Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  

 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick  to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

 

- Mark 6:47-56 

 

Yesterday we read that, upon returning from their first mission, the apostles gathered to Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things. When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

  Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.    My study Bible comments that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading).  The first time He was with them; here He had left them alone.  In this way, my study Bible says, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated to "I Am" (in the Greek of the Septuagint and the New Testament Εγω ειμι/Ego eimi).  This is the divine Name of God (Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  In this way. He reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

 

 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  The loaves refers to the feeding in the wilderness, as reported in yesterday's reading (see above).  My study Bible comments on this verse that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not merely the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it says, they are open to receive God's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick  to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.   Here Jesus and the disciples return back across the Sea of Galilee again, to an area near their "home base" of Capernaum, known for its abundance of fishing and agriculture.  (Gennesaret means "Garden of the Prince.") Thus, the people recognized Him.  My study Bible notes that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving.  See also Mark 5:25-29.

 

 It's interesting that Jesus and the disciples go to a place called Gennesaret, which means "Garden of the Prince" (or possibly "Princely Gardens").  As mentioned above, this area on the Sea of Galilee was well-known for its exceptional fertility in both fishing and agriculture.  Such great abundance seems present in the action of the people in receiving Jesus.  We're told that they ran through that whole surrounding region, even carrying on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  This is not Nazareth, Jesus' hometown, in which He was rejected such that even He marveled, and could do no "mighty works" because of their unbelief (see Tuesday's reading).  This is not the country of the Gadarenes, where the people beg Jesus to leave, so frightened are they at the healing of a man with a legion of demons, while their herd of swine perished running to their deaths (see Saturday's reading).  Here in this fertile "garden of the Prince" the entire region produces a tremendous harvest of faith.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.  That "as many as touched Him were made well" is a sign that faith was strong and prevalent, because it is faith that allows Jesus to heal, that enables His power to work in human beings.  It's interesting that the Gospels unveil small secrets to us like this one hidden in the meaning of the word that is the title of this region on the Sea of Galilee.  Nothing seems to be included by accident, and, once again, like the mustard seed, the tiniest detail tells us a great part of a story.  We can contrast this response in Gennesaret with the fear of the apostles while they were on the water and in the midst of the storm.  Once again, let us remember that at least four of these men (which included those who would become leaders among them) were fishermen by trade, who grew up operating on the Sea of Galilee.  But at the fourth watch of the night (that is, approximately 3:00 AM), with the wind against them, and having a vision of Jesus walking on the water, all kinds of things may happen.  It is just the time and circumstance when our fears might be most exacerbated.  In the chaos of a storm and the darkness of the tumultuous waters raised by the wind against them, fears are going to be heightened to the extent that even Christ coming to us may seem like a frightening sight.  Jesus tells them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  "Be of good cheer" is the translation of a word that means to take heart, to be brave, to have courage.  For this is what Christ's presence radiates to us, and His strength that is necessary for us.  Clearly St. Mark, the author of the Gospel, wants to emphasize the disciples own lack of faith at work here, for he tells us they were "hard-hearted."  That is, they had not opened their hearts to the understanding of the miracle of the loaves and fishes.  Somehow the hardened heart is involved in both lacking courage and the failure of faith.  So let us take confidence in Him when we have fears, and faith that we might produce abundance of spiritual fruit; for this is the promise of the Prince, our Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?

 

 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 

 

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to the disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  

 

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

 

- Luke 9:37-50 

 

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

 

  Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  As Jesus is just returning from the mountain of the Transfiguration together with James, John, and Peter, the disciples who were attempting to cast out the spirit were the other nine left behind.  

 

Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  My study Bible comments that while the disciples' faith was incomplete (Matthew 17:19-20), Christ's rebuke is also to the crowds, whose faith was weaker still (see Mark 9:22-24). 

 

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to the disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  My study Bible remarks here upon Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion.  It says that this was meant to encourage and strengthen His disciples for the terrifying events that they would faith -- and also to assure them that Christ was not powerless but went to the Cross willingly. 

 

 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Perhaps because of Christ's warnings which the disciples do not understand, they believe that a worldly kind of kingdom will manifest for Christ; so they dispute among one another which one would be greatest in that kingdom.  Jesus points to a little child to correct their thinking.  Jesus emphasizes humility and gracious service as the key to greatness among His disciples in His Kingdom.

 

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."   My study Bible comments that Theophylact sees John's comment as regret, as his conscience was pricked by what Christ said about the least and the great.  But, on the other hand, St. Ambrose of Milan see John as expecting full obedience to accompany such blessings.  Christ's response, my study Bible says, shows that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples.  Theophylact is quoted:  "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples" (see also Numbers 11:24-30).  On those who use Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23; Acts 19:13-16.

 

 Today's reading begins with a father desperate to save his son from the spirit that harms the child.  He has gone to the disciples to cast it out, and they cannot.  Jesus' response to this scene He comes upon from the Mount of Transfiguration is to say, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?"  Jesus then rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.   It's important that we know that Jesus has just returned from the Transfiguration, in which it was revealed to the disciples on no uncertain terms that Jesus is God; as such, this scene coming upon the heels of that event is significant in its juxtaposition.  We don't all know God's will clearly and concisely; a great revelation -- a Theophany, or revelation ("manifestation") of God -- has just been given to Peter, John, and James.  This is, of course, a rare and exceptional event that teaches about the true reality of Christ as Son of God.  But coming down from the mountain, the encounter with the people returns us back to our state of daily worldly life.  We simply don't know God fully; we are full of doubt and fear when we have troubles, and we don't have certainty.  Some would interpret this scene to say that all we need to do is have enough faith in what we are praying for, and it will happen for us.  But we are forgetting, then, that our faith is not about magic.  It's not about special incantations that "work" one way or another.  It's not even really about us; it's about Christ.  What faith must do for us is not to convince ourselves of the inevitability of the outcome for which we pray.  Faith is not about putting faith into what we want per se as if all of our desires define all possibilities of life.  Faith is about trust in Christ.  Let us note that this healing is framed as a spiritual battle, wherein the people and the disciples could not fully trust God in the struggle.  In the scene that follows, Jesus once again asserts to the disciples that He will suffer.  He says, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  We know Christ goes voluntarily to His death; and yet, in the garden of Gethsemane, He will pray, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  We see His natural human abhorrence of death expressed in a prayer we can all understand, and yet He prays, "Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  This is trust, and this is faith, that we give our problems to God to find God's way through them.  We pray for what we deeply desire, but keep our hearts in faith that there is so much more that we don't know.  We don't understand why God allows things we call evil to happen.  We don't understand why God allows suffering, and we see so much suffering in our world.  We don't understand why God allows evil in our world, for the evil one, the devil, to continue in influence.  We know the defeat of the devil is in Christ, and the power of Christ, but we still live in the place where we human beings are the battlefield, and we are invited into the midst of this struggle.  We know that death is not the end, but that life in Christ is eternal.  And so, the devil's defeat is done -- and yet conditions in our world still render us in a struggle with temptation and sin and all that goes with it.  A friend is deeply struggling with an ill child.  It seems like things get better, only to take a step backward later, and it truly seems like this affliction works like a demon.  But the power of God is something we should remember as always present.  Regardless of this child's suffering, God has allowed a circumstance in which great glory is on display in my friend as a father, for his love shines through, and the strength of his child shines through.  There are so many people he has gathered together in prayer and care, his love has magnified across a great swathe of people who pray and who follow the illness of this child.  Of course, we don't know the outcome.  But one thing is quite certain, if even Jesus prays, "Nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done," then so this should also accompany our prayers and our love.  For God's vision is always beyond ours, and our blessings are things we don't necessarily know nor grasp.  When Jesus teaches us about faith, this is what we need to remember:  that the God who loves us is the God who brought defeat of death about through death, that even the suffering of Crucifixion made possible through faith the glory of Resurrection shared and offered to us all.  Let us remember what faith is, even in the worst of times, and add faith in God to all that we do and desire.  Finally in our reading today, the disciples dispute and wish to be the greatest.  But Jesus must set them straight on exactly what greatness is, and it's not on the world's terms.  Neither is it on their terms, there are others who act in His name who do not follow with them.  The final lesson in our reading remains that of humility before God.  Let us know that even when God's outcome is not the one that we desire or expect as "good," we will find we are blessed nonetheless through the struggle in our faith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen!

"White Angel" with Holy Myrrhbearers at Christ's Tomb, c. 1235.  Fresco, Mileseva Monastery, Serbia

 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 

- Mark 16:1-8 

 

Our previously posted reading (from Thursday) described the events of the Las Supper.  In Mark's Gospel, this took place on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb.  On this day, Jesus' disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born." And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

 

  Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  My study Bible comments that, because Christ died so close in time to the Sabbath, the burial customs of the Jews could not be completed.  So, these faithful women (who had followed and supported His ministry even from Galilee; see Luke 8:1-3) went as early as possible to complete the rites of burial.  Another note tells us that in patristic literature, some teach that Mary the mother of James was the wife of Alphaeus, and this James was one of the Twelve (Luke 6:15).  But the majority hold that this Mary is the Virgin Mary, as she was the stepmother of another James, who is called "the Lord's brother" in Matthew 13:55; compare with Mark 15:40, 47.  Also, my study Bible says that many teach that Salome was the wife of Zebedee, the mother of James and John.  

And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  My study Bible comments that the stone had been rolled away not to make way for the Lord's exit from the tomb, for in His resurrected body, He needed no such accommodation (John 20:19).   Instead, this stone was rolled away to allow the witnesses -- and us -- to look in and see that the tomb was empty.  

And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  The specific mention of Peter, my study Bible says, reveals a special care for the one who had denied Christ.   My study Bible quotes Theophylact, who comments that Peter would have said of himself, "I denied the Lord, and therefore am no longer His disciple.  The angel's command is a promise that Peter is forgiven.  

So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  My study Bible explains that they said nothing to anyone doesn't mean these women never said anything, but rather that they kept silent until Jesus appeared to them (verses 9-11, which follow today's reading).

Here is a wonderful paradox to contemplate:  the greatest news ever given to humankind is given to these women who come to the tomb:  "He is risen!"  And there is even more powerful news for these women who have followed and supported Christ's ministry, only to see Him crucified:  "He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."   But how do we see these women responding?  Do they leap and rejoice at this greatest of good news?  No, they respond with fear.  In fact, they are so afraid that they say absolutely nothing to anyone.  They trembled and were amazed, and they were afraid.  The Gospels truly reveal to us much more about human nature than we're usually prepared to accept.  In this time of myriad upon myriad of stories available through all forms of media at all times present to us, we still might find this response entirely paradoxical and unpredictable.  The stories we tell one another do not necessarily reflect the reality of human nature -- and the human-divine encounter -- that we're shown in the Gospels.  We would do well to pay attention to this, for it helps us to understand ourselves and our limitations, and additionally the struggle for faith as a lifelong journey.  In the Old Testament, there are a series of what we could call "landmark" encounters with God of one form or another.  There is the stunning story of Moses at the Burning Bush, and in that fire of God's energy, there is God's voice, and God even naming God's name, "I AM" (Exodus 3:14).   As this article points out, for the earliest centuries of Christianity (and for Eastern Christianity in general), these encounters with God are encounters with Christ the Lord, the One who became Incarnate for us, who was given a form that human beings could see, the Logos.  But in this story of the Resurrection, the encounter of these women with the angel gives us a dimension of an encounter with God that we perhaps have either forgotten, or watered down, or discounted for various reasons in the modern world.  That would be related to a healthy "fear" of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7), and the meaning of the word "awe" as in "awesome" (Merriam-Webster definition).  Of course this great good news is entirely unexpected, but also perhaps unfathomable -- even though Jesus prophesied His rising after three days many times.  But an encounter with the risen Lord, as many descriptions in the Gospels emphasize, is one of real "otherness," for want of a better word.  It is something so far outside of our experience and expectations that a natural response is fear, because there is what we might call a boundary-less unknown made present to us.  We cannot define the "ends" of God; we don't know where God ends and begins, and we can't circumscribe or classify all aspects of this real aspect of God.  This is why, so often, Eastern theology in particular will describe God more in negative terms (what we know God is not) than positive ones (what God is).  (This is called Apophatic as opposed to Cataphatic theology).  In other words, we can speak more authoritatively as to what God is not, than to what God is.  The message of the angel is so disconcerting because these women have no idea what to expect of this God -- the Lord who has risen and will meet them in Galilee.  And as we ponder the meanings of Easter and Resurrection, we should consider for ourselves how much there is to this risen Lord that we know nothing about -- for God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, is beyond our capacity to fully know, describe, or define.  And yet everything we know of Christ the Lord has been an act of love for us, to encounter us, to even become one of us.  And after the Resurrection, we also have Christ in the Eucharist, even to the point of becoming a part of us on levels we can't determine.  It would take evolution and blossoming of the Church to know what expression all of this would take in the world, the expansion of the communion of saints, the uncountable things that have their root in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and in the Resurrection -- and all of that is unfolding still.  But for these women, who knew Him so well, who had followed Him and supported His ministry even from Galilee, the angel's words open up an encounter too far outside of experience to be anything but stunning, frightening, to the point of making them tremble and stay silent.  We might be better off to understand that in some ways this is the proper response to God, because it takes into account the vastness and unlimited quality of God, which we forget about all too often.  The shocking nature of the angel's words reminds us that God remains unpredictable and surprising, the ultimate "wild" thing we can't control nor fully define.  And yet, we are to worship with awe, and be grateful for the gifts we've been given, and all that may yet come.

Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

 

Deësis (Supplication) mosaic; the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist depicted on Christ's right and left.  13th century, Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) Byzantine Cathedral, Constantinople.  Photo by Myrabella, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

 Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

- Mark 10:32–45 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

  Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  As Jesus and the disciples are on the road, going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus before them, the shadow of the Cross hangs over the present and future readings.  The disciples are accordingly both amazed and afraid.  My study Bible comments that Christ's repeated predictions of His Passion were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they would face.  It says that they also confirm that Christ was going to His death of His own free will and choosing.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Besides Peter, James and John Zebedee are the two disciples who are closest to Christ and deepest in faith; perhaps this accounts for their request to be in the greatest places in His Kingdom, at His right and left hand.  In Matthew's Gospel, it's reported that the request comes from their mother ("the mother of Zebedee's sons," in Matthew 20:20), but the sons' own involvement is revealed as Jesus addresses them in the plural form of you in Greek, both here and in Matthew 20:22.  My study Bible comments that this quest for temporal power and glory is unfitting for a disciple and shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  Once again, Jesus emphasizes the nature of this Kingdom, that those who would be greatest in it are those who will serve.   The phrase for many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."  That Jesus frames His life as a ransom is to suggest that to give His life will work to liberate all, as a Deliverer and Savior in this sense.  It suggests that "the many" are held captive under the power of a tyrant, also referred to as the "ruler of this world." 

 

 Once again, the actions of even Christ's closest disciples show that they do not understand fully what is happening or is about to happen.  The disciples follow Him on the road toward Jerusalem and are both amazed and afraid.  James and John clearly expect a worldly sort of kingdom, which Jesus frames as a Gentile kingdom in which rulers "lord it over" others -- and to which He contrasts what His Kingdom will be, and what sort of leaders they will be.  My study Bible explains that He calls His crucifixion a "cup" and His death a "baptism."  The Cross is a cup because He drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is baptism, as He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  That Jesus predicts the future of John and James as participating in the same cup and baptism shows the life of persecution and martyrdom they will lead after Pentecost; James will be the first disciple to die as martyr, and John will lead a long life of persecution.  My study Bible also explains that Christ declaring that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give doesn't mean He lacks authority.  Rather, it means they aren't His to give arbitrarily.  Instead, they will be given to those for whom God has prepared them.  St. John Chrysostom teaches that nobody can occupy such a position.  Regarding the highest places of honor given to human beings, the icons of the Orthodox church universally depict the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women -- Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women -- Matthew 11:11) in these places at the right and left hand of Christ.  Christ suggests His life is given as a ransom for many, meaning to liberate or to deliver all, as a savior.  Much speculation on the word "ransom" has been made across the centuries, but for the patristic writers and founders of Christian theology the question of payment was not answered in a trivial manner.  To whom was this ransom paid?  I will quote St. Gregory the Theologian (also known as Gregory Nazianzus) for the most complete answer to this question:  "Now we are to examine another fact and dogma, neglected by most people, but in my judgment well worth enquiring into. To Whom was that Blood offered that was shed for us, and why was it shed?  I mean the precious and famous Blood of our God and Highpriest and Sacrifice. We were detained in bondage by the Evil One, sold under sin, and receiving pleasure in exchange for wickedness. Now, since a ransom belongs only to him who holds in bondage, I ask to whom was this offered, and for what cause?  If to the Evil One, fie upon the outrage!  If the robber receives ransom, not only from God, but a ransom which consists of God Himself, and has such an illustrious payment for his tyranny, a payment for whose sake it would have been right for him to have left us alone altogether.  But if to the Father, I ask first, how? For it was not by Him that we were being oppressed; and next, on what principle did the Blood of His Only begotten Son delight the Father, Who would not receive even Isaac, when he was being offered by his father, but changed the sacrifice, putting a ram in the place of the human victim?  Is it not evident that the Father accepts Him, but neither asked for Him nor demanded Him; but on account of the Incarnation, and because Humanity must be sanctified by the Humanity of God, that He might deliver us Himself, and overcome the tyrant, and draw us to Himself by the mediation of His Son, Who also arranged this to the honor of the Father, Whom it is manifest that He obeys in all things? So much we have said of Christ; the greater part of what we might say shall be reverenced with silence" (St. Gregory Nazianzen, Second Paschal Oration, with thanks to Fr. Stephen Freeman).  Everything rests upon the foundation of the Incarnation, that God became human, in order to heal every aspect of humanity, including the defeat of death itself, which St. Paul calls "the last enemy" (1 Corinthians 15:25-26).  Christ is the "stronger Man" who defeats the "strong man" of this world (Mark 3:23-30), and there could be no greater power of ransom or liberation than this holy and mysterious reality of Jesus Christ and the Cross toward which He goes on the road to Jerusalem.  For God became human to liberate us all from sin, even from death; His cup and baptism will liberate (ransom) us all.  This is the unique power of His Cross, which defeats every enemy, and is all in all.

 

 

 

 

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

- John 14:15-31

Our current readings are at the Last Supper, and Jesus is giving the disciples what is called His Final Discourse.  In yesterday's reading, He said, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.   If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.   Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  My study bible comments that an original text reads, ". . . you will keep . . .."   Either way, we read of a direct correlation between loving Christ and keeping His commandments.

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  The Helper (in Greek, parakletos/παράκλητος) is the Holy Spirit. This word also means "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."    It was used as word for attorney in New Testament times, and implies someone who gives proper counsel, judgment, who can give evidence on one's behalf.  The Spirit of truth, my study bible says, is in each believer, and we are called to know Him.  The Holy Spirit prays in us and for us when we don't know how to pray, which enables us to pray in Christ's name (14:13-14; Romans 8:26).  The Holy Spirit also gives us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11).  Note how Christ says this implies He will not leave us orphans; the Holy Spirit is also a Person, fully representative for Christ and His commands, as Christ fully "represents" the Father for us (14:7).  

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study bible tells us that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

"At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."   That day is referring to Pentecost.  St. John Chrysostom is cited by my study bible, who says that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them [the disciples] all things."  Let us note the union of the Holy Trinity that Jesus says is present to all who have his commandments and keep them -- and this is a union of love between person and Persons.  This is not slavish obedience to a harsh and punishing God, but the opposite, a voluntary love.  Out of love for Him we keep His word, and the Father will love us in turn -- and Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will make Their home with us.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  A note in my study bible here says that we have confidence in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance not only the words of Christ, but also their meaning.  The Holy Spirit is our Instructor, working in the Church from Pentecost until today, leading us toward the fullness of truth (16:13).  My study bible quotes St. Irenaeus:  "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  Peace was the customary Jewish word for both greeting and farewell.  My study bible comments that perfect peace is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).   Peace is also part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3), and "Peace be to all" as greeting is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church. 

"If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study bible comments that My Father is greater than I does not mean greater in nature or in essence.  The Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does it mean that the Son is created, as the Son is begotten from all eternity.  Instead, what it means is that the Father, as Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  But let us note clearly that the emphasis here is on rejoicing; Christ is magnified and glorified through His mission given by the Father.  In turn, He may "lift us up" with Him.

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."  Before it comes is referring to Christ's coming Passion.  My study bible comments that to tell these events beforehand is strengthening the faith of the disciples.

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."  The ruler of this world is the devil.  My study bible says that the devil dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  Jesus says that the devil has nothing in Me as there is no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Jesus became a human being, but He was never stained with sin.  

"But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  As always, Christ returns to His union with the Father.  He has emphasized in this discourse so far that if we love Him we will keep His commandments.  And so He loves the Father and the Father loves Him:  He keeps the Father's commandment so that the world may know of His love.

"Arise, let us go from here."  At this point Jesus takes the disciples to another room or location.  My study bible says that this is in order to complete His discourse with their undivided attention.  According to St. Chrysostom, their present location at the site of the Passover supper was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.

Christ speaks of love.  Love is the connection between His disciples and Himself and the Father and Himself.  Love is the connection between God and us.  Jesus tells us, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him," and, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  Love is the glue that makes all of this possible; it is the glue that gives us His commands to follow in loyalty and through love.  It is the glue that binds the Father to us in turn.  And through the Father comes the Holy Spirit:  "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  The Father will send the Holy Spirit in Christ name to teach us all things, and to bring to our remembrance all that Christ has said.  Let us concern ourselves with this love that is enacted through these things, in which embrace we are contained and held.  We are given a Helper, through Whom we are embraced in love by all that is in God, in the paradise He establishes even when we suffer on earth and yet are contained in this embrace.  And this is where we find that peace.  In the midst of turmoil and tribulation, we know that we are loved indeed.  We have His words, His love, His Person, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Above all else, this is peace:  "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  Just as Jesus always returns to His relationship to the Father, throughout all questions and turmoils and judgments and hostilities, so we return to this embrace and this relationship of person and Persons, this communion against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.   Jesus goes to His hour of glory, making all the rest possible, leaving us with His words of peace, and an admonition against fear.  Let us remember His words when we, too, meet the ruler of this world in our own lives, as His faithful who love Him and keep His commandments.  Let us also glorify God that we may in turn be glorified.

They had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

- Mark 6:47-56

Yesterday, we read that, after returning from their first mission, the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  The fourth watch of the night is about three o'clock in the morning.  In another recent reading, as they were on a stormy sea, Jesus asked the disciples, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  This time He's left them alone to cross the night sea by themselves, and they struggle against wind.  His assurance gives us to understand His presence with us, and the message that is there, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   Among the other astonishing things in today's reading, it may be perplexing to readers how the disciples fail to understand the divinity of Christ in the sign of the loaves in yesterday's reading, above.  My study bible tells us that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart -- and not merely the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it says, then they are open to receive His presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."  It is the center of who we are, where all comes together in our power of comprehension.  A hardened heart is one that is both unfeeling and uncomprehending;  compassion, for example, is also a form of understanding.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.  My study bible says that Christ permits miracles through touch in order to show that His very body is life-giving (see also the healing of the woman with the twelve-years blood flow, in this reading).

How do we understand things?  Why is it that the disciples still fail to understand about the loaves?  "Hard-heartedness" is a phrase that teaches us about what it means to truly comprehend, and it also teaches us about how we look at life.  There are a number of ways  in which we are capable of understanding things.  There is the intellect, but there is also compassion.  There is empathy.  There is a kind of emotional understanding.  Above, beyond, and in addition to these, there is a kind of perception of spiritual truth that gives us insight and discernment.  A part of the understanding of the heart involves our capacity to see and dignify the "personhood" of others.  Jesus tells the Pharisees, when they ask about easy divorce available to men under Mosaic Law, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept" (Mark 10:5).  In today's reading, this term is used to describe the disciples' unawareness of the evidence of Jesus' divinity in the sign of the multiplication of the loaves (see yesterday's reading).  There is a level at which faith and the heart intertwine.  Faith is an action of the heart, not only the intellect.  Faith is a key component to comprehension of certain kinds.  Jesus will frequently echo Isaiah (and numerous other Old Testament references) when He says, "For the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them" (Matthew 13:15).   In ascetic writings on prayer, the Orthodox tradition teaches that one should pray "with the mind in the heart."  Even modern psychology increasingly tells us that the intellect alone is not enough involvement of the whole person for healing from trauma of many kinds, and the development of new techniques for addressing various types of trauma is an unstoppable trend, with many components and directions evolving from it.   In today's reading, we're told that even Jesus' very body is life-giving; again, even the body stores intelligence and experience, and is a component in psychological healing.  From its inception, the Church has taught that our bodies are inseparable from soul and spirit; the great evil of a "fleshly" perception is precisely that separation, a root of "hard-heartedness."  The heart pulls all of this together, and becomes the place where God's love dwells, where grace is at work.  Those whose faith has given them any form of healing can testify to the depths at which God's love works to reach us when nothing else can.   That Twelve Step programs invoke reliance on a Higher Power is evidence of that.  What all of this signals to us is that the depths at which our faith is at work will open up our understanding of ourselves as human beings -- more importantly, as persons.  We are not merely intellectual beings propelling a body around as a kind of vehicle in the world.  Rather, all of the varied aspects of how we are created, the gifts with which we are endowed, intelligence that works in myriad ways, gives us capacity for perception that teaches us how much more to our own lives and persons there is than a "worldly" perspective may allow for. This center of a person that pulls all of those things together is what is called the heart in Scripture.  It is, perhaps most tellingly, the place where relationship and relatedness is truly centered -- which is why the heart is a place of prayer and desire.  The heart is also a place where we may nurture evil things that ally us with what is not good.  Jesus also teaches that "out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander" (Matthew 15:19).  John's Gospel tells us that Jesus had many followers in response to particular signs in His ministry, but that "Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people" (John 2:24).  In fact, Jesus perceives what is in the heart without having to be told about it.  He is called the "heart-knower" in Acts 15:8, which uses a particular Greek word that encapsulates the concept (καρδιογνώστης).  All of this is to teach us that if we fail to involve the whole of ourselves in our faith, we are missing out on perception and intelligence.  If we fail to nurture our heart or to guard it properly, or to be aware of what we can hold onto that is not good for us, then we aren't guarding our true spiritual, emotional, mental, and intellectual health.  We might be blindsided in life by our attachments and prejudices, or the things we dwell upon which skew our proper perception and thinking, and take us away from good direction in life.  Let us think about the heart, and what it means to know the true center of ourselves.  The journey of faith is always right there as we move forward into its depths.

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

- Matthew 14:22-36

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus heard that Herod feared He was John the Baptist returned from the dead, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.   You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.   We recall that Jesus had withdrawn to a deserted place after hearing that Herod Antipas now feared that Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead.  It's the first time the Roman authorities have taken notice, as reported in Matthew's Gospel, and in this negative way.   We know that the religious authorities are plotting against Jesus,  but Herod the tetrarch is ruler of Galilee and Perea for the Romans.  Jesus attempts to go out by Himself for prayer, and the crowd had followed Him.  Now that He has sent them away, He goes up on the mountain by Himself to pray at this turning point in His worldly ministry.

 Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   We understand this somewhat eerie scene, and the fear of the disciples.  The fourth watch of the night is about three o'clock in the morning; we can imagine them struggling on the stormy sea in the dark of the night, without Jesus.  This is the second time in Matthew's Gospel that Jesus has permitted the disciples to be caught in a storm.  The first time (8:23-27) He was with them, but here He has left them alone.  My study bible says that it is a way of strengthening their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  Walking on the sea is both symbolic and a sign of dominion over nature, the province of God, displaying Christ's divinity.   "It is I" is ego eimi in the Greek; literally "I Am," which is the divine name of God from the Old Testament (Exodus 3:14).    My study bible says, "Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives."

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.    My study bible tells us that it is Peter's faith that allows him to walk on the water, and points out that Peter doesn't really ask to walk on the water nor to perform miracles per se, but rather he wants to be with Christ.  It's kind of a typical impulse of the Peter we know before Pentecost.  Peter participates in this miracle so long as he keeps his focus on Christ, but as soon as he's distracted, his fears take over and he starts to sink.  Peter is the perfect picture of human beings caught up between our natural fears and our faith.  The Greek term for doubt here means "wavering" or "hesitation."  My study bible tells us that therefore the cause of Peter's sinking wasn't the storm but rather the doubt; therefore Christ doesn't rebuke the wind, but Peter.

Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  This is the first time the disciples make this confession that Jesus is the Son of God.  Only God can be worshiped, and by doing so, they confess His divinity.   The boat is often seen as symbolic of the Church.  It's also been used as an image of a believer's individual journey of faith.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  Gennesaret was a place known for beauty and for its fertility both of the land for crops, and the sea for fishing.  It was known as the "Paradise of Galilee," and was prosperously situated on an important trade route.  In this sense the place is symbolic of the Kingdom and the flowering of faith in Christ.  The life coming from Jesus' very body in these miracles of healing through touch gives us a sense of His ministry finding the faithful who will follow Him, even as the time is being prepared for His rejection.  We've just read the miracle of the loaves and fishes in the wilderness, and been given an image of the Eucharist to come at the Last Supper.  In that context we may also view the life-creating properties of His body and the means by which His Church will participate in His very life.

There is no mistaking the tensions in the Gospel.  Even as the religious leadership have begun to plot against Him, and Herod Antipas has begun to fear Him, so Jesus' ministry takes its next steps.  Jesus withdraws for prayer, but the crowds follow Him and so is born the central miracle of all the Gospels:  the feeding in the wilderness, the foreshadowing of the Eucharist by which the bread of heaven will continually be given in the Church.  Here in today's reading we see what happens when Jesus can finally withdraw for prayer on the mountaintop.  The Gospel notes the increased presence and signs of the divine that take place with His disciples and those who have faith in Him.  It is the first time He is worshiped by the disciples, the first time they confess He is the Christ.  There is this perplexing, paradoxical reality of the flowering of the Church in the midst of signs of persecution.  God's way is being made clear, a path is being given for the Church, despite looming suppression in the figures of authority.  There is really no other way to view our faith but this:  that God's way is not our way and confounds expectations, preparing a path where there doesn't seem to be one at all.  The preparation is being made for the Church to go out to all the world, a people of God collected to one another by faith, sustained in the Eucharist (and thereby His life-creating presence).  We simply don't know what path will emerge out of the narrow and restricted circumstances created by hostility to Christ and to the Gospel.  In this sense, the picture of the disciples alone at sea at three o'clock in the morning, pulling against headwinds and waves in which even these experienced fishermen on this sea are struggling, gives us a place in which to identify our faith.  We can focus on Him and His words, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Be of good cheer in the Greek can also be rendered, "Take courage" or "Take heart." He speaks of the confidence of faith, and His presence.  It is this we rely on through all difficulties, and the example we can see in the Gospel story of God working through all things, no matter how constricted the path seems or circumstances would seemingly allow.  In the face of rejection, faith is the only way -- but we must be prepared to accept outcomes we could never expect, and move forward into the way we're given.