Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me

 

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

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

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

 

- Luke 9:37-50 

 

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

 

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.   My study Bible comments here that, while the disciples' faith was incomplete (Matthew 17:19-20), Christ's rebuke (O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?) is also to the crowds, whose faith was weaker still.  See Mark 9:22-24, in which the father of the boy tearfully pleaded with Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

 

 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  This is the second time that Christ has warned the disciples of what is to come in Jerusalem, at His "decease" (in the Greek, literally, exodus) which the disciples witnessed Him speaking of with Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration, in yesterday's reading, above.  The first time was He warned them about His suffering, death, and Resurrection to come was in the text from Monday's reading.   My study Bible comments that Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion was meant to encourage and strengthen His disciples for the terrifying events they would face, and also to assure them that Christ was not powerless but went to the Cross willingly.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."  My study Bible says that this dispute among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  Jesus points to a little child in order to illustrate the humility necessary to be truly great in His Kingdom.  My study Bible cites Theophylact, who attributes John's comment to regret, his conscience having been pricked by what Christ said about the least and the great.  But St. Ambrose, on the other hand, sees John as expecting full obedience to accompany such expectations.  In either interpretation, my study Bible notes, Christ's response shows that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples.  Theophylact writes, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples."  See also Numbers 11:24-30.  On those using Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23; Acts 19:13-16.

Without humility we have no real service in the kingdom of God.  Jesus sets a little child next to Him as an example of the "least of these" in the Church, or who will come to the disciples in their future missionary and shepherding duties for the Church.  While they seemingly expect the Kingdom to appear imminently, as they have been twice told by Christ that He will be betrayed and suffer, indicating the first time (see Monday's reading), that on the third day He will rise again.  Let us not forget, we ended Monday's reading with Jesus telling them, "But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."   So we may understand their dispute as to who will be the greatest as related to places in this earthly kingdom they believed the Messiah would bring, as this was the popular expectation among the people.  But this becomes a teaching opportunity for Christ, as in the ancient world, rank and hierarchy were absolute.  To be great was to boast of one's power, even ruthlessness in using that power, and the capacity to crush one's enemies.  This was typical of the earthly kingdoms of Christ's time.  In a sort of public relations campaign, Caesar bragged that he had killed a million Gauls.  This was considered a testimony to greatness.  In fact, that message was the subject of one of the emperor's "gospels" (good news), the word at the time for such proclamations.  But Christ here sets His Kingdom on a completely different trajectory, and especially indicates what leadership -- greatness -- should look like in His Church.  Here, He begins to prepare His disciples for the time when He will not be humanly present among them as Jesus, and they will be the ones to lead and carry the Church into the world.  From His teaching here on greatness, we can trace the understanding in the Christian tradition of the importance of hospitality, of caring for the "least of these" and those less fortunate among us.  In fact, for the desert monastics, the tradition of hospitality, of welcoming the stranger, would take priority even over prayer if there was a knock at the door.  It's important to understand Christ's stress on humility, as it is the platform, foundation, and gateway to all of the Christian virtues.   He models for us what we understand as graciousness, gentleness -- and this becomes a foundation for civilization.  For our part, let us be grateful for His legacy to us.  

Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you

Jesus heals the epileptic boy; Serbia, 14th century.  Decani Monastery

 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

- Matthew 17:14-21

Yesterday we read that after six days following Peter's confession of faith, and Jesus' subsequent prophesy of His Passion, death, and Resurrection (see this reading, and this one), 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.

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  My study bible says that sickness in Scripture is frequently connected to demonic activity.  This father, by kneeling down to Christ, shows humility.  But he lacks faith.  The disciples also lacked faith, but Chris rebukes the man for placing the blame on the disciples -- as it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.   Essentially, my study bible points out, Jesus defends His disciples in front of the multitudes, but later rebukes them privately (in the verses that follow), thereby teaching us that we should first correct people in private (see 18:15-17).

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."   According to St. John Chrysostom, my study bible reports, this rebuke is directed at the nine disciples who could not cast out the demon, whereas "the pillars" of faith -- Peter, James, and John (Galatians 2:9) -- are not included in this rebuke, as they had been on the mountain with Christ at the Transfiguration (see yesterday's reading, above).   This kind, my study bible says, refers to all powers of darkness, and not only those that cause a particular illness.  The banishment of demons, it says, requires faith, prayer, and fasting, for there is no healing and no victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Beginning with the Didache (the oldest teaching document of the Church), it has been taught that both the person in need of healing and the person performing the healing must believe, pray, and fast.  While it is not recorded in the history of the Church that a saint moved a mountain, this promise is an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  Theophan writes, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

Jesus tells the disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."  Surely to modern ears (and to the hearers in other, past generations) this must sound a little strange.  Does it mean we simply have to convince ourselves that something is absolutely true, and then it will happen?  Do we have to just believe that God will give everything to us that we desire, if only we have enough faith?  None of these conclusions really makes any sense at all, so we must take the issue of faith in its context.  What does it really mean to have faith?  As we remarked upon in yesterday's reading and commentary, we recall Jesus' words when He was told that His mother and brothers awaited Him:  "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (12:50).   Jesus' faith encompasses not merely a belief system, or a set of abstract values we ascribe to, or even a kind of oath of belief in something.  Faith is this active pursuit of living the will of God, of seeking to know that will and to do it.   It is the fullness of a way of life, a way of being and living in this world.  It is an experience of participation in something greater than ourselves.  As we have often noted on this blog, the word for faith in the Greek of the Gospels really means "trust."  Trust is at its root.  We trust in something, and we become a part of that greater thing through trust.  In this act of trusting, we participate in a personal relationship that extends to all those who share in the same act of faith, that experience and ongoing trust.  Trust implies a letting go at the same time, because to trust in a particular relationship, to trust oneself to another person (or Persons) is really to put your life in their hands.  It is a structure of dependency, in the sense that we release control.  When I put my trust and my faith in God, then I am relinquishing the idea that somehow I have total control over everything; instead, I am going to seek God's will and trust that God knows better than I do what is, in fact, good for me.  I am going to trust in the good, in God who is love.  And I am going to trust that through this faith, God will lead me into what is truly love, what is truly good -- and that the light of grace can also shine through my life and my growth in that faith.  So powerful then is that faith that Jesus can tell us that "if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."   That is, if we are living this wholistic life of trust and personal communion with God, in Christ, and in the communion of saints, what we are led to will be possible for us.  So powerful is that kind of trust, this kind of faith, that all we need of it is that which equals a tiny grain of mustard seed for the impossible to be possible.  It is precisely because faith creates this kind of communion that such things may manifest, but it is this life of trust -- seeking to know and to live the will of God -- that makes it possible, that gives that kind of life to us and within us.  In effect, through faith, we may participate in grace, in the personal life of intimacy with God that Jesus invites us into.  He teaches regarding the difficulty of healing the boy that "this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."   Within the context of faith that we have discussed, prayer and fasting are two practices of our faith that help us to deepen this active life of trust.  With prayer and fasting we make more manifest our faith through acts of the body; our very bodies created of matter in this world become part of our participation in the life of faith and of discipleship.  We discipline the body through fasting to be mindful of God, we incorporate prayer into our daily lives so that our minds, voices, and hearts are focused upon the One in whom we place our trust and our lives.  These practices enable us to more deeply live our faith and to root our trust in the place where it needs to be.  We become more deeply mindful of our faith through these practices, giving time and effort and even sacrifice for it, on various levels of experience and being in this world.  Let us consider the "all in all" experience of our faith and how we seek to live it.  Faith is not just an intellectual set of values we ascribe to, separate from the rest of ourselves.  It is participation in relationship.  It is trust in Someone, just as we place trust in other relationships such as family, spouse, children, friends, community, and others.  We entrust ourselves to God to encompass all of our lives, not as a separate compartment, but in a way that entrusts all of it so that we are guided through this life in that trust, and live in that security of faith as our deepest anchor, our identity, our place of first and last resort.  In this way we may move mountains when called upon to do so.  In the end, today's reading is really all about love:  there is a young child who is so afflicted that he is tossed into the fire, into water, and his desperate father seeks somehow to heal and to protect him.  Jesus teaches us about faith in God who is love to bring about healing and protection, to cement our lives in that love which roots the world and invites us into a yet deeper participation and trust.