I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you

 

 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  

 

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. 

 

 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  

 

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:18-31 

 

This week the lectionary gives us Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

 

  "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  Here is Christ's assurance of His continued presence to His disciples, especially in the presence of the Spirit of truth, which He has just assured them is the Helper who will be sent from the Father.

 

 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study Bible explains that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  

 

"Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  That day is a reference to Pentecost (Acts 2).  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things." 

 

  "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Once again, we review that the Helper is the Holy Spirit.  The word Helper is translated from the Greek Παρακλητος/Paracletos, often rendered Paraclete.  This title literally means "One who comes to one's side when called" indicating someone assisting in defense at trial.  The title can also mean "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  My study Bible comments that we have confidence in the apostle's doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  He brings to remembrance not only Christ's words, but also their meaning.  It adds that we have confidence in the Church because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  St. Irenaeus is quoted, who comments, "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   Peace was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell, my study Bible comments.  It says that perfect peace is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace is also part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3).  The greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.  

 

 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study Bible explains that when Jesus says, "My Father is greater than I" it does not mean that the Father is greater in nature or in essence, for the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does this indicate that the Son is created, for the Son is begotten from all eternity ("In the beginning was the Word" - John 1:1).  Instead, Jesus is indicating that the Father, as the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  

 

 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."  Before it comes is a reference to Christ's Passion.  This Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper takes place just prior to Christ's betrayal and arrest.  My study Bible comments that telling these events beforehand strengthened the faith of the disciples.  

 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world is the devil; my study Bible explains that the devil dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  Moreover, my study Bible adds Jesus says that the devil "has nothing in Me" because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Christ became Man, but He was never stained with sin.  

 

"Arise, let us go from here."  My study Bible says that Christ takes His disciples to another room or location to complete His discourse in order to gain their undivided attention.  In the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, it is suggested that their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.  Therefore we may conclude that Christ is taking them to a more private place in order to further instruct them and continue His discourse.

 

 Today's passage begins with this statement by Jesus to His disciples:    "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  He is going away, and He is reassuring them that they will not be left alone.  He will return to them.  This statement is profound in all of its implications of the reality that is to come, and in what it teaches us about transitions and changes in life, and God's terms for the transformation of life in God's spiritual purview.   What this means is that the substance of Christ's teachings to them about what is to come -- after what will transpire at His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- exists within these words.  "I will not leave you orphans" tells us once again, in yet another form, of the relationship between Christ and those who are His disciples.  It is that of a family.  In this case, Christ speaks of Himself as Father to all of them, and by extension to all of His disciples, to those faithful who will come into the world, up until the present day, and into the future for as long as the Church exists, and until His final return at the Second Coming.  "Orphans" speak to us of those who are fatherless, without protection, grieving, comfortless, vulnerable, and abandoned.  It conjures for us, as it is meant to in Christ's compassion, the greatest fears of human beings, for He indeed understands the hearts and minds of His followers found in these His disciples, and all those to come.  Christ speaks of abandonment and the pain of loss in this world that we know.  But the comfort comes in that He says He will not leave them this way, and adds with commitment, "I will come to you."  The whole of His discourse, as we have read until now, is all about the ways in which He will return to them, He will come to them.  He will come in the sending of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Comforter and Helper.  That is, the One who will come to our sides when we call, and perhaps more to the point, the One "whom the Father will send in My name," the One who "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Christ will be present to them -- and to us in the Holy Spirit, and in so many ways described here.  He, the Holy Spirit, is the One who will bring Christ's presence to us in all the ways we need Him to be with us, to guide us and teach us, to show us His way (in His name), and who can bring all things to remembrance that Christ has said, to teach us meaning and purpose and even application in our own lives.  Jesus tells them, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  This is a solemn promise, a commitment, a covenant that those who love Him -- which is shown by keeping His commandments, His words, has a depth of communion with both Christ and the Father.  The Holy Spirit makes all of this possible through the functions Jesus names here in this passage.  Moreover, Jesus teaches them, and us, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  This is the promise in Him that He will not leave them or us parentless; He will come to us, albeit in ways different from His work and ministry as the human Jesus, Christ Incarnate.  But in His communion with us, in all the ways He will be present to us and with us, he gives us His peace.  And what He can give is given as no one else can give, as the world cannot give.  This is a peace found in our souls and spirits, in the depth of this relationship that becomes a part of us, in our communion with Him.  As we read further in His discourse, Jesus will be giving us more fullness in terms of the meaning of that communion.  Let us continue to read in the spirit of the peace He gives, and the confidence of our trust in the One who does not leave us orphans, but comes to us through so many ways. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him

 

 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering or your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"

 

- Luke 5:12-26 

 

 Yesterday we read that, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

  And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  My study Bible comments here that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of Christ's time.  It brought tremendous physical suffering, and included total banishment and isolation from the community.  Leprosy is also symbolic of our sin.  

Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering or your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."   According to the Mosaic Law, a priest had to give a certificate certifying that a person was clean leprosy and could therefore rejoin community.  According to St. Cyril of Alexandria, my study Bible notes, Christ gives this command to "show yourself to the priest" in order to convince the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  However, my study Bible points out, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Let us note Christ's withdrawal into the wilderness to pray.  It emphasizes that if this solitude for prayer was necessary for Christ, how much more necessary for each of us?

 

 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"  My study Bible comments that, as shown by the healing of the paralytic, faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  It notes that faith is collective as well as personal, for the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  Three signs of Christ's divinity are on display here.  First, that He knows the secrets of hearts ("when Jesus perceived their thoughts").   See 1 Kings 16:7; 2 Chronicles 6:30.  Second, Christ forgives sins, which is a power belonging only to God.  Finally, He heals by the power of His word.

 

 Leprosy as a sign or symbol of sin forms a great deal of imagery from the Old Testament. Seen in this light, we can understand how a defect or imperfection forms a kind of mark or impurity, symbolizing the reality of sin on our true image in God, with healing coming through its lifting via repentance.   It's important to know that in a traditional Christian context, paralysis also is symbolic of sin, as in sin we are seen as "stuck" somewhere, victim of a type of stumbling block, unable to move forward in our faith.  Certainly the habitual return to repeated sin so often works like an addiction of one sort or another, and this emphasizes the symbolism of paralysis.  In this sense, we see what help there is to avail us to move past our stumbling block, move past where we are stuck, where a particular habit or temptation has a hold of us.  Many people have observed the help of this paralyzed man's friends, and how necessary it is to his salvation.  In this we see not only that the nature of faith is collective as well as personal, as my study Bible noted.  But we also see the universal need to acknowledge that such collective nature extends to the communion of saints, and our need to recognize prayer within this communal reality.  When saints -- living or dead according to worldly perspective -- are venerated or we ask for their prayers, we are asking for the kind of work done by this man's friends.  Even lowering his bed down to Christ can be seen as help "coming from above," so to speak, in the form of friends.  The same is true of asking for prayers from our own friends and community and fellow believers.  So often, this kind of prayer can help to bring a person to healing when that person, for whatever reason, is unable to pray for themselves.  Such is the power of prayer, that even our prayers for the dead are important in this respect, to help to draw closer to God.  The importance of prayer, as we've observed, is emphasized in our reading in the fact that Christ Himself often withdrew to solitude in order to pray.  This tells us that there are those who are helpful in pursuing what we need, to draw closer to God, and those who are not.  Let us consider the power of community in prayer, and all those who are in the "great cloud of witnesses" upon whom we call for help with prayer.  For there are those times when we can't help ourselves to move forward, but we can call upon others to help us to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

 
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:13–20 

 

This week, we read through the Sermon on the Mount, in preparation for Lent.  Yesterday we read that,  seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

 

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study Bible comments here that salt and light illustrate the role of disciples in society.  Due to its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its capacity for giving flavor, salt had both religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant that people were bound together in loyalty.  To this day salt remains used in chemical processes for its fixative properties.  As the salt of the earth, my study Bible explains, Christians are preserver's of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  In terms of light, we know first of all that God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible comments, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  Light is needed for clear vision, and even for life itself in this world.  Faith relies on the divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) shining in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Eastern Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (or Easter) Liturgy starts with a candle being presented as the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."  My study Bible adds of this last verse here that Christian virtues have both a personal and a public function, for our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible explains that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  He does so in the following ways:  He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15); He transgresses no precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30); He declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which in this Sermon He is about to deliver to the people; and He grants righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets both by being and by carrying out what they foretold.

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  The word translated as assuredly is literally "Amen."  It means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," my study Bible explains.  Here Jesus is using it as a solemn affirmation, which is a form of oath.  His use of this word at the beginning of certain proclamations -- as opposed to the end -- is unique and authoritative, my study Bible tells us.  He declares His words affirmed even before they are spoken.  A jot (Greek ιωτα/iota) is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is here affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching.  All is fulfilled refers to Christ's Passion and Resurrection.

 

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  My study Bible comments that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  It says that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.  

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  Righteousness that leads to salvation must exceed that of the Pharisees, my study Bible explains, because theirs was an outward, works-based righteousness.  The righteousness of salvation is the communion of the heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  True righteousness is to live in a state of continual communion with God.  By faith in Christ, we receive God's righteousness.  

If true righteousness is an ongoing communion with God, how do we achieve that?  We first need to understand that Christ came into the world as a human being in order to achieve this level of communion, this righteousness, so that we may be justified by faith.  That is, we live, and may receive an eternal life, a more abundant life, through this communion made possible through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We partake of His life through the Eucharist, seeking to live our faith and to grow in that faith, deepening a communion that extends through all things, as my study Bible indicates when it speaks of the communion of heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  Jesus' teachings in today's reading give us clues about how this works through our lives in the comments that we believers are both salt and light.  As salt, we bear His covenant into the world, giving the real "flavor" of this righteousness, holding firm in faith to His teachings and living them as fully as we can, in all these ways named.  As light, we seek to reflect His light back into the world, to carry it within ourselves and share it with others, to add such "illumination" to all the things in which we might participate as part of our life's experience and the living of our faith.  In this way, Jesus says, we glorify our Father in heaven -- and so, in that sense also, we become "like Him," we imitate Christ in the living of our faith.  But Christ's righteousness also includes the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets; there is nothing left out.  My study Bible calls the Law a cohesive whole; it says that to violate the least Law is to violate the whole of it, and to uphold one Law is to uphold the whole.  In other words, the Law itself can be thought of as something representing communion in its wholeness.  If we recall that Christ's gospel is the gospel of the Kingdom, then we must consider what it means to be a part of a communion -- this communion of the Kingdom -- to step into it through faith, and for it to grow within us (like the parable of the leaven).   So we consider Christ's teachings and begin to understand that there is a depth of communion we're invited into, and the life's journey that our faith is meant to be for us is one of deepening communion.  In a comment on Romans 3:26, my study Bible notes that righteousness by faith is not a one-time declaration or "not guilty" verdict.  We are to understand it as Christ living in us, and we in Him (Galatians 2:20).  So, to be justified by righteousness is to be in communion with Christ in an ongoing, dynamic, and growing life with Him -- developing a deeper reliance upon Christ through our own struggles with faith, insights, a prayerful life, and the practices of our faith.  This is a dynamic that reaches down into the heart and soul and should be lived (as a goal) with every breath.  Let us simply begin with His images here of salt and light, and imagine what it means to live as both, in such a way as to glorify our Father in heaven, becoming a "child of light" through our Shepherd, Christ. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

 

- John 17:20–26 

 

In our current reading, the lectionary is giving us what is known as Christ's High Priestly Prayer.   The setting is the Last Supper, just after Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples (John 14 - 16), and just prior to His arrest.  The first part of this prayer is found in Thursday's reading.  Yesterday we read the second part, and today we're given the third and final part of the prayer.  In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus prayed, "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

 

  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:  I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."  My study Bible comments here regarding those who will believe.   It notes that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  It remarks that Christians enjoy two kinds of unity:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.  See Matthew 22:36-40.

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  My study Bible notes here that the ultimate goal of Christ's High Priestly Prayer, and indeed of life itself for all of us, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person.  

Perhaps the most important statement we will read in all the Bible is just this one by Jesus, "that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  As He puts it here, this is a declaration of the intent of all of His ministry, His purpose, why He has "declared to them Your name, and will declare it."  It's intriguing that on the very eve of His arrest, which is imminent here, Jesus speaks of the future, that He will declare it [the Name of God the Father].  Perhaps the greatest declaration of the Name of the Father is Christ's glorification on the Cross, and His Resurrection.  But perhaps also this passage speaks to the ongoing activity of the Trinity in our world and in our midst (Luke 17:21).  Perhaps both are true, that Christ's witness to the Father will fully manifest in His sacrificial love for us and His Resurrection; but also at the same time, He will live in us, continually declaring the Name of God so that it dwells in us and through us in the world.  If we look closely at this last statement, it sums up Christ's whole prayer by couching everything in love.  Christ repeatedly speaks of unity between the Trinity and believers; in this we can assume the whole cosmos is a part of this mission.  But His final statement truly teaches us what He means:  "The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."   The declaration of God's name is a pronouncement of love, of love going out and resting within the hearts that will receive it, and will reciprocate. Jesus speaks, then, of an entire created order couched, held, received, and permeated by love.  And in this love is our communion with Creator and one another -- even the great love of the Father for the Son is that in which we all may share.  May your life be blessed with the knowing of this love and its ever-flowing expression through us as well.  For so we also glorify God.

 

 

Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You

 

 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."

 

- John 17:1–8 

 

 In yesterday's reading, we were given Christ's parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

  Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him."  As the lectionary continues to prepare us for the Lenten journey (which begins this week in the West, and for the Armenian Apostolic Church), today we're given the beginning of what is termed Christ's High Priestly Prayer (John 17).   In it, He prays for Himself, after He has addressed His disciples at the Last Supper (John 14 - 16).   This prayer contains the basic elements of a prayer which a priest would offer to God when a sacrifice is about to me made.  As my study Bible explains it, these elements comprise glorification (verses 3-5, 25), remembrance of God's words (verses 2, 6-8, 22-23), intercession on behalf of others (verses 9, 11, 15, 20-21, 24), and a declaration of the offering itself (verses 1, 5).  Here His words bear witness to Christ's divinity, and His filial relationship with the Father.  My study Bible comments on Christ's words here that the hour has come signifies Christ is Lord over time.  To glorify refers to the redemption of all creation that will be accomplished through this voluntary mission of the Cross and Resurrection; in fact, the purpose for which He was sent into the world by the Father.  In this redemption, my study bible adds, the Father and the Son are glorified.  This is why the Cross, which is a sign of death, is glorified in the Church as "life-giving" and the "weapon of peace."

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."  The knowledge of the only true God is far more than intellectual understanding, my study Bible comments here.  This knowledge is, in fact, participation in God's divine life and in communion with God.  So, therefore, eternal life is an ongoing, loving knowledge of God in Christ and the Holy Spirit.  

"I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."  My study Bible says that Christ's work can never be separated from His identity.  This verse, it notes, is a statement which each believer can make at the end of life, regardless of how long or short that life may be.  

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."  Here Jesus prays for the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  These are the apostles.  My study Bible explains that these are the ones through whom God's word comes to us.   This handing down of God's word to successive generations is what is called apostolic tradition.  My study Bible says that Isaiah prophesied that in the days of the Messiah, the knowledge of the Name of God would be revealed (Isaiah 52:6).  Your name:  In the times of the Old Testament Scriptures, the phrase "the Name" was reverently used as a substitute for the name of God "Yahweh" (after the Hebrew letters which represent the name given to Moses in Exodus 3:14), because the Name was considered too sacred to pronounce.  The  fuller revelation of the Name, my study Bible explains, was given to those who believe in Christ, for Christ manifested the Name not simply by declaring the Father, but by being the very presence of God and sharing the Name with God.

If we take a close look at the overall theme of these verses of Christ' High Priestly Prayer, we see that it is all connected within the understanding of the fullness and completion of His mission into the world.  It is therefore inseparable from the Father and the aims of the Father.  Additionally, it also encompasses not simply the relationship between the divine Persons of Father, Son, and Spirit but also includes believers, "the men whom You have given Me out of the world."  Actually in the Greek, this is possibly more literally translated as "those whom You have given Me out of the world."  Therefore, this is about Christ's faithful believers.  Certainly it was most relevant to those at the Last Supper, but Christ's prays for all whom the Father has given to Him, and this is a process which is still ongoing.  So both the fullness of Christ's manifestation, and glorification encompasses all the communion of saints, the fullness of the Church even including in its ultimate sense, and the divine Persons of the Trinity.  In this way, all is inseparable from Christ's mission, which Jesus now goes forward to complete in the Cross and the Resurrection.   This beginning of Christ's High Priestly Prayer invites us to consider what "glory" means, and how this glory is interconnected to Christ's manifestation of the fullness of the Father, which also includes in time and in eternity the fullness of the Church.  But this kind of glory is completely different from worldly notions of personal glory.  If we can get an idea of what this type of glory is truly like, we will come to understand also what it means when we read in the Gospels the notion of the fulfillment or completion of joy.  At the Last Supper, Jesus tells the disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11), and He compares their imminent suffering to that of a woman in labor, who rejoices once her child is born (John 16:20-22).  This understanding of joy is linked to Christ's glorification, because both are bound up in the fulfillment of Christ's mission, in the fulfillment of the will of the Father, and each of our roles in that fulfillment.  It is the same with John the Baptist, when he declares, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled" (John 3:29).  This fulfillment of joy is one that is found not simply as an individual, or in a self-centered way, but one that comes in the completion of communion, a joy found in the sharing of the life in Christ, and the fullness of mission in this sense.  If we, also, are to find this fulfillment of joy, then we look to Christ's understanding of glory, and how it is found in the life that God prepares and asks us to fulfill in our own faithful living, through the light that Christ gives us for this path in each of our lives.  Joy becomes a part of the glory of God in which we might share and play our own roles, an expansion of the heart that cannot be contained in selfish and limited versions of worldly glory or renown.  Let us consider this integral, expanded, deep understanding of joy, and how it is connection to the ways we find ourselves in Christ, to the life of faith we're offered.  For the joy in our hearts comes from the fire of love (Luke 24:32), which which begins with God who is love and which Christ has manifest to us so that we also may participate in this life, and in His joy.

Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

- John 1:29-34 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, from Luke's Gospel.   It is a parable that sets the tone for Lent.  Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to haven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  For the verses in John's Gospel just prior to today's see Tuesday's reading and commentary.

 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  This is the second day of seven given in John's Gospel, in this story of the begining of Christ's public ministry.  My study Bible comments here that John's declaration of Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  It notes that Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, and He offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  My study Bible further cites St. John Chrysostom as teaching that Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make this declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins. 

 

And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  My study Bible asks us to note that the text tells us the Spirit remained upon Him.  It remarks that we are to understand this as a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism; rather this vision that John saw revealed the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested on Christ.  In this second day given in John's Gospel, John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than John's own baptism of repentance, which was performed with water on earth.  This parallels the separation of water above from the water below on the second day in Genesis 6:1-8.  

In our previous reading and commentary from John's Gospel (on Tuesday), we noted how John the Baptist acts from faith.  We must differentiate faith from knowing with certainty, or with proofs.  John the Baptist, in today's reading, declares about Jesus, whom He has just pronounced the Lamb of God, "I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  This was a revelation to John in the right moment in time, the moment God chose for the revelation of Jesus to John, and for John to reveal to his disciples (from among whom will come the first disciples of Jesus).  It is highly significant that we understand how much faith plays a role in all that we do and all that we know.  John has been baptizing in his ministry of repentance all along, in expectation of the Messiah, but without knowing precisely who the Messiah is.  Here, the Messiah is revealed also as the Lamb of God.  Again, the language is so important here, because what has been revealed to John the Baptist is Jesus as the Lamb which will be the ultimate sacrifice, the one sacrifice for all of us to come, for all time.  He is that Paschal lamb, which would be shared in the Eucharist for the life of the Church, and which unites the whole community of the people of God, including those who were to come from among the Gentiles.  This is how we understand Jesus as the Lamb of God.  In the ancient world, sacrifice was common to virtually all religions.  In the sacrifice, a meal was prepared to share among whichever god (God) was worshiped and with the people of that deity.  For the Jews, we can read from the Old Testament, the entire system of sacrifice and temple worship was about uniting the people and making community -- with God and in righteousness.  So it was also a reflection of the other, pagan religions and their own varied gods.  Even though distinct from the Jews, the sacrifice system had this similar concept of a communal meal.  With Christ as the Lamb of God, we are to understand, with every Eucharist, that this is our communal meal, and He Himself is the One sacrifice that unites and feeds the community.  This concept of sacrifice is similar to the idea of inviting a friend over, or preparing a meal for family:  one gives and another receives, but the whole purpose is for community, for peace, for friendship, for love.  Our Eucharist continues to embody this understanding.  But without faith, this cannot exist.  Without faith, John the Baptist could not engage in his ministry of baptism in preparation for the Messiah whom he did not know until it was revealed to him by the same One who sent him to baptize with water.  John the Baptist is a towering figure, widely revered as a holy man in his own time, but who bridges the Old and the New Testaments, linking the old covenant with the new.  But all of that happens only through faith.  And so it is that we must also view our own lives in faith, for this remains very important and of the essence to who we are as followers of Jesus Christ.  We don't live by proofs or certainty, but by something else that leads us just as John the Baptist was also led.  In this we join in community with all the "great cloud of witnesses," with the saints and faithful who are uncountable who've come before us, with those who also worship with us in heaven, who live to God.  We join in this great community also through the Lamb of God, just as John the Baptist was joined by faith in the story of salvation.  Let us rest in that faith, take heart in it, and know that faith also means unknowing.  It means we follow even what we cannot fully know nor comprehend, for no one can fully know nor comprehend God save God.  We live in an age that somehow demands certainty and proofs, photos and links, can call almost anything disinformation through logical fallacy or omission, and in which we have all new technology through which to scatter doubts and fears -- and just as potent "certainties."  But we live by faith; we live by faith in something that has proven itself over and over again through the human experience of God's love and redemptive power at work in our lives and through the faith of those who've come before us, those who witness to us daily through their own prayers and righteous lives because of the love of God.  If there is any sort of certainty that we can pick for ourselves, let us choose to be certain that faith may lead us to love and to the righteousness that makes beauty, adds luster to life even in the darkest of circumstances, redeems us from what is desperate and even without hope.  It is there we take heart and our forward direction, because after all, what does the world offer that is preferable to that which we have seen and known?  In Hebrews 11:1, St. Paul writes that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  He adds, "For by it the elders obtained a good testimony."  And this is where we start today, with the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.  For by it we have obtained the good testimony of John the Baptist that Christ is the Lamb and Son of God, a testimony in which so many have joined.

 

 

Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction

 

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  

 

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When hears about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  

 

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said to that something should be given her to eat.

 

- Mark 5:21-43 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains.  And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"  Then He asked him, "What is your name?"  And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."  Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission.  Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.  So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country.  And they went out to see what it was that had happened.  Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.  Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.  And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

 

 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  As we can see from the text, and quite contrary to Jesus' immediate "adventure" in the country of the Gadarenes in yesterday's reading (above), here back in Capernaum His reception is entirely different.  His reputation is known as a healer, and He is sought out even by one of the rulers of the synagogue for help for his little daughter, who is at the point of death.  Jairus believes that Christ can heal her, and she will live.

 

 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When hears about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."   My study bible gives us varied commentary on this healing miracle.  First, it tells us that Christ's healing of this woman demonstrates Jesus' power to cleanse and heal (see Matthew 8:1-4).  But also of importance, in the Old Testament, hemorrhage (her flow of blood for twelve years) caused ceremonial defilement.  This would impose religious and social restrictions, as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  This suffering woman, who accounts herself unclean, nonetheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  In Jesus' words, "Go in peace," He is expressing that she has done well to come to Him in faith.   There is another, spiritual interpretation give in patristic tradition.  That is that this woman symbolizes human nature in general.  Humanity is in constant suffering and subject to death (symbolized by her flow of blood).  The physicians who could not cure her stand for the various religions of the world, including the Old Testament Law, all unable to grant life to humanity.  But it is through Christ that human beings are freed from suffering and bondage to sin.

While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said to that something should be given her to eat.  My study bible reminds us that there are three resurrections performed by Christ which are recorded in the Gospel:  the one in today's reading, that of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), and the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:1-44).  It says that many people have exercised authority over the living, but only the Son of God has  power over the living and the dead.  His command, "Little girl, I say to you, arise" is in some sense reminiscent of the one given to Lazarus, "Lazarus, come forth!" (John 11:43). 

Today's reading is, in some sense, a great illustration about faith.  But let us note that faith isn't really just about ascribing to a belief in Jesus.  It is much more than that.  Faith, if we take a closer look here, is an active, living connection to Christ.  It constitutes something powerful in a spiritual realm.  It activates a divine power at work in and through the faithful and their circumstances, and even on behalf of others.  It is a living thing, a kind of energy -- something not seen, and nevertheless known and perceived by those who share that faith, by Christ, and through the effects (or "fruits") it produces.  If we look closely at the healing of the woman with the blood flow, we find an interesting observation.  Jesus has just returned from the "far away" place across the Sea of Galilee, and a strange encounter with a truly forsaken man, a man who was occupied by a legion of demons (in yesterday's reading, above).  We commented in yesterday's blog post how this man mirrored what we might call social abandonment, but it's all magnified through the abandonment of faith in the context of the reading, and the apostate Jews who were herding swine.   "God-forsaken" would seem to truly describe the place.  Even the people who come to see the man healed and in his right mind beg Jesus to leave, because they've lost their swine, and that was what they cared about.  But here, we have the seemingly opposite scene, where Jesus is crowded round by a great multitude of people who throng Him.  In the middle of this great multitude is a woman who is essentially alone and forsaken.  She's spent all her money on doctors who can't help her, so by now she is not only in a chronic condition of hemorrhaging, she's also without funds.  But more deeply is the spiritual state of herself as she cannot be in community; being there in the crowd she takes a great risk as she is ceremonially unclean due to the blood flow, one who can bring "uncleanness" to others who might inadvertently touch or be defiled by her blood flow.  She, too, like the legion demoniac, is alone, but in a crowd of people.  Giving us a true taste of what faith can do, Jesus asks the disciples, "Who touched My clothes?" because He has felt power go out of Him.  On her part, she feels the healing take place internally.  Faith hasn't just made some sort of magic happen, it has made a connection, like a circuit of healing energy, between herself and the Lord.  It has healed much more than her affliction, it has taken her into communion when human community has shunned her and she has been excluded for her defiling condition.  The Healer and Teacher is also the One who restores us to community, and it really doesn't matter how excluded we might be from social and community rules.  We should also observe what happens with Jairus' daughter at his home, for there is a society there, too, that has decided that she is dead and there is nothing that can be done -- and so, they ridicule Jesus when He proclaims that she is only sleeping.  It is Jesus who must, in turn, exclude and throw out those who ridicule, because what they are doing is damaging or destroying faith, and faith is the key here that makes the healing, restorative connection.  A family is restored to wholeness through Jesus' work and especially His efforts to teach Jairus as head of this household, what he needs to do on behalf of the rest:  "Do not be afraid, only believe."  Note also that Jesus permits only Peter, James, and John to come with Him, as these are the ones strongest in faith.  (They are the same disciples whom He took up to the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13).  Faith in Christ creates a kind of healing circuit, a communion, one that is inclusive of those otherwise left out.  It happens for the woman with the blood flow, and it happens for the household of Jairus.  If we wish for good reasons to protect our faith, to be proactive about upholding it and putting up proper boundaries against damaging it, then we have to come to terms with the fact that it is faith that creates the proper communion we seek, the one with Christ, and through Christ, the rest of the created order of life and in the world.  We look to this magnificent grace that extends itself to and through all things to give us a sense of proper order, and what it is to live in proper communion with God and by extension with the world.  Let us consider all that it means when Jesus tells the healed woman, "Go in peace."

I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered

 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

'I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'

"But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And so said all the disciples.

- Matthew 26:26-35

Yesterday we read that on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And he said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples," ' "  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.  When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."

 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."  Here is the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus; it is the long-awaited messianic banquet (as my study bible describes it), to which He admits notably even Judas (compare Esther 7), as Christ still seeks by all means to save Judas.  As his heart was wicked, the participation of Judas leads to his condemnation (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).  Christ's words are repeated in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (the universal template for Christian liturgy), inviting the faithful to receive His body and blood.  In Holy Communion, we are truly united to Christ.  Jesus gave thanks (in the original Greek, this verb, eucharisteo/ευχαριστεω is the root for "eucharist").  My study bible says this teaches us first, how we are to celebrate this sacrament; second, that Christ comes willingly to His Passion, and finally that we are to accept even sufferings with thankfulness -- understanding that God can use sufferings for ultimate good.  The Old Covenant, it explains, was sealed with the blood of bulls and goats.  The New is sealed by the gift of Christ, who shed His own blood to conquer sin and death -- and to reconcile us with God.  Christ names it the blood of the new covenant:  God's promise and the fulfillment of the Law.  By "new," my study bible says, He means that this covenant brings immortality and incorruptible life; this covenant will always have the quality of newness.  For many, as noted in previous readings in Matthew, is an Aramaic expression meaning "for all" (see, for example, 20:24-28).

"But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."   The patristic commentators teach that Jesus also drinks this cup of His own Blood.  This He does to lead all believers into participation in His heavenly mysteries.  In My Father's kingdom relates to the time after His Resurrection, when Christ will eat and drink before the disciples in order to show the reality of His victory over death (Luke 24:41-43).  Additionally, this references the eternal banquet of the Kingdom in the age to come.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  We note the tradition of Passover.   After the meal, it is likely Jesus and the disciples sung Psalms 115-118.

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  St. John Chrysostom comments that Christ cites the prophecy (Zechariah 13:7) which shows both His adherence and participation in the Old Covenant (for it was through this that the prophecy was given), but also besides giving clear warning what will happen this night, Jesus at the same time gives assurance that all is happening within a greater plan of salvation.  Moreover, we as readers are asked to compare the disciples who are unable to stand their ground at Christ's Crucifixion, but the same men will take the gospel to the whole world after His death.  I will go before you to Galilee is an assurance to them of the Resurrection.

Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And so said all the disciples.  The Gospels give us Peter's bravado, which leads him into not only denying Christ's word, but making of himself a liar.  St. John Chrysostom suggests that possibly the passion for recognition is still actively at work, the disciples' desire for greatness which has repeatedly come as questions as they drew nearer to Jerusalem.  Peter's failure will be a great lesson in humility, as Christ has repeatedly taught the disciples as the moment of His Crucifixion drew nearer and in response to their questions about great places in His kingdom (see, for example, this reading).  Let us note also that the rest of the disciples are persuaded by Peter's emphatic declaration to say the same, and so all effectively become liars in denial of Christ's prophecy, as all will be scattered at the Crucifixion.

What is betrayal, and how do we think about it?  In yesterday's reading, we read of and commented on Judas' betrayal of Christ (also upcoming in our readings next week).  In today's reading, Jesus not only institutes the Eucharist, but He also predicts Peter's denial of him, which Peter vehemently denies.  We could ironically say that the Eucharist is established and offered on this eve of betrayal and denials -- before the disciples are scattered and flee at His Crucifixion (Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50, John 16:32) -- as healing offering and sacrament for the ills that will come from their separation, and even the ailments of the world.  It is instituted once and for all time, for all of us, as the way to call us back to God, back into communion.  But let us note, as does the commentary in my study bible, that the sacrament isn't a cure-all in the sense that it works against our own free will choice:  even such powerful help needs our assent, just as it only results in deeper condemnation for Judas as he still follows through with betrayal and fails to return to communion.  In a certain sense, any denial or betrayal of Christ on our part is effectively a denial or betrayal of ourselves, as we truly and ultimate "come to ourselves" when we find ourselves and our identity in Christ.  This is, in effect, the long -- lifelong -- process of our faith, a constant coming to Christ.  In the world of brokenness we will find many betrayals and denials, some in ourselves and some from others.  But ultimately, broken communion with ourselves or others reflects a deep need for our own spiritual communion with Christ, and it is there that all things are healed.  Indeed, it is there that good may come from evil, just as Resurrection comes from Crucifixion.  The Gospels do not spare us the failings of the disciples, even betrayal by Judas, and even though all are chosen by Jesus (John 6:70).  They give us a picture of ourselves in our own failings, and teach us the need we have to return to Christ in our failings, to see our way through an imperfect life.  The Eucharist always gives us an image of the union we desire, the ultimate healing, and is also called Communion for this reason.  In our places where we also miss the mark, let us consider that life in this journey of faith is a learning curve for us, as it was for the Twelve.  But even as we enter times of hardship and difficulty, darkness and testing -- even evil -- we must do so with awareness that He is with us, and with Him even the worst of times, when all are scattered, can be used for greater good.  We don't live in a perfect world, we live in a world where evil is present in the form of hardships, temptations, suffering, and death.  Our Lord goes to the Cross, but we are invited in our own lives to participate in communion with Him.  From the Cross comes Resurrection.  As we are called to bear our own crosses in life and live through His faith, so we also attend Resurrection in our own lives, in every possible form, and we are drawn, like the disciples, ever closer to Him through this process.