I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour. 

 

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  

 "He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses." 

 

- Matthew 8:5-17 

 

On Saturday we read the following words given at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7):  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  This centurion is a Gentile.  A centurion commanded one hundred men in a Roman legion.  My study Bible comments that Jesus is the Savior of all, and in Him ethnic distinctions are void.  

 

And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  My study Bible indicates that, according to many Greek scholars, Jesus' phrase, "I will come" has been read as a question: "Shall I come?"   Either way it is read, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile and even to enter his house, which would make Him unclean in the eyes of the Jews. 

 

 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." This centurion expresses an unusual faith in Jesus; it is remarkable that he would call a Jew Lord.  His statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is frequently quoted in liturgical texts.  My study Bible calls it an ideal expression of humility. 

 

 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  My study Bible points out that there are only two occasions reported in the Gospels in which Christ marveled.  Once is at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here at the belief of this foreigner.  

 

 "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  Those who are rejected sons of the kingdom are both the Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith; outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (1 Enoch 108:5).  These are common expressions in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30), and they occur also in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 13:28).  

 

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."  This passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) tell us that St. Peter was married.  My study Bible comments that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  Here He heals by touch; earlier with the centurion's servant, He healed with a word.  In the case of St. Peter's mother-in-law, the healing is immediate and complete, but others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of their loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  

 

There are several elements in today's reading that mark particular themes in the Gospel.  For example, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, we were told that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (see Saturday's reading, above).  This is an important concept in today's reading as well, as the centurion is a man of authority within the Roman Empire, and a Gentile.  He's a military commander of one hundred Roman legionnaires, those who occupy and make possible the colonization of Israel, and expansion of empire.  But here in today's reading, one authority clearly recognizes the authority in another; the Roman soldier and commander recognizes authority in Jesus, and even calls Him Lord.  He goes even further, and states that he is not worthy that Jesus should come under his roof, humbling himself before Christ as One having greater authority.  It seems almost instinctive in the centurion that he recognizes in Jesus One who can command.  It is an important lesson in authority to understand that a command -- as the extent of authority -- can reach beyond individual to individual and work through servants and others of lesser rank.  The centurion tells Jesus, "But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  We know that Jesus as Lord also is a Commander who works through His servants, soldiers, and messengers (His disciples and apostles, the faithful, and the angels), and His commands go out through such agency and via such authority.  But how does the centurion understand this about Jesus?  No wonder Jesus marveled.  Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  Perhaps this is meant to teach us something special and particular about faith, that it is rooted in a kind of love and purity of heart that recognizes and instantly grasps something about identity, that knows Christ who knows us (1 Corinthians 13:12).  The centurion is one with ears to hear and eyes to see (Matthew 13:16-17).  In a sense, he is also like Christ in that Christ's imperative for the use of His power is to heal; the entire purpose of the Incarnation is a healing and saving mission, offering us a way to rectify and put right what has been disordered and unhealthy in our world.  In this perspective, what we understand as the Fall is unnatural, against our true nature.  What we witness of the centurion in today's reading is his own impulse to heal; he desperately seeks out healing for his suffering servant.  Listen to his compassion in this statement, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  Did not Christ Himself condescend to become one of us in order to heal human beings, who lie paralyzed and dreadfully tormented with sin and all the cumulative adverse effects of sin in our world?  Besides the things my study Bible points out, the faith of this centurion tells us a great deal about what faith is and does and how it can act.  He recognizes Christ in ways that others do not, he also knows what Christ can do and will do with His (Genesis 1:26).  We may perhaps be taken aback that this could be true of an occupying soldier and commander, but we should not be.  Christ Himself refers to His angels as those who come in legions (Matthew 26:53).  Authority as we understand it in Christ and in His servants (such as the angels) is also power, and we need to recognize the proper and correct use of authority suitable to our true nature (such as the authority which God gave human beings in Genesis 1:26).  Let us consider all the ways we can learn from today's passage, and from the centurion's example.

 

 

Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things

 

 Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  

 

- Mark 11:27–33 

 

Yesterday we read of Jesus' second day in Jerusalem, after His Triumphal Entry:  In the morning when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And he would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter remembering, said to Him,  "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  so Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

  Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."   The setting of our reading is now what we know as Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.  This is the third day He is in Jerusalem.  He has cleansed the temple the day before (see yesterday's reading above), and so these religious leaders demand to know, "By what authority are You doing these things?"  Christ is not a Levitical priest, and so the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders challenge His authority to do so.  My study Bible comments that, as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He confounds them with a different question about John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-8).  Both the elders' question and Christ's question demand the same answer, my study Bible explains, and so would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  By not answering them directly, it notes, Christ teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent.  

 

What I always admire about Christ's style of engagement here is His vigor.  So often in popular culture He is portrayed as a very meek character; in the secular mind which does not correctly interpret "meekness" in the Christian sense, this may be seen as weak or ineffectual.  But when He verbally spars with the religious authorities, we come to understand quite the opposite.  Jesus' vigor shows here, and He doesn't give an inch.  These religious leaders, although nominally in authority in the temple, do not intimidate Him and they do not persuade Him away from His mission and what He needs to do.  On the contrary, He answers their question with a question -- and thoroughly gives them back the argument they wish to avoid.  He turns the tables on them both in the sense that they cannot answer, and that He reveals that it is they who are afraid of the people.  On the contrary, for the past three years, Jesus has courageously preached, taught, and healed all over the territories of the Jewish communities that constitute greater Israel.  Here, perhaps, He shows the greatest courage of all, for He knows that these men wish to have Him put to death (and they will).  See this reading in which He predicted for the third time what would happen to Him in Jerusalem, and in detail, for His apostles, including the suffering He will endure.  Christ's defense of His cousin and saint, John the Baptist, also tells us about Jesus' character.  Like a heroic warrior as portrayed in any kind of traditional story of what it means to be valiant and loyal, Jesus will always step in to defend His own.  He intervenes for His disciples in this reading, and here in today's reading He defends John as sent by God, although the religious leaders did not treat John as such.  What we may observe of Jesus' character then is what truly defines meekness or gentleness in the Christian sense.  That is, strength under control.  He knows what He is to be about, He is thoroughly loyal to God the Father in living His mission in the world as the Incarnate Jesus, and He stands up for that which is His, in the provenance of His Kingdom -- be it the truth and light He is here to teach, or for those who bear that light and truth into the world and belong to Him.  One thing He is not -- He is not going quietly, so to speak.  Until it is time to do so, He continues His mission, and that includes here in this confrontation with the religious leaders over His conduct in the temple.  In St. John's Gospel, we're told that in one of His confrontations with the religious leaders, prior to Holy Week, they asked Him, "Who are You?"  Jesus replied, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father (John 8:25-26).  The One who sent Him is true, Christ is loyal to Him in all ways, speaking those things which He hears to speak.  In the Revelation, we read that Christ Himself is like His Father, He is "Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11).  This is the reality of Christ, a spiritual reality we are to follow and live ourselves in the world.  He is faithful and true to the One who is true, and so we are meant to be as well.  He defends His own, and is obedient in freedom and out of love.  In the Orthodox tradition, this is understood more fully as "the love of the beautiful" -- and in that beauty is goodness, and truth, and righteousness.  Let us pay attention and learn from Him.

 

 

 

Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  

 

The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

 

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.   And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

 

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees  and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come?"

 

- John 7:14-36 

 

Yesterday we read that, after the controversy regarding His teachings on His Body and Blood, Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

  Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  My study Bible comments here that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  Spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize God's authority.  According to St. John Chrysostom, whom my study Bible quotes here, Christ's message to the religious leaders (the Jews, as rulers of the city in Judea) can be paraphrased as follows:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."

 

 The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Jesus is referring here to the healing that took place during what is understood to be the Feast of Weeks (known as the Old Testament Pentecost), in chapter 5.  This was the healing of the paralytic, which is the third of seven signs performed by Christ in St. John's Gospel.  At that time Jesus was accused of violating the Sabbath by performing this healing.  In Matthew 12:3-5, Jesus provided various examples of "blameless" violations of the Sabbath, demonstrating that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God.  

 

 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  When the people from Jerusalem say we know where this Man is from, they are mistaken -- both in an earthly sense as well as a divine sense.  Humanly speaking, my study Bible points out, they think of Jesus as being from Nazareth of Galilee.  But Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem of Judea (John 7:42; see Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, they can't understand that Christ has come from the Father in heaven -- eternally begotten before all ages -- and so, therefore, His heavenly origin also remains unknown to them.  

 

 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.   And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  Christ's hour is the time of His Passion, His suffering and death.  He is the Lord over time, my study Bible says, which is an authority possessed only by God.  He comes to His Cross of His own free will and in His time, and not according to the plots of human beings (see John 8:20; 10:39).  

 

 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees  and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  My study Bible explains that this statement refers to Christ's death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

 

 Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come?"  To go among the Greeks means to go among the Gentiles, the Greek-speakers (as Greek was the international language and lingua franca of Christ's time).  My study Bible notes that this unwitting prophecy points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles. 

 

 In today's reading, Jesus says, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."   Those of us who have had the unfortunate experience of being falsely judged by appearance can all sympathize and agree with Christ's statement.  In St. Mark's Gospel, Jesus asks, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" (Mark 3:4), framing this question in terms of saving life.  Here He asks, ". . . are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?"  Sometimes good intent isn't always seen that way by others.  In this case, the envy and jealousy of the rulers in the temple, particularly the Pharisees, functions as a way to facilitate criticism and accusation.  They're looking for a way to eliminate Jesus as a figure of authority (in the eyes of the people) that would somehow compete with their own positions as rulers.  Christ's healing of the paralytic was indeed one of the seven signs of St. John's Gospel, a sign of God being near, the presence of the kingdom of heaven.  But these men instead want to condemn and are quick to do so.  But this is judgment by appearance; He appears to have violated the Sabbath rest.  Again, in St. Mark's Gospel, Jesus teaches that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).  The people who believe in Him ask, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  It's not simply for His miraculous healing on the Sabbath that the religious leaders seek to persecute Him, but they also claim that He commits blasphemy -- an offense worthy of death according to a strict interpretation of the Law.  Indeed, for this He will be convicted at the Sanhedrin, and it will be the excuse they use to drag Him to Pilate and claim a charge of treason against Caesar.  How often is language heard and twisted to attribute false claims to a person?  How often is language misunderstood?  So often throughout John's Gospel, Jesus tells truths that are offensive, things others can't accept and don't want to hear.  He tells the truth; the words He speaks are given by the One who sent Him, the only One He seeks to please; that is God the Father.  And, as Jesus says, the One who sent Him is true.  But they don't know Him, so they can't bear to hear His words.  All of John's Gospel in some sense focuses on the truth, and on our reception or rejection of it.  St. John declares, "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).  So how do we judge with righteous judgment, and not according to appearance?  We have extensive legal systems that aim to give every chance for the fullness of motivation, facts, character, intent, and proof of one who is accused in order to secure good judgment.  But even so, worldly justice fails, despite the best intentions.  It is only God's judgment that is perfect, and so in all things, that's where our first loyalty must come, just as it is Christ's.  He is the one who teaches about true righteousness, and He is the one to whom God the Father has committed all judgment.  Let us seek to find His truth in all things, for He is the heart-knower, the only one who can teach us righteous judgment.  I have heard it said that it's only at the final judgment that true healing from all trauma and injustice can take place; for it is there where the One who has been misjudged (although He is the one true Innocent) will be with us -- and we will know that wherever we have been, whatever scars we carry, He has been there with us, voluntarily, to take on our own griefs.  Let us consider the depth of love that would do so much for our healing and full salvation.  

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things

 

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  

 

"But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."  

 

- Matthew 21:23–32 

 

Yesterday we read that, following His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,  'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  Now in the morning as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

 Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  Because Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests and the elders now challenge His authority to cleanse the temple (in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible explains that, as Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, He confounds His questioners with another question about John (that is, John the Baptist).  Both the elders' question and Christ's question ask for the same answer, and therefore would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  In not answering them directly, my study Bible tells us, Christ teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent. 

 

 "But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."   My study Bible comments that by using their own principles, the elders convict themselves in their answer to Christ's parable.  

 

It's an intriguing comment on Jesus' response to the chief priests and elders that is made by my study Bible on today's reading.  My study Bible remarks that Jesus replies to their question with another different question of His own, as Christ "is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers."  In a time when seemingly all things are available on the internet (including an increasing number of claims and stories which are not true at all, and often are concocted through Artificial Intelligence), it seems a rather quaint notion that there are things that are preferable to remain hidden from scoffers and others who make inquiries with a malicious intent.  But it gives us an important taste of what it means that things are holy.  To be holy or sacred first of all means that such things are "set apart."  This is the story of God's formation of the people of Israel, that they were called out of the world to be set apart as a holy people, dedicated to Yahweh, to the God we know.  Jesus' story mirrors the same, as when He says to the disciples at the Last Supper, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:18-19).  This expression by Jesus, "I chose you out of the world," echoes the powerful call to Israel that we could say started with Abraham, a people chosen out of the world to be set apart, to be holy; that is, dedicated to God.  When we think of the holy things of our churches and our faith, perhaps we should more often consider the same.  Our church services (at least those which are based on the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom) still make a provision for catechumens to leave before the Holy Eucharist.  We forget that there are powerful mysteries to our churches, and that some indeed remain only for those who are prepared for it and prepared to receive, for those who have chosen to dedicate themselves in faith.  Again, a modern age seeks all kinds of information, even information which people are not necessarily prepared to use wisely, for this is the nature that the internet and social media magnifies and spreads like wildfire.  But perhaps even at such a time we should consider more wisely what it means not to reveal holy things to scoffers, to those who don't ask sincerely.  To use the modern parlance of popular psychology, it's an important boundary to consider.  In fact, there are boundaries of all kinds that we'd be better off respecting, such as those of personal privacy, even integrity.  Not every opinion needs to be known -- and certainly every opinion does not need to be judged by the public, nor by mobs of people with no concern for the boundary of respect for other people.  But the sacred needs to be prized by us, set apart, put in its proper place in our hearts and in our lives so that we cherish what needs to be cherished, and that is what Jesus is so cleverly doing here with His reply of a question about the baptism of John the Baptist.  To this day, in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, we hear in the Communion Prayer, "O Son of God, receive me today as a partaker of Your mystical supper. For I will not speak of the mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give You a kiss, as did Judas. But like the thief, I confess to You: Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom."   If we look carefully at all of Scripture, we find that everything begins with the creation of the world we know through meaningful boundaries.  The Spirit hovers over the waters of chaos, and creates all of the cosmos by separating and distinguishing, creating boundaries, and filling them with good things (see Genesis 1).  Even the garden of Eden is distinguished as a special garden planted by God in a particular place, and in that sense, separated and taken out of the world.  For humankind, God places a particular tree of knowledge of good and evil off-limits, as yet another boundary to respect, for human beings were not yet wise enough for that.  Well, we know the rest of the story.   Jesus, as Lord, teaches us the same particular respect for the sacred boundaries of life, the separation that keeps things holy.  Again, in the Divine Liturgy, the priest declares of Communion, "the holy gifts for the holy people of God."  In a modern age in which there seems to be a great drive to overturn all boundaries wherever possible, let us consider instead the importance of the sacred and what it means to respect the holy as such.  For we all need the proper boundaries of respect for the soul, the tender things of the heart, and the gifts of the sacred that teach us that all life, at its heart, is holy.  For when we lose this relationship to Creator, we lose the meanings of life God gives us.

 

 

 

The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes

 

 Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

 

 Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A men planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:

'The stone which the builders rejected 

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD'S doing, 

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.  

 

- Mark 11:27—12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that, when Jesus and the disciples had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

  Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."   Here is the great concern of the religious leaders:  authority.  Since Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple (see yesterday's reading, above).  But Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers.  So He confounds them with a different question about John.  Both the elders' question and Christ's question require the same answer, my study Bible comments, and therefore would lead a person to confess that Jesus has come from heaven.  By not answering them directly, my study Bible notes, Christ teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent.  

 

 Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A men planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.  In this parable, my study Bible explains, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the religious leaders who were entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, while the one son, his beloved is a reference to Christ Himself.  When the Son is killed and cast out of the vineyard it may be understood various ways.  Christ was killed outside of Jerusalem, and He was crucified by foreign soldiers rather than those of His own "vineyard."  He was cast out by the religious leaders and rejected at His trial before Pilate.  The others who will later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church.  Jesus quotes Scripture from Psalm 118:22-23.

 

It's interesting to consider Christ's use of Scripture here, after He tells the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers.   Clearly the religious leaders -- as the text of the Gospel tells us -- understand that Jesus has told this parable against them.  But in quoting these verses from Psalm 118, Jesus is doing more.  He is the fulfillment of the Scripture; He is the stone which the builders rejected, and which will moreover become the chief cornerstone.  That is, He is the One who will determine the foundation of an entirely new "building" and one which will replace the old, although having been rejected by the builders.  In this sense, the Psalm forms a kind of prophecy, to be fulfilled through the spiritual history of the people, and we are meant to understand it this way.  In fact, our reading for today has many overtones of prophecy in it, as it begins by Jesus using the image of John the Baptist to demand an accountability on the part of the chief priests, scribes, and elders who question Him about His authority in the temple.   The suggestion of John the Baptist as a person of authority to practice his baptism comes from Jesus as a reminder to these religious leaders of the authority of a prophet.  John the Baptist was recognized throughout the Jewish communities as a holy man and treated with that kind of reverence.  Like the Old Testament prophets before him, he "spoke truth to power" as the modern saying goes, and was eventually martyred for criticizing the marriage of King Herod Antipas for being outside of Jewish law.  So the figure of John -- in the context of the Church -- comes to us as the last and greatest in the long line of the Old Testament prophets.  And among the people of his own time, he was widely recognized for his holiness, as people came from all over the Jewish territories for his baptism.  He is the one whom the Church calls the Forerunner, because he himself was also the fulfillment of prophecy.   When St. John the Baptist appears in the Gospels, it is presented in fulfillment of earlier prophecy by Malachi and Isaiah.  St. Mark's Gospel begins, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight" ' " (Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3).  So, when Jesus asks where the authority for John's ministry of baptism came from, He is asking the religious leaders to consider the authority of God's grace by whom gifts of prophecy come.  These leaders, whether or not they accepted John, would not speak up before the people who listen, for the people all regarded John with the authority of a holy figure.  So John the Baptist, last in the line of Old Testament prophets, the prophets who came before him (and whose prophecies he fulfilled), all the prophets suggested in the parable of the vinedressers as the prophets killed before John by those in the same positions of authority these men hold to whom Jesus speaks, and Christ Himself as fulfillment of prophecy in the Psalm of David  -- all these come by the power, grace, and authority of God, Jesus suggests here . One after the other, they come "in the name of the Lord," and one after another have been questioned as to their authority to speak, and persecuted in turn, as the parable suggests.  Jesus is the beloved Son, who in fact speaks with greater authority, and the consequences of His rejection and death will be much more far reaching for the descendants of these authorities in the temple.  Jesus is, of course, much more than a prophet, but He is a figure about whom many wondered in His own time if He was "the Prophet," a figure prophesied by Moses (see Mark 6:15; Deuteronomy 18:15).  The importance of prophecy and its fulfillment, and most particularly the authority carried by the grace of God the Holy Spirit plays a great part on many layers in today's reading.  This is the authority of Christ the Lord, and is carried by the rest to whom that grace of true prophecy is given, as well as the figures who form the fulfillment of prophecy.  But let us remember that Jesus has also taught that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house," a saying so important that it appears in all four Gospels (Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).   Let us respect the power and grace of God, which works through all things in ways that are surprising, despise the efforts of rejection and manipulation to do otherwise. 

 

 

 

 

Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them

 

 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And may hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. 

 

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.   He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  

 

- Mark 6:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side (returning from healing the Gadarene demoniac), a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the  crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that  was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.  

 

  Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And may hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Christ's own country is Nazareth, the place where He was raised.  My study Bible comments that this double response of being both astonished and offended occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ (Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Christ's rejection in his own country is a foreshadowing of His rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  In Near and Middle Eastern usage, then and today, brother can be used as a term for any number of varied relations.  Jesus' brothers and sisters are either children by a previous marriage of St. Joseph, or other relatives such as cousins and extended family.  Mary had only one child, her Son, Jesus.  Christ's saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house," is so significant that it is found in all four Gospels (Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).

 

 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  My study Bible comments that Jesus could do no mighty work there, not because He lacked power, but because of the unbelief of all but a few in Nazareth.  While grace is always offered to all, it notes, only those who receive it in faith obtain its benefits.  Let us note here that in the Greek, the word translated here as mighty work is the same word translated as "power" in yesterday's reading, above.  In yesterday's reading, Christ's power went out of Him in response to the faith of the woman with the years-long bloodflow; here there is no faith to respond to.

 

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.   He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.   After choosing the twelve (in this reading), the time has come that He has prepared them to be sent out on their first apostolic mission (in the Greek, the word for apostle means "one sent out" while disciple means "learner").  Here, once again, we encounter the word power in English, but in the Greek of this particular verse, this word is more akin to "authority."  This kind of power that He has given them is a conference of strength that comes out of His substance, His identity as Lord.  So, in a sense, Christ has made them His ministers of a sort.  He has given them authority over the unclean spirits, to command them as He does.  My study Bible comments on anointing the sick with oil.  It notes that this not only has medicinal value but also sacramental value.  As God's healing power is bestowed through creation, it says (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15; 19:11-12), so oil is also a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).  

 

 Power plays a strong role yet again in today's reading.  We compare and contrast this with the role Christ's power played in yesterday's reading.  Yesterday, as noted above, we read that power went out from Jesus in response to the woman who touched His clothes from behind Him in a crowd.  But in today's reading, that holy power to do "mighty works" has no faith to which to respond in Christ's hometown of Nazareth.  The people there are too clouded by their own memories and assignments of identity to Christ in terms of His social position as One who grew up among them as one of them, and their perspectives on His own family and their place in the town.  Their sight is clouded by their own opinions, worldly experience and assumptions, and possibly prejudices.  They believe that they know what they know, and so they are both astonished and offended at Him.  But they cannot accept the Christ who now stands before them as He is revealed to be in His ministry.  So there is a lack of faith in Him.  But this shows us also how holy power works, for it often does so through the least likely and most unassuming in terms of our own expectations and worldly notions.  This is exemplified in God's words to St. Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (see 2 Corinthians 12:9).  This, too, is related to faith and prayer, for this was said to St. Paul after he had prayed three times for a certain affliction to be removed from him, and it was not.  Here is the paradoxical (to us) nature of holy power; in this case, God's strength would be perfected in the affliction itself, in the "weak" vessel of St. Paul, conveyed to the world even through that weakness and, according to human judgment, imperfection.  Yet there was no greater advocate for Christ than St. Paul in terms of his ministry's impact upon the founding of the Church, and so God's strength was made perfect.  This is one of the great paradoxes of our faith, the transcendent usurping power of God through all things, turning all things to the power to serve holiness and beauty.  If Christ is perhaps the "least likely" according to the judgment of His fellow townspeople of Nazareth, so we get a taste of how God works in the world.  For, as my study Bible notes above, so it would be at His Crucifixion.  The apostles themselves are sent out with authority -- Christ's authority which He has chosen to confer upon them.  They are hardly images of human perfection or even at this stage the disciples they would grow to be, yet Christ invest His power in them and places His own faith in them as carriers of His message and ministry, as ambassadors of the His Kingdom.  When the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint a new king of Israel, David seemed the least likely of all the possibilities.  But Samuel was told by the Lord of the one who seemed to look the part of a king, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (see the story at 1 Samuel 16:1-13).  So it is that Jesus sends out the apostles on their first mission, with instructions which in all ways proclaim that they are humble, yet they are invested with the authority conferred by God over the unclean spirits.  Their weapon is the gospel; their rebuke to shake the dust off their feet where they will not be heard.  St. Paul writes, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27).  Grace and power, and even authority, work through those whom God chooses, through things we least expect, through all things regardless of the views of the worldly-wise.  For this is how our faith works, and as it is yet still working.  

 

 

 

 

That you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel

 

 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  

 

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

 

- Luke 22:24–30 

 

Yesterday we read that, when the hour had come, Jesus sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

 

  Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves."  My study Bible comments that this small-minded dispute is out of place in the context of the mysteries which Christ has just revealed (see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus corrects His disciples by first comparing them to the power-hungry Gentiles, whom my study Bible says they already considered to be an abomination, and contrasting them to Himself, who serves us, although He is Lord of all.  

 

 "But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  My study Bible quotes the commentary of St. Ambrose of Milan:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  The apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, my study Bible says, but by the witness of their own lives.  As God's kingdom begins with Christ's Resurrection, it notes, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (Matthew 16:19; John 20:23).  

 

 It's always remarkable to me how the disciples will betray all the impulses of human beings which are contrary to the intentions of Christ's Kingdom.  They show us who we are, in this sense, and the things we all battle against.  In particular this includes all of our varied and myriad impulses of selfishness and especially a desire for worldly power and position.  As my study Bible implies, how can they have any idea how in contradiction and out of place their squabble and their concerns are after receiving the holy mystery of the Eucharist?  But such is the stuff of the Gospels.  It's often long after events and teachings have taken place that the disciples come to grasp the fullness of Christ's meaning -- with more to come in the history of the Church.  But they tell us who we are, and so our Gospels show us what we're up against.  Jesus redirects them in an absolutely powerful manner.  For what He is doing is giving them the image of the true power they will wield, the high places which will be assigned to them in the Kingdom.  But it is not the type of Kingdom that they expect.  One can read in the Revelation that "a great, fiery red dragon" appeared as a sign in heaven, and "his tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth."  This is a story in symbolic language of the fallen angels, drawn by Satan in his own self-centered desire for power, and accepting human worship rather than serving God.  The one-third of the angels drawn down with him (whom we now call demons, and formed the backdrop of the story of pagan worship of a pantheon of gods) are meant to be replaced by human beings -- those who will serve in Christ's heavenly kingdom.  These are those, like the apostles, who have continued with Christ in His trials by following Him in this world.  They will take the place of the angels who failed to shepherd humankind (see Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Genesis 6:1-4; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6 Revelation 12:7-9; Matthew 25:41).  The aspirations of the apostles for places in a worldly kingdom are redirected by Christ to a goal of service (as He serves) and a heavenly kingdom that awaits a destiny that belongs to "those for whom it is prepared by My Father" (see Matthew 20:20-23).  As we have commented recently and throughout this blog, Christ comes to wage a spiritual battle in this world, to reclaim it -- and us -- for Himself and the Kingdom of heaven from the one known as the ruler of this world in the language of St. John's Gospel, the god of this age as St. Paul writes.   Let us remember that God is enthroned -- or not -- in the hearts and minds of human beings.  But moreover, there is a greater destiny for us, upon which rests the life of the world, meaning the whole of creation in the language of Scripture.  Jesus has come to prepare such a destiny for us; let us follow Him into the spiritual battle He asks of us.  Let us do as He directs the disciples in today's reading, take our minds from being conformed to this world and to the place that Christ prepares for us, and where He asks us to follow.   For that is how the good fight is fought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things

 

 Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."  

 

- Luke 20:1-8 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus drew near to Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."  Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And He was teaching daily in the temple.   But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.

 

  Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."   My study Bible says that these things refers to Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as Messiah (see this reading), the cleansing of the temple (see yesterday's reading, above), and His preaching (note the first verse in today's reading).  These elders confront Jesus, my study Bible explains, since it was the duty of the priestly descendants of Levi to manage the temple.  Although Christ was descended from Judah (Luke 3:33) rather than Levi, He is nonetheless the High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4), a priestly line far greater than that of Levi, for Christ's authority is from the Father. 

 

Christ's great conflict with the religious leaders in the temple is over authority.  He is constantly being asked as to His authority to do what He does.  The same thing can be said when we read of His preaching in the local synagogues in Galilee.  There, it is reported in the Gospels, He astonishes people because He teaches and commands even unclean spirits "with authority" (Luke 4:32, 36), and "not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22).  That is, He speaks, teaches, and commands of Himself, so to speak, and not as the scribes, who would teach by citing, for example, a famous rabbi.  Jesus, as we know, is the Logos Incarnate (John 1:1).  He is the Word, and as the Word and Second Person of the Trinity, He spoke the world into existence (John 1:2-3).  So therefore, when we hear that Christ speaks "with authority" we cannot but hear that this is the Logos speaking; He is the Word Himself, so naturally what flows through His teaching and His ministry has the authority of the Word.  We can't possibly imagine what it must have been like to hear Jesus preach and teach, and to experience His power of commanding the spirits in person.   In the Gospel of St. John we read that, when temple officers were sent to arrest Jesus, they failed to do so.  Upon being questioned by these religious leaders as to why, they answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:45-46).  For the Pharisees and the other religious leaders in the temple, the appeal of Christ among the crowds of pilgrims and disciples who hear Him is confounding.  But Christ's compelling words and language and authority still speaks to us from the pages of the Gospels today.  According to my study Bible, St. John Chrysostom comments on that passage from St. John's Gospel regarding the temple officers who failed to arrest Jesus.  He says that whereas the Pharisees and scribes who had "witnessed the miracles and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from them, the officers who could claim no learning as such, were "captivated by a single sermon."  When one's mind is open, St. Chrysostom writes, "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."   And yes, so we witness as well, along with St. Chrysostom, "Truth is like that."  It hits us hard, and deep in the heart, and we, too, hear His words this way today.  For Christ is the Word, He is the Person who is the Truth (John 14:6), and He gives us the truth that is deeper than all other truths we know.  As St. Paul writes, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  This is how the truth of Christ works, and His authority, and we but need the ears to hear it and eyes to see it.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!