Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

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

- Luke 17:20-37

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus went to Jerusalem, He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  My study bible says that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality that is present both within the Christian believer and within the community of the Church.  The phrase within you can be translated also as "among you" or "in your midst."  

Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'   Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."  The tone shifts here as Jesus speaks privately to His disciples, speaking about the time after His Passion, death on the Cross, Resurrection, and Ascension.  They will long to see Him, but they are not to believe anyone who tells them to go here or go there -- that He's someplace they don't know about.  When He does return, and this is His promise here -- it will be such that everybody knows it.  It will be unmistakable.  But first must come His Passion, His rejection, and suffering, the Cross.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."    My study bible tells us that this is a warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters -- and it applies both to individual believers and to parishes. 

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."   My study bible notes here that Christ speaks of His second coming as including a sudden revelation of judgment.  It says, "One will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation.  The separation of the saints from the wicked will occur on 'the day when the Son of Man is revealed' and not, as some speculate today, at an event that occurs before His return."

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He aid to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study bible explains that the body here refers to Christ, and the eagles are the angels and the saints.

It seems to me that Jesus is introducing a rather radical concept here, that of the Kingdom as a mystical reality present in our midst.  It is both within us as individuals and among us as community.  A prayer of the Eastern Church describes the Holy Spirit as the One who is "everywhere present and filling all things."  It's a reality that encompasses everything, and yet is not perceived by everyone, and not everyone chooses to participate in it or be a part of it.  As John's prologue tells it:  "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness didn't comprehend it."  This is a present reality; it's His promise to us.  Until that time comes when everybody knows everything, when everything is suddenly revealed amidst our daily lives, this is the present reality we live.  It's like a great dimension, a full circle, that exists within our own worldly reality, but we must have "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" to perceive it.  Somewhere it's our own choice for faith deep inside of us, in a very mysterious place, where the love of God calls us in the heart and we respond with love.  What Christ promises is not a radically changed world here; instead, He chooses images from every day life for that time of His return.  He portrays a picture here in Luke's Gospel, of "life as usual," and no warning at all for the time when His return and revelation to all occurs.  I suppose that the teaching, "Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" can apply to us at all times, and is a general word of caution and warning to all of us.  "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" is a teaching He's given elsewhere, a word we are to live by, an understanding that we "sacrifice" the worldly where it intersects and interferes with our lives in this mystical Kingdom.  In that way, we each bear a cross, just as He did in His example to us.  The word here is clear:  that whatever we do with our lives, we must keep this mystical Kingdom paramount in our minds, not just for this last day described here, but for every day.  It is our reality, and it is the eventual reality for everyone depending upon whether one chooses to enter it and embrace it or not.  Faith is the key here; it's like a kind of passport.  Can we live and dwell within this mystical reality, or is it so far away from us that this is impossible to us?  The door is open, we have the key and it is faith.  He is the door Himself.  Ultimately, we become a part of His mystical Body, where the eagles are gathered.

But who do you say that I am? You are the Christ, the Son of the living God

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

- Matthew 16:13-20

In yesterday's reading, we read that some Pharisees and Sadducees came testing Jesus, asking Him for a sign from heaven. He told them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." Later, He told His disciples, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." The disciples thought He was upset because they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus said, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" Jesus and the disciples are north of the Sea of Galilee, in Hellenized territory, in what is today called the Golan Heights. The name of the city changed through various periods, but the name we are given in the Gospels indicates the ruler Philip II's dedication of the city to Augustus Caesar, then Roman Emperor. So, in the place the Gospels tells us is named after both the Emperor and the local Roman ruler Philip, Jesus asks His important question. We already know that Herod Antipas, ruling a neighboring province, is afraid that John the Baptist has returned in Jesus' powerful ministry. Here in the city named for the Emperor, Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" My study bible says that this is the greatest question we can ever face.

So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." We note the progression here. First, Jesus asked for the report of whom others say He is. Then, He wants to know who His disciples say He is. In this city of the Emperor, in a region dedicated to a pagan god of desolate places, Peter's confession comes: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Christ means "Anointed One." It is the same as the word "Messiah." My study bible quotes King David, "Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions" (Ps. 45:7). It also quotes Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me" (Isaiah 61:1).

Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Here is perhaps one of the most thrilling revelations in all Scripture: it's the Father who reveals this faith in us, Christ's identity to us. We think of the Father, first Cause and author of all things, as far away from us, perhaps enveloped only in the mystery of silence in our hearts. But truly, we creatures also have the Father in us, working in us, revealing to us, connected in us. We have these words to teach us so. It is evidence of the great love in which we are held. My study bible says, "Jesus' messianic identity and divinity, the mystery hidden from eternity, cannot be truly known by human reason, but only by God's revelation (1 Cor. 12:3)."

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." The name Peter in the Greek is Petros, while the word used for rock is petra. Petros is the masculine form of the word, usually meaning a kind of boulder or stone; petra is feminine and indicates a solid mass of rock or cliff. So there is a play on words here (my study bible says this is so in both Aramaic and Greek). "Gates" in the Old Testament indicates a fortified city. My study bible has a powerful note to this text: "With this faith as the foundation, the gates of Hades, the powers of death, are powerless against her [the Church]. . . . Hence, by shattering the gates, Christ is opening the stronghold of death to set free the souls of righteous men. In all the Gospels, church is mentioned twice by the Lord, here and in 18:17, describing the true Israel whose citizenship is heavenly. She is the body of Christ, the divine-human organism, and to her comes the call of Jesus for the whole of mankind to abide with Him and in Him (Eph. 1:23)."

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Here we have great evidence of God's work in us, tied in to Jesus' revelation that it is the Father who gives us insight into Christ's identity. We have a "divine-human organism" as my study bible put it, that is at work in us and through us. We work in cooperation with God, a kind of inexpressible and unsurpassable partnership of love, Creator and creature. The tie in to it is faith, God's work in us, and its ongoing process, the fruits He asks us to produce. In Peter we have a special authority, says my study bible, but never separated from his confession of faith. It notes, "While Peter was a leader of the disciples and of the early Church, all the apostles were empowered with Christ's authority . . . Further, Peter was not a leader over the others but a leader among them, as seen at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where elders, or presbyters, met with the apostles together as equals." The role of Peter - as expressed through Scripture - should neither be minimized nor confused with the type of power represented in the name Caesarea Philippi.

Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. It is not yet time for revelation to the public of His identity. For now, the Father has revealed it in Peter, spokesman for the rest of the disciples.

We can't really minimize the power, and the immediacy, of today's reading. God's work is at work within us, even the Father is at work within us, and certainly we have the Trinity revealed in today's reading. The Holy Spirit will build the body of this Church. But the authority conferred upon human beings in Christ's words today cements our bond, our Covenant, with Him -- and what a tremendous partnership this is. I think we hardly can realize how great nor how tremendous an investment this is in human beings, creatures designed to receive this Kingdom. Its fullness is something we cannot understand; its power over death an absolute and ultimate power we have yet to fully know. But this is a promise combined with the prayer He taught us that is the prayer to Our Father: "Thy kingdom come" remains our prayer, and it is the great signal of this investment in us, this divine-human organism. Out of love, our Creator holds us in a partnership in this endeavor; we are the ones who are fit to become a part of His kingdom, even sharing in the power that He names, the binding and loosing. So, the Church is to be a part of that Kingdom in the world, even as we await its fullness. Its revelation is within us nevertheless, with us today, in its immediate presence in the work of God among us. It is alive and present to us, in every moment, and fills all things. Let us consider "God with us," Emmanuel, and know the great gift of life, of so much abundant life that the gates of Hades can't prevail against it.

Transfiguration - His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

- Matthew 17:1-13

In Saturday's reading, Jesus prepared His disciples for what is to come, His death and Resurrection. This comes immediately after they have recognized Him as Christ, in the confession of Peter. Peter is upset by Jesus' teaching that He will suffer and die, and he objects strenuously. But Jesus replies, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" He finished by saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." In today's reading, we have a taste of the revelation of that Kingdom, and Christ's place in it.

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves, and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Of course, we start off with the number six -- a kind of testimony to the truth about Jesus. It is also six days after Jesus' revelation about the things that will happen to Him as Son of Man, reminding us of the six days in which God made the world in the book of Genesis. This confession of faith is a new beginning, a new understanding, a new remaking of the world, in some sense -- in the understanding of Christ and His work in the world. He is here to reconcile us, to bring us to the kingdom, to undo the exile that began from the Garden, the separation from God. In Jesus' Transfiguration, we have the elements of a revelation of the divine, of God. The holy light shines from His face and garments, coming from a source in His person. Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, appear with Him on the mountaintop. My study bible points out that Moses represents not only the Law but all who have died, and Elijah not only the prophets, but since he did not experience death, all those who are alive in Christ. There, before the three disciples, the Kingdom is revealed in its true divinity, the light is revealed to them. The light is with them. It is a return from separation and exile, a salvation, reunion, reconciliation.

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Peter responds the only way he knows how: he's suggesting something he understands from the holy festival - the Feast of Tabernacles - the feast of the coming Kingdom, commemorating the time in which the Israelites dwelt in booths or tents on their way to the promised land. As my study bible puts it, the tabernacles are the "symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom." It is a way of appreciating that in himself Peter understands the revelation of the Kingdom before him.

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. My study bible says, "The bright cloud recalls temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present." The Father's voice reveals Jesus' identity, as beloved Son, from the beginning -- the statement is in the present tense. This is too much for the disciples, and all thoughts of building tabernacles or booths disappear, they are simply in great awe and fear. But it is a revelation for their understanding, not the full coming of the Kingdom in all its glory. My study bible also points out the presence of the Trinity here: the Father's voice, Christ revealed as Son, and the glory of the Holy Spirit in the light that illumines Christ. In the figures of Moses and Elijah, there is also the presence of the communion of saints. Yet immediately, there is the Jesus they know, touching them, and telling them, "Arise, and do not be afraid." Everything happens suddenly.

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." This is a revelation only for those who will know and understand the fullness of their faith after the Resurrection. It is a revelation to the disciples amidst the preparation for what is coming in the earthly life of God incarnate. For the moment, His identity must remain a secret.

And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. It was expected, from the prophecy of Malachi (see Mal. 4:5,6), that Elijah would return before the Messiah. But here it is clear that Jesus refers to this prophecy -- and the disciples understand -- as being about John the Baptist, who was "in the spirit and the power of Elijah" rather than Elijah himself. Amid the good news of the revelation of the Messiah, and the return of Elijah, the kingdom among them, is the news of what will happen in the world. Both the one who came in the spirit of Elijah, and Christ, will "suffer at their hands."

So, the Kingdom begins to come through. But, it is clear, that it is up to human beings to accept or reject the coming of this kingdom in their hearts. Jesus' Transfiguration teaches us that the kingdom is among us and with us -- just as He instructed His apostles before their first mission that they are to teach, "the kingdom has come near to you." In Christ, the old effects of sin are transformed, transfigured. He brings us the presence of the kingdom, a reconciliation of the separation from God. He will baptize the world with His spirit so that He may dwell with us, and within us. He will pronounce that man and woman are married in a sacrament making the two one flesh -- rather than the exile from the Garden and its effect that woman would fear man. Jesus teaches us to turn the other cheek, rather than the violence of the world for which Moses' Law of an eye for an eye was meant as a remediating effect. This Transfiguration, a taste of the Kingdom in which everything is reconciled, even the revelation of the communion of the saints, the Old Testament and the New Gospel, is meant to restore us all to wholeness. It is a taste for the disciples of the reality for which they will work, take up His cross themselves, carry on His mission in the world. And that mission continues. It is up to each one of us to manifest it in our own lives, to follow as best we can, to accept in our hearts. How does this message of Transfiguration call you today? To what does that light lead you? How do you see it in your own life and choices today? It is God's love that calls us toward healing, reconciliation, restoration on all levels.

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

When the hour had come, He 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. 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 22:14-30

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' and the disciples' preparations for the Passover feast, and the day of Unleavened Bread. We also read of Judas' choice to betray Jesus to the chief priests and captains, and the money they agreed to pay him. Jesus tells His disciples to begin preparations, and when they ask where, He says, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" It is in this upper room, a room dedicated to prayer or devotion, that today's reading takes place.

When the hour had come, He 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." My study bible says that "the Passover signifies deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt. Now Jesus, with fervent desire, anticipates the great deliverance of humanity from the power of sin, which will be accomplished through His saving death, establishing the New Covenant (v. 20). This Passover meal is the Last Supper, continued in the Eucharist of the Church, which is to be fulfilled in the kingdom of God." This is truly the "Last Supper" for a reason - and it is important that we understand its continuance. It is in some sense, also an eternal supper. It continues with us in the Eucharist, as it is also celebrated in the kingdom of God, as Jesus says. It is "before He suffers" - He is going to His time of deepest trial as a human being who shares life with us, and prepares for His sacrifice with a sense of the continuity of the feast which He is about to initiate.

Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves . . ." My study bible says that "Luke reports the partaking of two cups (vv. 17, 20). Several cups were offered during the Passover meal." The cup which we partake in this feast is shared among all, there is enough for all.

". . . 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." My study bible notes here: "Christ is the Lamb of God who gives Himself as a sacrifice on the Cross for the salvation of the world. Remembrance in its biblical significance is a reliving of the original event. We do this through the sacred act of the Eucharist." In the divine liturgy written by St. John Chrysostom, we can hear the words of this Eucharist: "The Lamb of God is broken and distributed; broken but never divided; ever eaten, yet never consumed, but hallowing those who partake." This body and blood sanctifies and it is never finished, always enough, and unifies, extends and builds the Body of Christ for all who wish to partake.

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!" A note here reads, "With these words Jesus looks ahead to His arrest and suffering." A seemingly odd paradox here -- Jesus makes this sacrifice willingly, knowing that "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain" (John 12:24). But, on the other hand, "woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" There is an important lesson here about redemption and transformation: God uses even the evil in the world to create salvation, the good. From the ancient church, the Eastern church still sings a victory hymn of Easter, proclaiming that Christ "trampled death by death." This does not mean that our choices to betray that good or that kingdom that is within us are in themselves good - far from it! But witnessing, testimony, as Jesus has taught, becomes an opportunity in persecution.

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. My study bible notes, "In view of Jesus' willingness to die for the world, the concern of the disciples over who among them is the greatest is reprehensibly small-minded." Indeed, upon learning of the betrayal, all they wonder is who would do it, and then they go on to wonder who is the greatest among them! We should be grateful that the Gospels teach us all about our world-view in contrast with the tremendous reality of the kingdom that is there among them and in their very presence! Jesus' words themselves do not make the impact upon His disciples that is proper to their message.

And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors." A note says, "Some kings called themselves benefactors, a title which is not without irony considering their tyrannical rule." And of course, this practice continues today among modern dictators and abusers of great material power of every political stripe - the most murderous and brutal declaring their own virtues "for the people" in propaganda as widely as possible. Jesus is instituting an opposite power structure, where virtue is in humility and true service.

"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." A note says, "Jesus Himself is the supreme example of His teaching that greatness consists in humble service to others." Jesus' sacrifice is His great example of service. There is something He is giving up in order to serve the greater good, in more ways than we can know. This central act, His voluntary death on the Cross, will serve as transcendent inspiration, a mystical event that initiates the anointing of all the world with the Holy Spirit, a life of grace, the reality of the kingdom of God always present, the love that is with us in prayer, and so much more than we can be aware of. The Cross serves as an inspiration for the things we may be called to forgo, in order to build and serve that kingdom ourselves.

"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." A note reads: "Jesus is not speaking of two different kingdoms but of one kingdom (v. 29) which will be fully revealed at His glorious return. Then the disciples will sit on thrones (v. 30) occupying honorary positions as reward for sharing Christ's trials (v. 28)." A great place is promised for those who remain true through the trials of Christ, and Jesus shares His kingdom with those who endure. These trials are shared, and so is the kingdom. In His preaching prior to this day, Jesus has prepared His followers for the trials (such as persecutions) that will follow His death and Resurrection. So I believe we must see this as an extension of "continuing with Him in His trials." He gives us the example, and we who choose discipleship follow.

What is sacrifice? How does it work in Christian fellowship? I believe that Jesus as Redeemer changes our very understanding of sacrifice. From my perspective, this sacrifice is an initiation of a kingdom, an anointing for the whole world, a transforming process defeating the slavery of evil and sin. So likewise, in the practice of our faith, we may find ourselves forgoing something we had expected, giving up something we cherished, in order to follow our prayer life and where God leads us. This is not a sacrifice of payment, a retribution for past sin - far from it. It is, on the contrary, our continuing with Him in His trials as He blesses us with that kingdom and makes us co-redeemers, and share in the ministry and anointing which He initiated. With this sacrifice and His words, Christ initiates those whom He loves into this kingdom and their places in it, as they share His works and responsibility and even His example of sacrifice for the good, of service to all. How do these words today reflect in your life? As we await the light in Advent, consider your life and its sacrifices as an example of continuing with Him in His trials. Do we understand the fullness of that shared cup, and what it means in terms of His love for us and the place He gives to us in His work?

Who do you say that I am?

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

- Matthew 16:13-20

In today's reading, we get a surprising glimpse into the insights of faith and its working in us, through the apostle Peter. We recall that in yesterday's reading, Jesus took the disciples to task because they failed to understand his teaching, when he taught them to "beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Today, we begin to understand more deeply the revelations of faith, and what they mean as we go more deeply into its power working in us.

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." My study bible has a note on today's entire passage that reads as follows: Who do you say that I am? (v. 15) is the greatest question we can ever face. You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (v. 16) is Peter's ringing confession -- an insight given to him by the Father (v. 17). Jesus' messianic identity and divinity, the mystery hidden from eternity, cannot be truly known by human reason, but only by God's revelation (1 Cor. 12:3). Christ means 'the Anointed One.' Christ is the Son of the living God, whom the Father has anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). David says, 'Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions' (Ps. 45:7). Isaiah, speaking in the name of the Lord, says, 'The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me' (Is. 61:1)." It's interesting to me that this comes just after the incident in the boat, when the disciples failed to understand what Jesus was talking about when he referred to the "leaven of the Pharisees." In yesterday's reading, Jesus takes them to task for their failure to understand him, and called them "you of little faith." But today in our reading, Peter answers for them when he gives his confession of faith, this revelation or knowledge of Christ's identity.

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." My study bible has a note on this verse: "Peter/rock is a play on the word for rock in Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra). Rock refers not to Peter himself but to the confession of his faith. The true Rock and foundation of the Church is, of course, Christ Himself. The Church rests upon this Rock by her unchanging faith, her confession. With this faith as the foundation, the gates of Hades, the powers of death, are powerless against her. In the Old Testament gates suggest a fortified city (Gen. 22:17; 24:60; Is. 14:31). Hence, by shattering the gates, Christ is opening the stronghold of death to set free the souls of righteous men. In all the Gospels, church is mentioned twice by the Lord, here and in 18:17, describing the true Israel whose citizenship is heavenly. She is the body of Christ, the divine-human organism, and to her comes the call of Jesus for the whole of mankind to abide with Him and in Him (Eph. 1:23)." It's interesting to think about the "gates of Hades" as that which is the power of death - and the fact that it is contrasted with faith. Yesterday we discussed the notion of faith, and I find it particularly profound to understand that the power of death is contrasted with the power of faith and what it creates. I'm not the first person to think about the positive force of faith as a contradiction to all the "no's" we hear in the world, the power of nihilism, of negativity. Faith is the seed that builds something impregnable, that negates the power of death in the world and all it stands for.

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Again, there is a note on this particular verse: "Keys of the kingdom clearly implies a special authority given to Peter himself, but never separated from his confession of faith. While Peter was a leader of the disciples and of the early Church, all the apostles were empowered with Christ's authority (18:18). Further, Peter was not a leader over the others but a leader among them, as seen at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where elders, or presbyters, met with the apostles together as equals. ... Binding and loosing is a reference to the teaching, sacramental, and administrative powers of the Apostles which were transmitted to the bishops of the Church." I certainly cannot claim to have any sort of expertise on the powers of bishops as transmitted by the Apostles. However, I firmly believe in this power that is given through faith, through this confession of Peter. So often, we find in the gospels that Peter speaks for the apostles -- whether it is his over-exuberant embrace as in his exhortation to Jesus to also wash his hands and head at the Last Supper, or his earlier refusal for Jesus to wash his feet in the first place; whether it is his fear of sinking into the water after he demanded that Jesus call him to walk upon it, or the number of incidents that we can name in which Peter seems to express what the others may feel. Peter speaks, I find, not only as a sort of voice for the disciples but, in effect, as a voice for all of us. He expresses humanity in his exuberance of emotion, and also the Church and the "Rock" that Jesus calls him through the powerful transformation wrought by faith, and by the effects of the Spirit (including his transformation from the apostle who denied Jesus three times to the great leader that he was, and his martyrdom by crucifixion). Just as in yesterday's reading, when we understood the apostles to have failed to catch on to what Jesus was teaching, so we understand in Peter our human limitations which are innumerable -- but also he stands in for the greatest of the triumphs of faith which are possible in each of us as well.

Then he commanded his disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ. At this point, they are not to reveal what they know and what they understand to others. But this secret never remains hidden for long. It is too potent, too powerful, it cannot be contained.

So let us return to the theme of faith, as addressed in today's reading in Peter's confession. What is your rock? Upon what do you rest in your faith? This is a growing and dynamic relationship, and we have innumerable aspects of help around us as well to this faith and in this faith. We have the Spirit, and all the angelic presence and saints and those we love who help us to find our way on this journey ourselves. Ultimately, faith is that relationship that we find to the Divine, to Christ. My study bible calls the Church, the body of Christ, "the divine-human organism." This is quite an amazing idea, but it strikes at the heart of his teachings in the gospel of Matthew so far. A divine-human organism is a good way to describe the leaven of the kingdom with which the whole dough was leavened in the parable Jesus taught. Somehow faith works as a kind of "Yes" inside ourselves: "yes" to all sorts of possibilities, "yes" to Jesus' call to Peter to "Come" when he wanted to walk on the water to Christ. It is the power of the gates of Hades that says "No." To what do you give your yes? And then, in faith, there is a great "Yes" as a response when we ask what we can do. The power of faith, this Rock, is a transforming reality that is full of possibilities and "life in abundance." It is something that goes to work within us, as described in the parable of the leaven. The leaven of the Pharisees says "No" - it misses possibilities, it cannot have faith. It denies. But the leaven of the kingdom is something different; and when we add our "yes" to its suggestion of potentials and possibilities, then all the power of Hades cannot prevail against it. So it worked this way with the apostles, with Peter, and the building up of the church. How will it work in us? How does the power of "yes" work in you?