about a kind of justice that involves more than a simple worldly justice, but exists on cosmic levels as well.  For here, the judge is God, and Jesus speaks of the ultimate judgment.  This is one for which there is no appeal.  Traditionally, the time for repentance is while we live our lives in this world.  We are beings who dwell in a linear measurement of time.  Throughout our lives, we have time to reconsider, to change our minds (the literal meaning of the Greek word metanoia/μετανοια which is translated as "repentance").  But after death, our being changes, the place where the soul may dwell is of an entirely different kind of substance.  We don't know what kind of repentance is possible, and we certainly haven't considered what it would mean to appeal God's judgment after the time of judgment.   (While we dwell in our worldly lives, according to the historical teachings in the Church since ancient times, we are to pray all the time for one another and for our departed.)  We neither fully know nor understand the nature of time as it changes when we are no longer in this earth, nor how we may change.  The closest we can come to a glimpse is in a teaching given by Jesus to the Sadducees when they test Him in Luke 20:34-38.  Jesus says of that life, "But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection."  To be immortal and equal to the angels and sons of God indicates a kind of existence in which time no longer plays a part.  One glimpse we have of such a condition is the understanding of the fallen angels who rebelled against God:  their decisions are absolute, for their intelligence is different from our understanding.   So in terms of thinking about Christ's teachings here, let us take them in context about his warning not to think only of accumulation for we don't know when we will leave this life (in Friday's reading), and about our alertness and readiness to follow God's will, caring for our fellow servants (in Saturday's reading). We're to understand that while we live in this world, time is of the essence.  We have a job to do, business to take care of, and that is the business of God's kingdom and what it asks from us.  How we treat one another is crucial to this place, but more important is the loyalty we choose to God and to building the Kingdom.  For that will determine the rest.  Taking care of our fellow servants does not mean always agreeing or doing someone's bidding should it be destructive  -- for this is the teaching in today's reading regarding division.  But it does mean seeking God's way first, serving the Kingdom first, remembering to be about our Father's business.  For in this teaching is contained the teachings of compassion and the fruits of the Spirit, not of selfishness.  Once again, we may also observe Jesus drawing closer to the time of the Cross, and reminding us that the time of our lives is important, essential.  There is none who will not face this time; even our Lord will experience human death.  He tells us, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13).  His human life will end in an act of extraordinary love.  How can we show our love for Him in return?  For this seems to be the point of what it is to make the most of our time -- and especially to reconcile with the Judge, to experience His peace.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment"

 

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

- Matthew 5:21-26 

 

We are currently reading through Christ's Sermon on the Mount.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."  My study Bible explains that the repeated formula but I say to you is a statement of total, divine authority by Jesus (Matthew 7:29).  As the Creator of man and Author of the Law, Christ can speak with this authority.  There is anger which is not sinful, which is linked to grief and motivated by compassion (see Psalm 4:4; Mark 3:5).  But here what Jesus is forbidding is sinful anger, which He identifies with murder.  The council is the Sanhedrin, the supreme legal body among the Jews (and here is evocative of the heavenly council of God).  Hell is Γέεννα/Gehenna in the Greek, the final condition of sinners who resist the grace of God.  Raca is apparently an insult of Aramaic derivation used commonly in the time of Christ, meaning "empty-headed."  The word used here for fool is μωρός/moros, from which is derived the word "moron" in modern English; and in modern Greek is used to mean "baby" or "infant," thus linked to underdevelopment in terms of education or the mind.

"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."  My study Bible says that peace with other believers is a requirement for worship (Mark 11:25).  The liturgical "kiss of peace" at the beginning of the eucharistic prayer in the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is a sign of reconciliation and forgiveness; it prepares the faithful to offer the holy gifts at the altar (in the Eucharist, these are the gifts of the sacrifice of Christ, His Body and Blood).  See also 1 Corinthians 16:20; 1 Peter 5:14.

 

"Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."  My study Bible notes that Luke places this teaching in the context of the end of the age (Luke 12:57-59); but here it is given in the context of reconciliation surrounding the Liturgy.  It says that delay in reconciliation allows for the spread of animosity and other evils (Ephesians 4:26-27).  

 

Why is peace important?  Why does Jesus place this essential teaching on the importance of peace and reconciliation within the context of His discussion of anger or rage, insulting words, and linking these to murder?  At the heart of this teaching is the understanding of righteousness.  Some say that righteousness really means "right relatedness."  When Jesus is asked (by a lawyer) what is the greatest commandment in the Law, He replies, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).   As we can see from these two He gave as essential to understanding the fullness of the Law and the Prophets, they are all about relatedness, "right relatedness."  That is, the relationship first of love for God, and this foundation extending to our relationships to one another.  Into this basic framework we might consider what unjustified anger does, the implacability of someone who has decided that malicious behavior is appropriate, a kind of hatred that has nothing to do with the moral quality of what might have provoked it in the first place, nor at any point involves a reconsideration of what is appropriate or beneficial, especially within community.  Jesus equates this sort of hatred, and the venomous behavior that results, with murder, and links it to the statute against murder.  It is quite possible for us to look around and see the effects of slander, malicious gossip, insults, and all sorts of forms of this type of behavior within our communities, and in particular on the venue of social media, where it goes out to all and sundry within the sphere of the entire public.  Because of these sorts of expressions of hatred, not based in any sense of justice or mercy, people may lose their livelihoods and sense of well-being; this naturally also affects those who are their friends, neighbors, and colleagues, in addition to their children, spouses, and extended families.  An implacable rage is one that seeks to harm and to destroy -- even if those means are not nominally nor literally lethal.  To destroy someone else's sense of self, their sense of balance, is to seek to murder, in Jesus' description of righteousness and righteous behavior -- and what it is that constitutes violations of such.  There is a merciless quality to this kind of rage, which is neither open to dialogue nor peace.   Righteousness, therefore, in the sight of Christ, becomes not a simple question of earthly or material "justice" and our perception of what that means, but rather a question of what mercy really means, how we use that quality of discernment, and how we seek to practice the kind of love He teaches; this is not to condone bad behavior nor outrageous acts, but it is to see life in terms of what Christ's righteousness really means within the relationship to God and to community, extending into our own heart.  It is this upon which notions of gracious behavior are founded and understood.  Let us not lose sight of what is so precious, and can be destroyed so very easily.  For this kind of destruction, Jesus says, we will pay the last penny.

 

 

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

 

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'   And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

 

- Luke 18:1–8 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'   And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  Of Christ's parable, my study Bible says that persistent and faithful prayer is the remedy for the tribulation which was just described by Jesus (Luke 17:22-37 included in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible also refers us to the words of St. Paul:  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Regarding Christ's final question ("Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"), it says that the Lord often uses this form of question when speaking of characteristics that are rarely found (see Luke 11:11, 12:42).  

I personally find Christ's final question extremely poignant.  Here Christ has come into the world on this tremendous mission of salvation, preaching the kingdom of God whose access is through prayer and worship.  On this, His final journey toward Jerusalem and the Cross, He asks if, when He returns, "will He really find faith on the earth?"  It gives us a sense of the struggle of this world, how troublesome and difficult our faith can sometimes be.  We're told repeatedly that the prince of this world is the evil one, and that our struggles are against "principalities and powers."  St. Paul writes, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  The struggle for faith is real, as every form of heresy or discouragement seems to come our way at times.  There are also the false expectations about faith.  People seem to think that leading a good life means one will never be troubled, or down, or face particular hardships.  But that's not really the experience of the Church, nor is it the picture that Christ is painting for us.  We will face all kinds of temptations, for example, and temptations are not the stuff of cartoon imagery or a list of sins of which we need to beware.  Temptations are the things that trip us up because they are the places we're vulnerable, our cherished wishes and desires, the things we wish were true, the shortcuts we'd like to take.  These are not easy nor simple things.  Life is complicated in a grownup struggle against one's own weaknesses, or ignorance, or lack of experience with something.  Our greatest weapon in this struggle is prayer, as Christ indicates in the parable we're given.  And He teaches us that we must be prepared to be persistent.  This is not going to be easy or simple, or a one-off request.  This is a life of effort -- and faith, He implies, is worth it.  It's possibly the most precious thing that we have.  After all, it is those with faith for whom He will return.  He seeks us out.  Let us justify the faith He places in us.

So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. 

 

- Luke 13:10–17 

 

Yesterday we read that were present at that season some who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  Jesus makes an extraordinary remark when addressing the crowd regarding the woman's eighteen years of suffering.  He says to them, "Think of it."   My study bible comments that the patristic tradition sees this command as directing us to a spiritual meaning for the eighteen years.  It says that as the Greek expression is literally translated "ten and eight years," both St. Ambrose and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments and eight as representing grace, for the day of Resurrection is often called the "eighth day."  Thus humanity is lifted up by faith in Christ, who fulfills both law and grace.  This is surely borne out in the action of this story itself, in which grace fulfills the healing of a daughter of Abraham and in the rejoicing of the multitude.

 

In Luke's Gospel, we can read the consistent revelation of grace on the part of Jesus Christ.  In today's reading, it's quite remarkable that all Christ's adversaries were put to shame.  In the general context of the Gospel, that would have something to do with the fact that all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  During Holy Week events, we're told by Luke that the leaders wouldn't speak openly against John the Baptist for fear of the crowds (Luke 20:1-8).  So, we are given to understand that the leadership does care about their standing among the people, at least out in the open, giving us a picture which modern people can understand as highly political; in fact, reminding us of politicians.  These same leaders will also stir up the crowds to clamor for Jesus' death on Good Friday, no doubt well-planted with rumors and exhortations and their own supporters in the crowd.  Again, we have a familiar picture to modern people of political machination, even of large numbers of people, and the legacy for an entire nation.  But here in today's reading, Jesus' expression of grace manifesting before all in the healing of this suffering woman is on display, and nothing can stop it.  This is the graciousness of God that breaks through by revelation.  Jesus makes it clear that the insistence upon ownership of the laws of Moses by these religious leaders and their legalistic interpretation in such a harsh way is, in fact, not what the law calls for, and does not reflect the gracious and merciful God of Abraham, of whom this suffering woman is a daughter.   Jesus, in fact, gives us so much psychology, as He shows quite clearly through His actions how the hard-hearted may indeed thwart even the word of God to act in harsh injustice, like denying this woman healing on the Sabbath.  Jesus emphasizes her suffering when He tells them "think of it" -- that they must first comprehend eighteen years of suffering.  It's as if she is bent over with punishment, a sentence of eighteen years by Satan who seeks to enslave and imprison human beings -- and Christ comes as Liberator, Deliverer, Savior to release her from her imprisonment and torture.  The image comes to mind of punishments of the time, of "stripes" or whipping, and beatings:  things which would cause one to be bent over in pain.  Jesus speaks of the common practice of releasing an animal from its own binding and confinement be led to necessary water on the Sabbath in order to restore health.   And so, by comparison, what about this daughter of Abraham who is bound and confined by Satan?  The people rejoice and glorify God, as Christ's adversaries -- inadvertently or not -- were helping the adversary by opposing Christ.  Over the course of the past several readings, Jesus has made reference to the importance of first and foremost our reconciliation with God, the One who has power not only to kill but to cast into hell (see this reading and the subsequent readings).  Here in today's reading, Jesus openly calls the suffering of this woman a binding of Satan; that in her suffering she has been bound like a hostage or prisoner.  It is subtle reminder, again, that to be reconciled to God in the heart before all things is to be in communion with the One who can release us from the bonds of the "strong man"  because God is the stronger (see Luke 11:14-23).   It is the revelation of Christ that is at once both grace and the stronger power who overcomes the adversary (Satan), and who is here to help to liberate human beings.  This is the true inheritance of the daughter of Abraham, the fulfillment of the Law in the coming of the Christ (or Messiah).  Our gracious Lord shares all the attributes of power but works through grace and is characterized by love and mercy.  What are the bonds you need to break?  How do you need to be liberated?  It is only this power that can release us from the ruler of this world, who causes pain for human beings.  In fact, one name for the evil or the devil in Greek is poneros/πονηρός, the root of which is literally "pain" but can also mean toilsome labor.  In the original text, it is this one from whom we pray to be delivered in the Lord's prayer (in Luke 11:4).  Christ' reveals God's splendid power and grace in today's reading, and the people understand and rejoice.  This is the glory of God, and we should never accept anything or anything who would limit that understanding of the One who loves us so that He came to our world, as one of us, to show us.

When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

- Luke 18:1-8

In yesterday's reading, we were told that Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come.  He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man.  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart . . .   My study bible tells us:  "To pray and not lose heart is a vital step in preparation for the coming of the Lord."  I think that, as a continuation from yesterday, we need to read this Gospel in the context of His knowledge that the time will come when they are longing to see Him again.  This message is also given to us, for when we endure injustice in the world, and we, too, await that fullness of the Kingdom and His return.  First He teaches us about awareness and mission, and His first words to each of us about this period in which we await Him is all about prayer.  This word translated "not lose heart" is about becoming overwearied, faint, exhausted.  But its root is interesting:  literally, in some sense, it's about becoming overwhelmed or overcome by the "bad," by evil.

. . . saying:  "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'  And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'"  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"  My study bible notes here:  "This parable, found only in Luke, illustrates the results of persistent prayer.  If a helpless widow wins her case by persistent pleading before even a callous judge, how much more will God's elect find quick justice before a loving and righteous Father?  Will Christ, upon His return, find faith on the earth?  Each of us must take care to be part of His faithful remnant." 

The words from my study bible remind us of the poignant words of Jesus at the end of the parable:  Will He find faith on the earth when He returns?  I think we can't underestimate the power of prayer.  Over and over again, Christ will emphasize the necessity and potency of prayer, this connection we have with God through dialogue.  It's so easy to forget to be mindful of God and our relationship, which is constant, and is with us in all times and circumstances.  Jesus' words teach us not to be faint of heart, not to allow ourselves to be deluged and filled with the "bad" things or the evil of this world, the injustice we may experience.  So the words clearly tell us that He knows what we're in for.  He knows what the world is about, and He knows especially what His followers may encounter in their lives.  We're always to remember God, that even an unjust judge who doesn't care at all for God nor for human beings can be pestered enough to render justice for a poor widowed woman who has no ally in the world.  And so, by comparison, He teaches us again about the power of prayer as dialogue, as petition, as engagement with God.  Earlier He touched upon the same subject, but in a different aspect, when He taught about the lilies of the field, the anxieties we have for the things we think we need in life, and the care God has for us.  So today He emphasizes once again, but in a different setting, the essence of prayer, and how it will help to keep us from being overwhelmed by the things which burden us.  There are times when this word translated as "don't lose heart" really seems to manifest for me.  That Greek word is ἐκκακέω/enkakeo.  It means literally to be internally filled with the bad or evil.  It brings to mind the image of leaven -- and we are reminded of Jesus' warnings to His disciples regarding "the leaven of the Pharisees."  If we take a look at the whole of that reading from Chapter 12 of Luke's Gospel, we'll see its connection to the themes in today's reading.  He's aware of our difficulties, and especially the ones to come when we are without Him in the flesh, when the evil of this world may overwhelm us.  Sustenance is in our prayer -- especially at those times when we're threatened with losing heart.  We're to pray anyway.  Like the judge in the story, we just don't know what really might be at work through our prayer, and what effects it may have.  Let us remember this connection to God, and how it is linked to our faith.  Will He find faith on earth when He returns?    Let us remember that this widow's "adversary" is another metaphor for the evil one.  Jesus is aware of our problems with justice and injustice in the world as we await His return; let us remember His teaching about dealing with our adversary.  Take heart, and pray.  So much depends upon the renewal of faith and this dialogue with God.

When the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying, "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

- Luke 18:1-8

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about the coming of the kingdom of God. He taught both Pharisees (in answer to their question about this subject) and His disciples. He taught that "Indeed; the kingdom of God is within you." It doesn't come by observation - and there will be no special secret place to find another Teacher, or where He will appear, but that it will be instantaneous and universal. Neither will we be able to predict who enters and who does not, who is taken and who is not. We are simply to practice vigilance in discipleship - and especially to develop spiritual eyes and ears through which to perceive and to understand how we are to live our lives as we await in this time period before His return.

Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, . . . My study bible has a note that reads, "To pray and not lose heart is a vital step in preparation for the coming of the Lord." We remember that in the previous reading we are told that Jesus has just been teaching His disciples about "His day" - the day of the Son of Man, His return, and the coming of the kingdom of God. Here he is giving us further instruction about this time that we now live in - this time in which we await His coming. We are to always pray, and not lose heart. We turn to God as often as we need to; it is our strength and refuge.

My study bible has a note on the parable that follows, which reads: "This parable, fond only in Luke, illustrates the results of persistent prayer. If a helpless widow wins her case by persistent pleading before even a callous judge, how much more will God's elect find quick justice before a loving and righteous Father? Will Christ, upon His return, find faith on the earth (v. 8)? Each of us must take care to be part of His faithful remnant."

"There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.'" We're introduced to the people in this parable: a judge who has no regard for God nor man. He is a man of his own disposition and understanding - and his own opinion rules his judgments. The widow is the helpless of the society, someone - we may imagine - to whom no one pays much attention. She is socially powerless, and she stands before a man who cares nothing even for the powerful who can bring great influence to bear upon him. And who is the adversary? We must only conclude that the adversary is all the temptations that face us in our worldly lives, to depart from God and the treasure of that spiritual kingdom within ourselves, that is "in our midst" but which we cannot perceive by sign or observation. Therefore, we must work to see this kingdom; it is an effort. And we have an "adversary" who gets in the way - and who perhaps falsely accuses in order to keep us out of that kingdom and from realizing our inner treasure.

"And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' " Clearly, even a judge that cares nothing for people will respond when repeatedly petitioned. Therefore we are to consider by comparison the kingdom and its laws of mercy and justice, and the nature of God.

Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily." Because we are precious to God, God hears our prayer. The Greek word translated as "avenge" here has an important root meaning: its root (δίκη) means "justice" or even more precisely conveys being in the right, self-evidently correct. So, in this story, we have a kind of redemption, a redeeming of the widow. Justice rules that she is in the right; she is correct - and that her adversary is wrong. It also implies legal protection, and exacting a penalty from the offender, her adversary.

"Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Will Christ find faith on the earth? I find this indeed a sad and somewhat wistful question. It says to me that His great concern was truly what would happen when His physical presence was gone - and we need faith in order to find Him and this kingdom that has no obvious signpost or guide. We are to continually pray to keep our connection with Him and with this kingdom - so that we may find our way speedily against that which harms or hinders us from it. The "Adversary" in spiritual literature is another term for Satan. The word here also means "opponent" but literally it is the "Anti-Justice" - that is, that which in this world antagonizes fairness or fair play, and that is indeed the role of "the Adversary."

In the First Letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul advises us to "pray without ceasing" (5:17). This advice is also given in the context of being vigilant, and awaiting the return of the Lord. I have found in my life that certainly worldly justice is elusive for all of us. We're all familiar with the saying that life isn't fair. But as far as my spiritual perspective and my prayer life is concerned, I have indeed found a deeper reality in which God's justice dwells. Time may offer us consolations and treasures of the Kingdom which we receive where earthly justice fails - a deeper insight, a greater knowledge of ourselves, integrity and authenticity, spiritual gifts such as patience and strength, and even peace. Speaking strictly for myself, those gifts also include "all these things added" that I did not expect. I encourage everyone to seek this kingdom through prayer, strengthen faith, and remember that we are taught to pray without ceasing. The creative focus of that prayer, its centering us upon the true meaning and foundation of our lives, can do wonders to add joy and meaning and values we might never see nor know otherwise - and that do indeed defeat our adversaries. And there is indeed a deep and pervading justice in that, and in the rewards of faith. The way might not be easy - but the direction received, I have found, always has δίκη (as in the Greek root here). That is to say that, in the end, it is the "right" choice, and is vindicated by events that play out in my life. Remember His hopeful, and to my mind somewhat sad and painful question, "Will He find faith on the earth?"