In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world

 

 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying." 

 

Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.  

 

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.  In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have  loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."  His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

 

- John 16:16-33 

 

 This week we have been reading through Christ's Farewell Discourse given to the disciples at the Last Supper.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.  But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

 

  "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."  My study Bible comments that the first little while refers to Christ's arrest, death, and burial.  The second is Christ's time in the tomb until His Resurrection. 

 

 "Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."  My study Bible explains that no longer remembers doesn't imply the faithful are to forget the Passion and Cross of Christ, any more than a woman "forgets" labor.  Instead, we are to see these sufferings in light of the victory of the Resurrection, and this victory transfigures our perception of sufferings.  Christ's victory allows us to rejoice in anguish because of the infinitely greater good that comes from it (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:10).  

 

 "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father."  The time when Christ would speak plainly about the Father, according to my study Bible, was during the 40 days following the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).  

 

"In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have  loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."  His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  My study Bible notes that we know prayer is offered in the name of God the Father, for Christ taught us to pray that way (Matthew 6:9), and He Himself prayed to the Father (John 11:41; 12:28; 17:1).  In Christ, we have direct access to the Father, and so therefore we pray in the name of the Son as well (John 14:13-14).  

 

It's very significant that my study Bible points out Christ's meaning here as indicating that we see His suffering in light of the Resurrection -- and all the good things that came out of it as well.  This can't be underestimated in terms of its impact on the whole of our faith, and yet also in each of our individual lives.  For Christ's Resurrection is not just His alone.  His Resurrection is also something in which we may participate, for when we have our faith, we have faith in Resurrection as ongoing reality and something which we may also experience in our own lives.  Christ stepped into the world filled with sin and evil things, including intense suffering.  He came to be with us as one of us; He did not look upon us from afar and stand aloof to our suffering, but came down into it, like a baptism.  According to my study Bible, Jesus called His Passion and death a baptism because He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the world (Matthew 20:22-23).  In this light, we again consider the words in today's reading, in which Jesus teaches that the suffering His disciples will endure while experiencing the shattering and shocking events of His Passion and death will only be properly received and understood through the light of the Resurrection, and the joy that is to come "in a little while" later on.  In this instruction, Jesus gives the example of a woman in labor.  No one forgets the pain, but that pain is understood and perceived in the light of the joy of birth.  Christ's death and Resurrection are equally important for us, and must be taken together.  We do not forget suffering -- and that includes all those who follow Christ and suffer in the world, particularly because of their faith -- but neither do we receive or understand that suffering without the Resurrection.  In this is truly our faith, and the instruction for how we go through life, and even through the tragedies and terrible experiences that may befall us.  For while the light of the Resurrection may not change the facts of the suffering, including the pain and even loss, Resurrection brings with it its own changed circumstances and new realities.  This is the heart of faith, and why we do not despair.  We don't know what door God opens to us when we meet suffering with trust and faith in Him, even when we experience loss of things dear to us.  In Christ's case, His disciples would lose their beloved Teacher Jesus.  But Resurrection would defeat death for the world, and send the Holy Spirit to all who may be baptized into the Church and find the faith and truth therein.  And in this is joy, as Jesus says here in today's reading.  This is not an intangible joy, but one that is measured through our own experience of meeting difficulties in the experience of the faith that shows us how to walk through them.  My mother experienced dementia and Alzheimer's, and it was with no shortage of difficulty.  But we became closer through her illness, and I was able to offer her love and care.  Moreover, in her own growth, despite -- and maybe even because of -- her illness, she was able to find faith in Christ, a depth in bond of love at her Church, and meaning in the Bible she had not found before.  These are simply a small handful of the good things that came out of meeting her illness in the faith of Christ and the power of Resurrection that is at work for us when we pray.  Jesus says in today's reading, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  When we have tribulation, let us remember that He has overcome the world, and extends that resurrection power and strength to us to walk us through our own, and find the redemption of Resurrection. 

 

 

 

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world

 

The Cross, Illuminated Armenian Gospel, 1609, miniature by Mesrop Khzanetsi, Oxford, Bodleian Library

 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."  Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy.  

 

"A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  As, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.  

 

"In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."  

 

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet, I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

 

- John 16:16-33 

 

In our present reading, Jesus has been giving what is known as His Farewell Discourse to the disciples.  This takes place at the Last Supper, just prior to His Crucifixion.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.  But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

 

 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."  Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy."  My study Bible comments that the first little while is a reference to Christ's arrest, death, and burial.  The second is His time in the tomb until His Resurrection.

"A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  As, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."  My study Bible says that no longer remembers does not imply the faithful are to forget the Passion and Cross of Christ, any more than a woman "forgets" labor.  Instead, we now see these sufferings in the light of the victory of the Resurrection, and this victory transfigures our perception of sufferings.  Christ's victory allows us to rejoice in anguish because of the infinitely greater good that comes from it (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:10).

 

 "These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father."   My study Bible notes that the time when Christ would speak plainly about the Father was during the 40 days following the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).

"In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."  My study Bible says that we know prayer is offered in the name of God the Father, for Christ taught us to pray that way (Matthew 6:9).  Christ Himself prayed to the Father as well (John 11:41; 12:28; 17:1).  In Christ, my study Bible adds, we have direct access to the Father, and thus we pray in the name of the Son as well.  After Pentecost, it says, we learn the Holy Spirit Himself "makes intercession for us" (Romans 8:26), and we are instructed to pray always "in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18).  In the Orthodox Church,  as many others, prayer is made continually and with confidence to all three Persons of the Trinity, "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet, I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  Let us note Christ's important statement, "I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."   This level of confidence we may find in our faith is a standard for each of us, for indeed, in the coming of the Holy Spirit, God is always with us.  St. Augustine comments that, indeed, peace is the objective of Christ's entire discourse.  He is assuring them that in Him, His word, His commandments, in all that He has done, they may have peace.  Augustine adds that this peace will have no end, but is itself the end of every godly action and intention.

We might ponder Christ's words and ask, what does it mean that He has overcome the world?  First of all, Jesus, in proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, in following always the commandments of the Father, in choosing and teaching His disciples, has done all things He was meant to do.  This was His mission as the Son who became incarnate human being.  As both the divine Son and also as a human being, fully vested with human nature, He has therefore experienced all the temptations, stresses, persecution, hostility, and all the elements of the world that would oppose Him (including the spiritual elements of the demonic, the activity of the "adversary").  In this, He has overcome the world, because He has overcome all in remaining loyal to the Father to the end, and offering the world Himself as the Father has commanded.  Moreover, because He has overcome the world, our own victory and our peace is in Him.  This is made possible because of the coming of the Holy Spirit, which will happen at Pentecost, and precisely because Jesus goes as He goes to the Father.  Our own human nature will be taken with Him at His Ascension.  These actions make it possible for human beings to take on elements or "energies" of the divine nature, and specifically the grace and peace of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, who will bring "all things" of Christ to us.  Therefore, like Jesus, even when the elements of the world conspire in our experience to render us feeling as if we are alone, abandoned, with no resources, we -- like Jesus -- are not alone.  For He is always with us (Matthew 28:20).  In my experience, there are times during prayer when we are left bereft, feeling as if there is no one who hears, but the truth is that we can always take confidence that God hears (Genesis 16:11; 1 John 5:14-15).  We might not always see immediate results, and possibly not what we thought we were precisely praying for, but in the outcome it seems that through all things God hears, and God responds to lead us where God wants us to go.  Jesus goes to the Cross of His own volition, and in response to the Father's will.  But His life that we know of, as recorded in the Gospels, has been a series of difficulties and obstacles, betrayals and heartache.  He has been with the afflicted, and has compassion on the needy.  In each case, He instructs, feeds, offers sustenance according to the desires of God the Father.  For this is grace, that He leads us where He goes so that we may be with Him forever -- and in that process we also carry our own crosses (Luke 9:23).  We may be asked to make sacrifices, as He did (even of a much lesser kind), to overcome our own thinking and assumptions about life and even about what constitutes a "good life."  There are any number of things that may belong to our lives in the carrying of our own crosses, and of "overcoming."  But what should not be in doubt is that we have a path to follow, His "way," and that leads us to a place of His peace, and His joy, in which we can take confidence.  For this is the measure of our faith, that we entrust to Him our souls, and we accept His help at all times, even the work of the Helper (the Holy Spirit) in our lives.  We live in a world based in consumerism, with objects always at hand to consume, whether they be images in social media, or popular solutions offered us as to meanings we can pick and choose by ascribing to one philosophy or another, just like we also consume fashion, or follow an image of someone we want to emulate (possibly for the image of success which they project).  But this kind of "consumerist" thinking is not truly appropriate to our own human natures, the soul we possess, the spiritual reality that is the foundation and ground of our being, often completely neglected.   Instead, we are beings capable of great strengths, of struggle and growth, and of taking on even the heroic elements of Christ, as we see in the saints.  We don't need to pursue images set in stone about what perfection is or looks like; we need a transcendent sense of following where God leads, and discovering and learning things we don't already know.  We have the energies of God in the grace that is there for us, which can permeate our lives, even as we might take on the character of that transfigured human nature we see in the victory of Jesus Christ.  He goes to the Cross, so that He might bring us this grace, and our salvation is right there in the heart of that particular struggle.  Without it, even billions will not satisfy our search for meaning, or purchase the particular kind of peace and joy (or wisdom) that He offers.  In our God we find a transcendent beauty, truth, and goodness, which God can magnify in us through the Helper, the Holy Spirit, and the grace He brings -- even through the imperfections and challenges of our lives (2 Corinthians 12:9).

 

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"

 

 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a  great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then these men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

 

 - John 6:1-15 

 

Yesterday we read that, in His response to the religious leaders who accused Him of violating the Sabbath, and making Himself equal with God (in Saturday's reading), Jesus said, "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a  great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  As we begin reading chapter 6 in John's Gospel, my study Bible tells us that this chapter parallels the story of the Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt in various ways.  In the Exodus story (Exodus 11 - 17), God first performed signs against the Pharoah, and then gave instructions on how to be saved at the time of the Passover (Exodus 11:1-12:14).  Here, we're told that the multitude follows Christ because of His signs, and this also takes place at Passover.  

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  My study Bible says that Christ here tests Philip to increase his faith, because Philip needed help in understanding Him (John 14:8-10).  Two hundred denarii, it says, corresponds to over six months' wages for a laborer.  Andrew has greater faith than Philip:  he knows that the prophet Elisha had multipled bread for 100 men (see 2 Kings 4:42-44), Andrew offers food brought by a lad.  Nonetheless, Andrew is still weak in faith, and questions what a mere five loaves could do for the number of people there.  

Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  This feeding of the multitude is the fourth of seven signs reported in the Gospel of John.  Note the description of Christ as He took the loaves, gave thanks (in Greek eucharisto/ευχαριστω) and distributed them.  It prefigures the celebration of the Eucharist.  In another parallel to the Exodus story, in which the Jews were said to eat unleavened bread because they were hastily driven out of Egypt and had brought no provisions for themselves (Exodus 12:39).  Here, Jesus feeds the multitudes with earthly bread because they had brought no provisions, as they had rushed out to see Him.

Then these men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.  Although Jesus had performed greater signs than this, these crowds so desired an earthly Messiah, my study Bible says, that they declared Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19) only when they filled with earthly things (see verse 26).  Because of this misunderstanding, Jesus departed from them.  

 

 In recent readings, we have discussed the concept of work as Jesus seems to define it on His own terms and from His perspective.  In Saturday's reading, in confrontation with the religious leaders over their charge that He violated the Sabbath by telling a man to take up his bed (and walk), Jesus replied, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  This was an opportunity for us to think about work, and the nature of work -- and especially the dignity of work implied here by Christ in that God the Father and Son are "working."  Earlier, in chapter 4, in the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, when the disciples pressed Jesus that He should eat something, He told them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know . . . My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (see this reading from last week).   So there is this subtle thread running through these chapters that involves both food and work, and today's reading is no exception.  Again, let us consider that in an earthly sense, food and work go hand in hand:  we work in order to "have bread," to eat food and supply it to our families and community.  But in an agrarian society like Christ's that connection is that much stronger.  Without a good harvest, people are in danger of famine.  Even today, with our worldwide transportation systems, we see what the disruption of war is doing to grain supplies for the poor.  But to get back to our text, there are things we are offered to think about in this context.  The people want to make Jesus a king, and to do so by force.  This will be addressed by Jesus in our following reading, and it is directly linked to the idea of work and the food they've been given by Christ.  But for today let us look at Jesus' choice when they want to take Him by force and make Him king.  This is not the proper "work" for Him.  He has been sent to do a particular job, on a particular mission, and although we might naturally assume Christ's qualifications for such a position of authority, this is the last thing He wants.  He knows what He is about, He knows what work is proper to Him, and that reason is because He seeks the Father's will in all things and there is where He makes His choices.  So while we think about being fed, and this fourth miraculous sign in John's Gospel, let us consider that for Christ, who can feed a multitude from very little resources through His own authority and power to do so, becoming king is not appropriate, not a part of His worldly mission.  This is because His job, His work, is in fulfilling the plan of salvation, and that has to happen a particular way within a particular life He will live in this world, and does not involve becoming king.  The reason why this is important for us to understand is not only so that we think about what specific "work" Christ does and why, and how that works for our salvation, but also so that we, too, should be as discerning about what work we choose to do  in life and how we make that choice.  A job opportunity might sound like a great thing; the money might be entirely enticing to us.  There are all kinds of ways in which various professions will appeal to us, or various types of avenues of what we choose to do or become in our lives, including the skills and experience that come with them.  But let us put our choices first in the lens of our faith.  Let us turn in prayer and communion to the One who not only knows us best and more deeply than we know ourselves, but to the One who has lived among us and understands something about the choices we need to make, the hardships and struggles, and the ways of the world.  Let us find what it is that is an opportunity to please God through our skills and our efforts and energy -- not that we all have to work for a church or religious establishment, but to seek where we can shine the light shared with us through our energy and creativity and our efforts.  It seems to me that just as a flower blooms in beauty that was contained in its seed or bulb, so God has a hand in our creation with particular ways in which we can express the identity, talents, and beauty endowed in our own creation, regardless of which walk of life we choose to pursue.  Be it artistic, industrial, agricultural, a service work, or any other kind of profession we do, we can bring something of this inner light we're given to that work, in one way and another.  I believe this choice, to follow what seems to be pleasing to God, to start with prayer and communion, is present for all of us all the time.  It's important to note Jesus' action at the time He perceives they are trying to take Him by force to be made king:  He departs to the mountain alone, a place for prayer and communion with the Father.  Let us once again consider what work means -- what we "do" in life, what actions we take -- and seek to find that in which we can "work together" with God in the same way Christ pleases the Father, and says no to what is not the way for Him.  In this way, we also will find the work that will feed us, just as Jesus feeds the multitude.  

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world

 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."  Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.  In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 

- John 16:16-33

In our current readings, Jesus and the disciples are at the Last Supper, the Passover supper of Christ's final year of His earthly life.  It is Holy Week, and He is about to go to His Passion.  He is giving to His disciples what is known as the Farewell Discourse.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to them,  "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.  But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."  The first little while here, my study bible explains, is referring to Jesus' arrest, death, and burial.  The second refers to His time in the tomb before His Resurrection.

Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy."  In a classic form of language of Scriptures and the promises of God (such as in Mary's Song, Luke 1:46-55), Jesus tells the disciples that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

"A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."  Again, in a parallel to Mary's Song, Jesus gives them an image of a woman in labor.  My study bible says that no longer remembers does not imply that the faithful should forget the Passion and Cross of Christ, any more than a woman "forgets" labor.  Instead, we now see these sufferings in the light of the victory of the Resurrection, and this victory is a transfiguration of our perception of suffering.  In this way, Christ's victory enables us to rejoice in anguish, because there is infinitely greater good that comes out of it (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:10).

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father."  My study bible says that the time when Christ would speak plainly about the Father was during the 40 days following the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).

"In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."    Prayer is offered in the name of God the Father, for Christ taught us to pray that way (Matthew 6:9).  Christ also prayed to the Father Himself (11:41; 12:28; 17:1).  My study bible tells us that in Christ, we have direct access to the Father.  Therefore we pray in the name of the Son as well.  After Pentecost, it's understood that the Holy Spirit Himself "makes intercession for us" (Romans 8:26), and we are also instructed to pray always "in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18).  We pray continually and with confidence, therefore, to all three Persons of the Trinity:  "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."   Again, a warning comes from Jesus about what is to come for them, despite what is being revealed at this moment.  They will be scattered, each to His own, and will leave [Christ] alone.  But again, as has so frequently been the case in the Gospel of John, Jesus refers back to His closeness and union with the Father.  He is not alone, because the Father is with Him.  St. Chrysostom comments that the disciples may have peace in always turning to Christ through all tribulation.   He has overcome the world not only in overthrowing the ruler of this world, but also in the work within the faithful through their own struggles with the world.

How has Christ overcome the world?  If we but look around we see all manner of evils all around us.  Harassment of all religious across the board seems to be on the increase, with reports of countries in which Christians were harassed topping the list, according to this article regarding a recent Pew Research publication.  Aside from direct religious harassment, we don't need a research study to tell us of the evils in the world, and the explosive and unmistakable ways in which it doesn't look to our eyes like Christ is victorious here -- or perhaps more specifically, like the world is at all living in the ways that Christ has taught us to live.  So what does it mean that He has overcome the world?  What is it that makes Christ victorious?  First of all, there is the Cross itself.  In His "hour of glory" as Christ puts it throughout John's Gospel, is the great victory.  Perhaps the greatest reason that we can point to for this is precisely the thing with which He instructs the disciples here:  the Cross is a victory because it is an act of absolute faith and obedience to the Father, it is in some sense a final seal of union with the Father -- and in this the world is overcome.  This is indeed a strange paradox for us, and we know that it is characterized by St. Paul as "to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks [meaning Gentiles] foolishness" (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Does the Crucifixion look like victory?  Certainly the religious leaders and others such as Herod Antipas who collaborated in His death couldn't have seen it that way.  But the key here is that there is so much more than is understood through a surface act.  This Cross becomes a symbol not only of life, but of Resurrection, of transcendence and transfiguration.  It is a symbol of liberation, of overcoming.  It is in itself the power to transform -- to defeat death and to give life.  All of this is so not only because we read of it in the Gospels and because the Church teaches us that it is so.  All of this is so by virtue of the many witnesses we have who testify to this reality.  The disciples have told their stories, and in the Gospels and the whole of the New Testament we read their testimony to what they have seen and experienced.  But through the whole of two millennia, countless faithful have also experienced the liberation of the Cross, life from death in some form in their own lives, and the power of prayer in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This isn't only a victory of Christ, but it is His victory shared with all of us.  It is His power to overcome which is shared with each of us, and in which we may each participate as we face struggles and tribulations in our own lives, and the testimony of uncountable witnesses confirms that it is so.  We only have to look and hear and listen to those around us who tell us so, in their own testimonies and about their own lives and faith.  The power of Christ's Cross is a victory that each of us can feel and experience.  We may not have something obvious to show and to tell.  Christ Himself refused to give miracles and signs and proofs on demand.  But the experience and power contained in the Church as a whole is something unassailable.  Through the experience of the faithful this power works and overcomes, and we are not alone, no matter who else has abandoned us.  We celebrate Resurrection because it is alive in us.  It is not an event that took place once, and so we tell the story.  But Christ's victory is eternal.  It lives in the here and the now, and we are invited in to participate, with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit living and dwelling with us and within us.  We pray in the name of the Trinity and grow in likeness to our Creator through His holy power and especially through His victory which lives in us and is experienced in our own lives.  Give up the restrictions on what that victory looks like, and instead find  it through faith.  Ultimately, the victory of the Cross is sacramental.  We exchange our lives for another kind of life, for something better.  We may not have all of our worldly expectations met, but Christ has His own way to meet us, with Father and Holy Spirit at work in us.  We do our part in faith through tribulation and look to what we don't know, in the good cheer He gives us.  Resurrection is a fuller reality, a different experience than the world gives us.  But its peace is real and abiding, and in it we overcome as well.