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.

 

 

 

You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 10:32–45 

 

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

 

  Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  This is the third time Christ predicts His Passion to the disciples.  Now they are clearly going to Jerusalem, already in Judea and on the road going up to the Holy City.  The disciples are amazed because they know the hostility of the religious leaders in Jerusalem which Jesus has so far avoided, and they are afraid.  These repeated predictions of Christ's Passion were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they will face there, my study Bible says.  It adds that it also confirms that Christ was going to His death of His own will and choosing.  We must remark upon the detail that Jesus gives them; they are prepared for all the humiliation and rejection He will face. 

 

 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may it, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  My study Bible calls this quest for temporal power and glory unfitting for a disciple, and it shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  It seems quite likely that James and John (and their mother, as reported in St. Matthew's Gospel) expect that this travel to Jerusalem will culminate in Jesus the Messiah establishing a worldly kingdom for Himself.  Thus they ask for the highest places in that kingdom they imagine, on His right and on His left, and speak of a worldly glory.  My study Bible notes that Christ calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  It explains that the Cross is a cup because He drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is a baptism, for He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  Christ's prophecy of John and James participating in this same cup and baptism is a prediction of the life of persecution of martyrdom they would lead after Pentecost.  St. James will become the first to be martyred among the apostles (Acts 12:1-2), and St. John will go on to a long life of persecution and exile in the early Church, giving us one Gospel, three Epistles, and the Revelation.  My study Bible also explains that Christ declaring that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give does not mean that He lacks authority.  It means, instead, that they are not His to give arbitrarily.  Instead, He will give them to those for whom God has prepared them.  Moreover, according to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, no one could possibly occupy such a position.  Regarding the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, the icons of the Church universally show the Virgin Mary (the most blessed among women; Luke 1:28) and St. John the Baptist (the greatest born of women; Matthew 11:11) holding these places.  

 

  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  This is another repeated emphasis by Christ on what constitutes greatness in His Church and the Kingdom, and in particular the use of worldly power for those who will become responsible for His flock.  See also the readings from Monday and Tuesday.  For many is an Aramaic expression which means "for all."

 

The transformation (or perhaps we should say transfiguration/metamorphosis) of Sts. James and John Zebedee is a remarkable illustration of the power of the Holy Spirit and the effects of Pentecost that will manifest in the Church after Christ's Ascension.  They will go from the two who request Christ's highest places in what they imagine will be a popularly-expected worldly kingdom presided over by the Messiah, to the two great apostles who will suffer and sacrifice so much for the Church.  St. Mark tells us that Christ gave them the name "Sons of Thunder"  (Mark 3:17), and the truth of this name is borne out in their subsequent histories in the early Church.  Thunder would be the apt description of the effects of their own voices for Christ and evangelization.  St. James was a powerful (and perhaps even "fiery") orator for the Church, hence the first target of the wrath of Herod Agrippa against the early Christian movement.  St. John, of course, became a prolific spokesman in that he produced so much of the word we are given in the New Testament.  His Gospel, Epistles, and the Revelation remain for us among the most powerful inspired Scripture in existence, to this day studied, read, debated, and treasured in the Church among the faithful.  So much of St. John's writing determines what we understands about Jesus, and in particular his Gospel is the Gospel of love, and it is his words that teach us that God is love (1 John 4:8).  These men would truly go on to the cup and baptism of Christ, and lives of great sacrifice as well as great service.  We can understand the fulfillment of the name given to them by Christ in their subsequent histories in the Church, the "thunder" of their advocacy of the gospel reaching far and wide and even into today's world through the widespread dissemination of the New Testament through the internet and the world.  So we are given two great examples in today's reading, both of the power of the Spirit and Christ's ministry, and the transformational power we find in the Church, and which continues to create saints -- great and small -- today.  It is this power evident in these men that works to help all of us today to manifest the fruits of the Spirit, and to rely upon the power of God even to work through our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).

 

 

 

 

Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?

 

 Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.  Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."  And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.  Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  See how many things they testify against You!"  But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled. 

 

Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.  And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.  Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.  But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"  For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.  

 

- Mark 15:1–11 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Peter was below in the courtyard of the high priest, while Jesus was on trial inside the home, one of the servant girls of the high priest came.  And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, "You also were with Jesus of Nazareth."  But he denied it, saying, "I neither know nor understand what you are saying."  And he went out on the porch, and a rooster crowed.  And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, "This is one of them."  But he denied it again.  And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, "Surely you are one of them; for you are a Galilean, and your speech shows it."  Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!"  A second time the rooster crowed.  Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  And when he thought about it, he wept.

 

 Immediately, in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.  My study Bible tells us that while the Jewish religious law dictated the death penalty for blasphemers (Leviticus 24:16), of which the chief priests have convicted Jesus in an illegal night trial, under Roman occupation the Jews were prohibited form carrying out an execution.  So therefore, they must get a sentence issued by Pilate, the Roman governor.  

 

 Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."  Pilate's question comes from the political charges that have been made against Jesus.  Pilate would not execute a person over religious matters, so therefore the chief priests have come up with a political crime that would guarantee the death penalty.  They accused Jesus of making Himself an earthly king, which would be treason against Caesar (see John 19:7-12).  

 

 And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.  Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  See how many things they testify against You!"  But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.  My study Bible says that Christ's silence (He answered nothing) fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7, in which the Messiah is portrayed as silent while He is led "as a sheep to the slaughter."

 

 Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.  And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.  Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.  But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"  For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.  Pilate is hoping to release Jesus, as he knows He is innocent (he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy; see also Mark 15:14; John 18:38, 19:4-6).  Therefore, he turns to the crowd for support, hoping they will ask for Jesus despite the accusation of the chief priests.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

 

In yet another aspect of the "upside down" nature of the events surrounding Jesus' Crucifixion, my study Bible has a note regarding Barabbas.  It says that the name Barabbas means "son of the father."  But we know that Jesus is the true Son of the Father.  Ironically, therefore, these crowds are given a choice between one Son of the Father and the other.  As the chief priests influence the crowds to choose Barabbas, so they also indicate to which father they belong -- the devil (John 8:44).  This illustrates for us perhaps the power of choosing, and unintended consequences for decisions we make that may not be central to a bad outcome or choice (such as the condemnation and Crucifixion of Christ), and yet nonetheless we participate in a secondary way, through the repercussions generated that affect others.  This crowd is not responsible for trying Jesus in an overnight (and therefore illegal) trial; they're not responsible for the many false witnesses who testified against Jesus.  They're not members of the Sanhedrin, nor are they scribes or elders.  But they are stirred up by the chief priests, and manipulated in a way so as to also participate in the same choices and "energies" of this bad act intended against Christ.  It illustrates for us how even our most small and tangential-seeming choices have meaning, for we choose whether we will participate in what ostensibly serves the good, or what is not good.  Jesus teaches us to be watchful, and to pray always, and such moments of decision are reasons for that admonition.  See Mark 13:37; 14:38.  In the illustration of the name of Barabbas, at this time when Jesus is on trial before Pilate, we have what is possibly a unique example of what heresy is.  For a heresy is something which is not necessarily obviously a lie.  As Jesus gives us the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the tares are a type of weed that closely resembles wheat, and they grow side-by-side, so that it takes discernment to know the difference, and one can't necessarily be taken out without disturbing the other.  So heresy is something that seems to resemble the truth, but it is counterfeit in one way or another, and this is why we need watchfulness, and the knowledge the discern the truth.  It is why the Church has historically held Councils to deliberate and identify heresy, and to give us the truth of Christ and identify for us what is false.  While this crowd may be thinking they are doing something correct by following the chief priests, or perhaps they simply are there to be roused one way or another at the spectacle of this trial before Pilate, Barabbas is a counterfeit hero -- one who claims boldness and daring in seeking to deliver the people from the Romans.  But it is Jesus who is the true Deliverer, and who offers the true salvation for Israel and for all people; He is the Savior.  If we look closely in our lives, we also may be able to identify moments in which things seem upside down, what is taken as true in fact is false, skillful lies and half-truths serving the opposite of the good.  Let us therefore take Christ's advice to be watchful always, and to learn and grow in our faith so that we are aware of what we are about, and not prey for skillful manipulators with their own agendas.  Let us not just follow the crowds, but always follow our Lord.  Pilate offers to release Jesus, but the crowd turns him down.  Let us consider what we choose, and whom we follow, at all times. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will

 

 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.  And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).  And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who has been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done?  I have found no reason for death in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified.  And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

 

- Luke 23:13–25 

 

Yesterday we read that the whole multitude of the religious leaders who seized at night and held Him for questioning the next morning arose and led Him to Pilate.  And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."  Then Pilate asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered him and said, "It is as you say."  So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man."  But they were the more fierce, saying, "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place."  When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.  And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at this time.  Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.  Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.  And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.  Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.  That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.

 

  Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people.  And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).  And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who has been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder.  Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them.  But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!"  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done?  I have found no reason for death in Him.  I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."  But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified.  And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.  So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested.  And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.  My study Bible notes of today's passage that three times Pilate attempts to release Jesus (verses 16, 20, 22), and three times the chief priest the rulers incite the people to demand He be put to death.  In the end, these men demand the release of a rebel like themselves.  Barabbas, my study Bible continues, means "son of the father" and indicates to which father these rulers belong -- the devil (John 8:44).  

 

Over the course of the past several readings, we have spoken of the darkness that is present, to which Jesus referred at His arrest, when He said, "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Monday's reading).  In today's reading, the darkness is still present.  There are those who vehemently hurl false accusations against Jesus: the chief priests, rulers, and the people they've stirred up to shout against Him.  But into this darkness we start to get hints of exposure, of light shining through to expose the lies.  Three times Pilate tries to let Him go, saying he's found no fault in Jesus worthy of death.  Even Herod found no fault in the man, said Pilate.  Pilate -- a shrewd and, in a sense, disinterested administrator -- has as his top priority one thing:  to keep the peace, so that he keeps his head, so to speak, and his position as governor.  This was the difficult job of the Roman governor of Judea.  But the darkness has another evil plan in mind, and the leaders and the people demand instead the release of Barabbas.  Barabbas, as my study Bible points out, means "son of the father."  And so, for those who read the Scriptures and know them, Jesus has already pronounced who the father of the darkness is, for he is the same as the father of lies.  In an earlier encounter with these men, the religious leaders who seek to kill Him, as reported in St. John's Gospel, Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God" (John 8:42-47).  The darkness is present, of that there is no doubt.  It's present in the murderer, Barabbas, whom they prefer.  It's present in the lies they tell.  And it's present spiritually in the reality of the one who is the father of lies.  But here, the light shines also, because the darkness is exposed in Barabbas' name and in what he's done, in the truth obvious even to Pilate and Herod about Jesus, in the open preference for a murderer and rebel to Jesus the Christ.  If we look around us in life, with our eyes opened, we may also find hints of exposure like this when we're caught in evil circumstances, for the light can't stay hidden, and evil is exposed through its own arrogance and ignorance.  The hints are all here to what is really going on.  They're there for those who are willing to see them, named and identified:  murder, lies, deceit, false accusation.  They are all there in the open for those who will see.  For again, in St. John's Gospel, Jesus says to Nicodemus, "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed" (John 3:20).  But in St. Luke's Gospel, He also affirms, "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him" Luke 8:17-18).  Even in the midst of deception, the truth of these men is exposed, the lies understood, the murder in their hearts revealed.  And even what they seem to have will be taken from them.  Let us, even today, keep our full trust in the light, and remember what we're to be about as His followers.  Will we be the ones who go along with the lies, or those who remain in the truth?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But this is your hour, and the power of darkness

 

 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

 

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

 

- Luke 22:52–62 

 

On Saturday, we read that coming out from the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation." And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before  them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.

 

  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."   For our understanding of darkness in this context, my study Bible refers us to John 3:19-21; 13:30.  In these contexts, we observe that the power of darkness is that which resists the light, the true light that has come into the world, Jesus Christ, who is Light of Light (Nicene Creed).

 

 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."   My study Bible comments on the fact that it is a girl who is the first to test Peter.  In patristic understanding, this is an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve in Genesis 3:6.  Our fallen state, it notes, is overcome in Christ when women are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (see Luke 24:1-10).  

 

 And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.  My study Bible notes that Peter is so overcome with fear that neither Christ's prediction (Luke 22:34) nor the crowing of the rooster calls him to repentance.  Only the gaze of the Lord causes Peter to weep bitterly.  St. Ambrose of Milan is quoted, who says that, nonetheless, "through tears, what cannot be defended can be purged, for tears wash away the offense which is shameful to confess out loud." 

 

What do we do when we have done something that seems unforgivable -- and most of all, unforgivable to ourselves?   Just prior to Christ's seizure by the authorities, He said to Peter, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail . . .."  But Peter responded to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  See Luke 22:31-34.  But here, even before a servant girl, the first to spot Peter as a follower of Christ, he wavers and caves to his fears, denying that he was a disciple.  A man then affirms that he was one of them, and Peter denies it again.  Finally, another affirms that it must be so, due to Peter's Galilean accent he recognizes, Jesus' disciples having followed Him from Galilee.  It's only the gaze of Christ that causes Peter to come to himself, and to realize what he has done.  He hasn't simply denied Christ, he has also betrayed himself in so doing.  We can only imagine what it is to confidently predict what steadfast people we are, how we will uphold our values or principles, we will always be loyal and never waver -- and then, just like that, we are tested and we fail even in our own eyes.  No wonder Peter went out and wept bitterly.  Not only has Peter failed himself and, more importantly, His Lord, Peter's overconfidence came in the face of Christ's prophecy to him.  When we look at this story this way, we see that Christ, of course, was not trying to bring Peter down or even to criticize him, but to forewarn him of the test and temptation to come, to solemnly warn him of his own weaknesses and his need to be conscious of them.  How many of us could confess to making similar mistakes in our lives, only to have to come to terms with how we have come up short?  Certainly this author can say so.  But for St. Peter, for myself, and one may dare say for all, Christ is the answer to our bitter failures and shortcomings.  For Jesus, as He indeed indicated, still wants St. Peter for his mission.  Even if we fail in our own eyes, and in the eyes of the world, our disappointment is only really tempered through Christ, who has a place for us, a plan, a way to go forward.  That means is through repentance, through turning back to Christ through all things, and accepting the reality He offers us.  That is, just as in this specific case we're given in the Gospels with St. Peter, we need to accept His judgment instead of our own -- even on ourselves as well.  Jesus also predicts to Peter, ". . . when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  There is a very important lesson here about our faith, about confidence in ourselves, about our own judgment and estimation of our own potential weaknesses.  But most of all, it also tells us about temptation, for the devil who wanted to sift Peter as wheat apparently helped bring along the means of the failure of his faith, a way to trip him up in his weakness.  But with Christ, such stumbling blocks become opportunities for growth and for the strengthening of our faith, in that we become more aware of who we are, grow in helpful knowledge of our weaknesses, and may always turn and return to Him in repentance so that He shows us the way for us to the future and a better destiny and life.  St. Peter, of course, went on to have remarkable faith, going to his martyrdom for Christ, finally true to his word.  But before that he became a pillar of the Church, part of the foundation as the "rock" that Jesus named him, giving to us in turn a faith against which the gates of hades could not prevail (Matthew 16:18).  Yesterday, across the world and across many denominations, was the Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.  Let us be truly grateful for the foundation they gave us, and follow in their footsteps as faithful to Christ.  For we all may be tested by the power of darkness, but with Christ it shall never prevail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover

 

 And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him. 

 

 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  

 

Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "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?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

 

- Luke 21:37-22:13 

 

Yesterday we read that, following His prophesies of destruction to come in Jerusalem, and of the end of the age, Jesus spoke to the disciples a parable:  "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.  When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.  For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.  Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

 

  And in the daytime He was teaching in the temple, but at night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.  Then early in the morning all the people came to Him in the temple to hear Him.   During this Passover season, in the final week of Christ's earthly life, He lives as another pilgrim to Jerusalem, staying on the mountain called Olivet.  The setting is here for what will happen.  We note His popularity as all the people come gladly to the temple to hear Him.   

 

  Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.  My study Bible comments that the Passover (Greek Πασχα/Pascha) is the celebration of the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt and the deliverance of God's people from bondage (Exodus 12 - 14).  In remembrance of this, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered, and the Jews would partake of it with unleavened bread, as was eaten at the first Passover.  My study Bible says this is a prefiguration of Christ's Passion, in which the only-begotten Son of God is slain in order to deliver His people from their bondage to sin and death, and then is raised to lead them into the eternal Kingdom.  So, therefore, Pascha is the primary term by which the Orthodox and many others refer to the death and Resurrection of Christ, known in the West as Easter.  Note also how this passage explains that the religious leaders (the chief priests and scribes) fear the people due to Christ's popularity among them.

 

 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.  My study Bible explains that Satan does not enter person except by that person's consent.  The reason Satan chose Judas, it says, and none of the others, is because Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, and the others did not.  Luke's mention of Judas as numbered among the twelve gives an emphasis to the depth of the betrayal and shows that religious position is worthless if not accompanied by faith and virtue.  Once again, there is an emphasis on the popularity of Jesus.  His betrayal and seizure must happen in the absence of the multitude.  

 

 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.  And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."  So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"  And He said to them, "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?"'  Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."  So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.  Once again, my study Bible notes the use of the term Pascha, or Passover.  It notes that this word can refer to the original event itself, or the celebration of that event, or the food that is eaten, or even the lamb that is slain.  According to patristic commentary, Peter represents zeal and John represents spiritual understanding, the virtues with which we all are to partake of the Lord's Supper.    We note again, as we did with the disciples preparations for Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the careful and deliberate preparations for this meal Jesus gives to the disciples.  

 

As today is celebrated the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist in many Christian denominations across the world, it is perhaps fitting for us to consider the Baptist's testimony to Christ, and the role he played in Christ's ministry, for this reading involving the preparations for the Passover Supper, and the celebration of the Passover in Jerusalem at this last week of Christ's earthly human life.   It was John the Baptist who proclaimed, in introducing his own disciples to Jesus, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  In other words, John's role as a prophet is fulfilled in this prophesy of Christ as the Passover Lamb, who will be slain on the Cross, and in so doing, take away the sin of the world.  The Passover lamb was an offering in commemoration of God's liberation and freedom from slavery for the people of God; that is, Israel.  As St. Paul writes, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7).  In the first Passover, all those with the blood of the Passover lamb on the doorpost of their homes were freed to become Israel, the people of God.  Christ is our Passover Lamb whose blood unites us into one people, and liberates us from slavery to sin.  For as our Passover Lamb, with His voluntary sacrifice, He will be the One who judges, the One who sets free, the One with the power to forgive sins, so that we may dwell in Him and in His name.  Moreover, in the tradition of the Orthodox Church, St. John the Baptist also preceded Christ into hades, and preached His coming to the souls there, where, after He was slain and before His Resurrection, He would trample on the power of the devil and death, another essential aspect of liberation in His role as Passover Lamb.  This is the power of our Passover Lamb who unites us into one people and gives us freedom.  In the Revelation, St. John the Theologian (the same St. John who was Christ's disciple, and gave us one Gospel and three Epistles) writes of a Lamb standing, as if slain, in the midst of the throne of heaven (see Revelation 5:6).  This is a clear reference to Christ our Passover, triumphant and in authority over the cosmos.  Christ is our Passover, not because He had to "pay" a debt, but because He takes His place as the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) for our liberation, for His authority to forgive sins and free us from the devil and death.  Ultimately the Cross is the great sign of victory for precisely this reason, for the power of the devil is debt and slavery to sin, and Christ is the One who holds all of it in His hand and has the power to forgive and to set free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go

 

 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are one of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are are saying1"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly. 

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?'  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.  

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."

 

- Luke 22:54–69 

 

Yesterday, we read that, coming out from the Passover Supper (the Last Supper), Jesus went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."   

 

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  My study Bible notes that it is a girl who is the first to test Peter; it teaches us that she is an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  The Gospel shows us that our fallen state is overcome in Christ when it is women who are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  

But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are one of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are are saying1"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.  Peter is so overcome with fear, my study Bible says, that neither Christ's prediction (verse 34) nor the crowing of the rooster calls him to repentance.  It's only the Lord's gaze that finally causes him to weep bitterly.  St. Ambrose of Milan is quoted as saying of this passage that, nevertheless, "through tears, what cannot be defended can be purged, for tears wash away the offense which is shameful to confess out loud."

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?'  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.  Our Lord as prisoner is humiliated, ridiculed, abused, in a brutish way.  But we must consider how He condescended to experience what we may experience in our lives.  

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."  My study Bible comments here that Jesus asked many questions of the Jewish leaders which they refused to answer because doing so would have meant confessing Him as the Christ (Luke 20:4-7; Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 3:4).  His final statement here is a declaration that He is equal with God. 

Let us compare the two responses of Peter and Jesus in today's reading.  St. Peter's expression is to deny that he is a follower of Christ.  In that sense, it's a negative expression, a denial of something.  Three times people identify him as a follower or disciple of Christ, and three times he denies that this is the truth.  "Woman, I do not know Him."  In a sense, this is a refusal to speak, to confess that he is a follower of Christ.  Then we can turn to Jesus who also refuses to speak.  In the first case, He is mocked and beaten by the soldiers.  They tie a blindfold on Him, strike Him across the face, and demand that He prophesy who hit Him.   He is treated to all manner of blasphemy, but He doesn't say a word (Isaiah 42:2).  Then when He is questioned by the religious leaders as to whether or not He is the Christ, He already knows that to answer them is futile.  He says, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go."  But then, He knows where He is going and what is going to happen, telling them only, "Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."  In a sense, with this last statement, He's answering their questions by declaring Himself, but not answering them directly as they desire.  Son of Man is a title for a messianic figure in the Book of Daniel, the right hand of the power of God is in the position of power with God.  In St. Peter's case, he is denying who he is as a member of Christ's followers, with his strong and vehement denials, as predicted by Christ.  In Jesus' case, He doesn't speak where it will do Him no good, and neither will it do any good to those to whom He might speak.  Indeed, revealing Himself to those who scoff or mock or beat Him would only condemn those people more for their refusal to hear.  It is Jesus who teaches us, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Matthew 7:6).  Finally, He will not answer the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, who bring Him in to trial.  As He said at His arrest, "When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (see yesterday's reading, above).  But here they ask Him again, although they have no intention -- and perhaps no capability at this stage -- of believing His answer, of responding to Him, or of letting Him go.  This truth about them He will declare Himself, and finally, He will make a statement about where He knows He is going, and whom He knows He is and the role He will assume.  Jesus' denial to speak contrasts with Peter in that Jesus is absolutely true to Himself, to the One whom He is in the sight of God the Father.  Peter is denying himself by denying Christ; he isn't being true to the identity he's been called to assume by Christ.  Both do not answer in the ways their interrogators desire them to, but one denies the truth, and the other embodies the truth in all things and through all things.  What these poignant and terrible scenes teach us is all about how to comport ourselves as Christians, as His followers.  There will be proper times to speak and proper times not to speak -- but in all cases, our personal integrity is the truth of Christ that we can live, even through the worst of things we may experience.  We should not get caught up in formalities, but rather rely on our faith to teach us and guide us through all difficulties properly.  There is a deeply powerful moment written into this account in Luke, and that is also a moment of 'not speaking.'   We're told that the Lord turned and looked at Peter just as the rooster crowed.  How many volumes of truth does the Lord's gaze tell to Peter, and even to all of us who will one day also stand before that gaze ourselves?  He doesn't need to say a word, for He has already foretold what Peter would do, and Peter is at once brought back to himself, and to the truth of what he's doing -- even to his failure to hold to his promise that he was willing to go to prison and to die with him (Luke 22:33).  St. Peter weeps bitterly in repentance after Christ's look brings all things back to his remembrance.  Let us remember the power in silence, in a look, in a refusal to speak, even in an answer that's not really an answer someone wants to demand from us.  Let us remember the power of truth in all things, and the One who is the truth that guides us in our responses to the world, our identities and loyalties to Him first of all.

You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish

 

 Then many of Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

- John 11:45-54 

 

In yesterday's reading we read of the completion of Christ's seventh and final sign in the Gospel of John, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  At this point in the story, Jesus had not yet come into the town of Bethany where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

 Then many of Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.   Once again we note that the term the Jews in John's Gospel usually indicates the religious leadership.  In this case, it indicates those from families in Jerusalem, likely connected to the Jewish ruling classes (such as the Pharisees mentioned here), who come to mourn Lazarus' death with Martha and Mary (see yesterday's reading, above).  On today's entire reading, my study Bible has a single note.  It explains to us that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.  It notes that the failings or even wickedness of the officeholder do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Here, Caiaphas means only that the death of Jesus Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  But God's meaning is something entirely different, that all people will be saved through the death of the Son. 

 

The "unwittingly prophetic" plays a significant role in the Gospels, in the story of Jesus Christ, particularly at these moments of high tension or crisis.  Here in today's reading is perhaps the most important example, when Caiaphas, acting as high priest, makes this statement in which he intends one meaning but God speaks through him with another.    In saying that "it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish," the Christian perspective recognizes the clear message of Jesus Christ as Savior.  He will die for all, as He has said.  In John's chapter 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:14-17).  This has been the clear message of Christ's teaching about Himself, and will become more explicit as the story of Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection unfolds, and in the whole history of the Church.  There are other examples of what we can call unwitting prophecies, such as in our recent reading when Christ's disciple Thomas said of Jesus' going to Lazarus who was dying, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (see this reading).  Thomas meant this statement with one understanding which was his at the time, but it is a prophecy of the lives of martyrdom that the disciples would go on to lead.  There is yet another profound example to come in the events of Christ's Passion, found in Matthew's Gospel, and that is when the people shout at Christ's Crucifixion.  That happens as Pilate washes his hands before the crowd demanding Jesus' death and declares, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it."  We're told that all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Whatever way this can be read or intended (or twisted to justify the sinful persecution of Jewish people), it is seen in the eyes of the Church as not a curse but an unwitting blessing, for it is the blood of Christ that is our means of salvation, as shown when so many in Jerusalem would come to repentance and faith as on the day of Pentecost when thousands were baptized (Acts 2:41).  The story of Jesus is filled with paradox; perhaps the greatest paradox of all is the one we continue to ponder:  why does the means of our salvation happen through the events of Christ's Passion and Holy Week?  But through these events, which are effectively begun through the raising of Lazarus and the meeting of the Sanhedrin in today's reading, God will work to bring salvation to the world and the power of redemption to humanity -- and this is indeed a great paradox.  At such a point of crisis we find God intervenes in the most extraordinary ways, and this is what we should take with us from today's reading.  For even in the midst of this darkest of plotting against Christ the Savior, prophesy is at work, and grace is at work, and we must say that God is in this sense present.  Let us accept this profound paradox as we move ahead into the story to come through John's Gospel.  

 

 

 

 

 

No man ever spoke like this Man!

 

 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. 

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee." 

 

- John 7:37-52 

 

 In our current reading, Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn harvest festival that commemorates the time Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, dwelling in tents or "tabernacles."  Yesterdays we read that, 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'?"  

 

  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  The last day, that great day of the feast was the eight day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  My study Bible notes that the ceremony of the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam (in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck) gives the context to Christ's words here, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  The living water is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and also the new life that accompanies this gift.

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.   My study Bible says that the Prophet is a reference to the expected Messiah, the Savior whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).   Bethlehem was the town from which the Christ was expected to come (Micah 5:2).  

 

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers of the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  My study Bible comments here that the chief priests had sent officers of the temple to arrest Jesus in the middle of the Feast (verse 32).  By the time the last day of the Feast had arrived, no arrest had been made.  These officers had been converted by Christ's teaching.  My study Bible says that, according to St. John Chrysostom, the Pharisees and scribes who had "witnessed the miracles and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from either.  But these officers, on the other hand, although they could not claim any of this learning, were "captivated by a single sermon."  When the mind is open, "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."   We recall from chapter 3 that Nicodemus had spoken with Jesus (John 3:1-21) and he had increased in faith.  But his defense of Christ, according to my study Bible, is still based on our law and is not yet a public profession of faith (see John 19:38-39).  According to the law, Jesus must be given a hearing before He can be judged (Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 1:15-17).  When the Pharisees claim that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee they're showing what my study Bible calls their blind hatred and ignorance of the Scriptures.  The prophet Jonah came from Galilee, from a town called Gath Hepher, which was only three miles from Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25).

If we look carefully, we see that John's Gospel puts a great deal of emphasis on the signs of divinity in Christ.  Of course this is clear in the seven great "signs" of healing and other miracles in the Gospel.  But with the spirituality of this Gospel, this goes much further.  In chapter 6, Jesus' teachings which illumine the Eucharist come to the fore.  The sacramental eating of His body and blood becomes a point of great contention, losing Him disciples who no longer wish to follow Him, and giving consternation to the religious leaders.  But the quality of the spiritual reality that is conveyed through our conventional experience of life remains highly illumined in all kinds of ways in this particular Gospel, a characteristic we could perhaps call Johannine.  That is, the divinity of Christ which is imbued in all His earthly life shines through.  One example in today's reading comes in the form of the response by the temple police who are called to arrest Jesus.  In Tuesday's reading, Jesus teaches, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."  In the same reading, after other disciples leave, and Jesus turns to the twelve, St. Peter tells Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."  These words are paired with St. Peter's confession of faith, made on behalf of the twelve, that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God."  In today's reading, the temple police who have failed to arrest Jesus can offer no other explanation for this failure than their statement, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  This is a declaration that we can imagine is spluttered out into the faces of the furious chief priests and Pharisees, and seems to indicate the effects of Christ's words on the officers as something akin to being walloped on the side of the head.  John's Gospel begins by teaching us that Jesus is the Light (John 1:4-9).   But when these officers are gobsmacked by Christ's words, we could say it is as if they are struck by lightning, by Christ's words which are effectively filled with a dazzling light, as at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8).   As He said in the previous chapter, the Spirit gives life, and His words are spirit and they are life.  The living water of which Jesus speaks in today's reading is filled with the same grace; it is the grace of the Holy Spirit.  It is the light of the Spirit that permeates John's Gospel, and flashes forth in Christ's words, so that even today the Holy Bible remains the best selling book of all time, with billions of copies circulating today in the world (between 5 and 7 billion, according to this article).  In the effect of Christ's words on these officers, we observe how this dazzling light of Christ's truth works:  some it strikes with a blinding light so that they can think of nothing else, but some it strikes where darkness is preferred and so hostility to kill that light results.  Let us consider His light, and the rivers of living water He offers to us.  Which would you prefer?  The officers tell the chief priests and the Pharisees, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"  For billions of people around the world, even today, that remains ever so.