Love your enemies

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, for you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.   

 

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.   Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27–38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.   And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."  "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."  

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, for you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful." Many patristic commentators see this passage in light of the persecutions for which Jesus is preparing the disciples, and the hostility to the Church that would be found in the world.  In all of these actions, what is called for is patience, dispassion, and forbearance.  St. Ambrose, for example, points out that Christ Himself forgave those who were slandering Him from the Cross, and also the example of the first martyr, St. Stephen, who prayed that God not hold the sin against his persecutors.   St. Cyril of Alexandria speaks of the mercy of God, shown so splendidly in Christ, and how we are to imitate that mercy.  Indeed, in the teachings of Christ regarding judgment (especially in the parable of judgment found in Matthew 25:31-46), the true measure of people in Christ's judgment is our capacity for expressing compassion, which is a true hallmark and characteristic of Christ Himself.  Here Christ speaks of the mercy of God the Father, whose mercy also extends to those who show mercy.  For when we are injured in any way, we as Christians come to rely on God for help and recompense.

 

 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.   Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible states that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  For example, flour pressed down gives a much more generous cup than flour which is fluffed up with air.  My study Bible adds that the blessings God intends to put into our hearts are more generous than we can possibly contain, yet this also depends on the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.  

 

St. Augustine puts the practice of mercy advocated by Jesus into the context of our own spiritual growth, our capacity to grasp the things of God that God desires for us.  He writes, "The practice of mercy is twofold: when vengeance is sacrificed and when compassion is shown. The Lord included both of these in his brief sentence: 'Forgive, and you shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given to you.' This work has the effect of purifying the heart, so that, even under the limitations of this life, we are enabled with pure mind to see the immutable reality of God" (Letter 171A).  In a world in which justice was seen as a restoration of what is lost, or an equal retribution for sins committed, Jesus' words sound entirely alien.  He introduces a way of life for the disciples that is dependent not upon the world and worldly justice, but upon the justice, mercy, and generosity of God.  As so many of the Church Fathers comment, He is preparing them for the hostility they will find as apostles in a harsh world in which they will face persecution for the message of the gospel they carry.  But in our own time, we can also understand St. Augustine's words about the cleansing of the heart.  To learn patience, forbearance, and discipline is no small mean thing, and neither is the practice of mercy that is asked of us, after all, in imitation of God.  There are many circumstances in which one may be counseled to keep still, to bear a little shame or even injustice, for a higher goal, a greater good, including a growing closeness to God.  In these teachings one must keep the perspective that ultimately the greatest bestowal of good comes from God alone.  We don't know what harvest of virtue and even joy we may reap from the kind of detachment and dispassion that Christ counsels here.  To show mercy is at times an experience of the greatest exaltation, something that surpasses our calculations, for we also can help to bestow blessings on those who have in some way been harmed or shortchanged in life.  Our own patience and forbearance can be a good learning curve for greater goals in life than immediate satisfaction or the acting out of vengeance or passion.  Let us keep in mind that when Jesus teaches us to "Judge not," He is not suggesting that we give up our discernment.  In fact, the message here is quite the contrary; Jesus counsels us how to develop greater discernment and spiritual perception through such teachings and the development of the virtues we've discussed.  We're to remember there is more to life than material outcomes and immediate gratification.  Jesus' teachings give us a foundation through which to develop the discernment necessary even for the Church which the disciples would go on to establish.  We're not to practice hypocritical judgments and overlook our own flaws, but we do seek to develop the compassion and perspective necessary for healing in an imperfect world in which righteousness may involve struggle, and even overcoming hardship, even to understand necessary correction (which Jesus advocates in Matthew 18:15-17), as well as forgiveness.  Jesus' teachings prepare us for something greater than material focus alone.  Rather we're being asked to be shaped to carry the kingdom of God with us and within us (Luke 17:20-21).  Let us be grateful for the gracious life of the Kingdom He offers to us.

 

 

 

 

Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.  

 

- Matthew 20:29-34

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "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 to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.   And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, 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 by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.   My study Bible comments that the two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, which is the common title for God, and also Son of David, a title deeply associated with the Messiah.  Although Jesus knows what we want before we ask, it notes, Jesus calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy.  There is also a patristic spiritual interpretation to this miracle; in that understanding, the blind men symbolize future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  Those who tried to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants who, in each generation, try to silence the Church, and still attempt today to do so.  Nonetheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.

 

 Blindness has an important significance in spiritual terms.  We first might turn to Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount regarding the lamp of the body, or the eye:  "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"  My study Bible interprets this symbolically and spiritually, indicating that Christ is referencing the mind.  It says that the mind (νους/nous in Greek) is the spiritual "eye" of the soul.  It illuminates the inner person and governs the will.  To keep one's mind wholesome and pure is fundamental to the Christian life.  This word for mind in Greek is used widely in Orthodox theology to indicate our capacity for the grasping of spiritual things, and is what is understood to be referenced by Christ in the many times He echoes the words of the prophets regarding spiritual blindness (see Isaiah 6:10, Jeremiah 5:21, Ezekiel 12:2, Matthew 13:15, Acts 28:27, Romans 11:8).  In Matthew 15, Jesus referenced the Pharisees as those who are blind, meaning spiritually blind.  When the disciples asked Him if He knows that the Pharisees were offended by His teaching, He replied, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (see Matthew 15:1-20).  But here, by contrast, we are ask to see the poetic symbolism of the Holy Bible in a different way.  For these men, although physically blind, are apparently the only ones in this crowd in Jericho who have true spiritual sight.  They see the truth about Jesus, as is evident in their calling to Him, using correct titles for His authority and Person, such as Lord, and Son of David.  They also perceive enough to know to ask for His mercy, for it is God's mercy in action, even Incarnate, that Jesus embodies for us in the world and in His ministry.  Note also how they are set apart from the crowd, which does not understand Jesus' nature, as evidenced by their attempting to shut down the pleas (read that as "prayers") of the two blind men.  There is also an interesting connection, as occurs in the Gospels from time to time, between the senses of sight and of hearing and of speaking.  For while these blind men may not have the physical use of their sight (their eyes), Jesus stops and encourages them to use what they do have -- their hearing and their ears.  They have already made themselves a chance through the use of their voices, addressing Jesus by true titles, and pleading for mercy.  Here He stops and asks them to explicitly plead or pray for what they want, "What do you want me to do for you?"  They must use their voices to articulate what diminished sense they wish to be restored -- importantly, to be "opened" to them, saying:  "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  We are told of Jesus' response with compassion, and He touched their eyes, and they immediately they received their sight.  These three components of the story:  Christ's compassion, His healing by touch (that His body is life-giving), and the immediacy of the healing are again all hallmarks of Christ's work in the Gospels.  But let us consider once again that before receiving their physical sight, these formerly blind men first had spiritual sight enough to know who Jesus is, to address Him unceasingly despite the attempts of the crowd to silence them, and to respond to Christ's question in the way they were asked to.  It is their spiritual sight, their inner mind's understanding, that comes first, and makes possible this outcome through faith.  It helps also to understand the context of this miracle, the city of Jericho.  Jericho was a low-lying city strongly associated with sin.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is set on the road to Jericho as travelers there were a frequent target for ambush by bandits.  Sin and blindness, such as the blindness of the crowd that seeks to silence the blind men, are strongly correlated; so Jericho functions as a backdrop of a sinful world into which we're all born.  Blindness of many kinds infiltrates our lives in the ways of the world and its limited understanding and sight of the ways of God, and God's salvation plans for us.  Let us consider also that it is often through affliction that we are visited with opportunities for healing in spiritual terms.  Just as these blind men are encouraged by Jesus to use their other senses to communicate with Him and request what they want so they are drawn out in their expressions of what they want, so our own obstacles and perceived "handicaps" and challenges may also be the instruments of our coming to God, our learning to overcome what hinders us and moving toward Christ in our own lives.  Prayer is so often a response to difficult circumstances, and so such opportunities may be in fact in disguise, so to speak, as the ways in which our true enlightenment may be made possible for us.  Let us consider the poetic reality of the Gospels as well as this dimension of how our spiritual lives and God's presence is at work in the world.  For "we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  And to this, the blind men testify.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 "He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses." 

 

- Matthew 8:5-17 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd

 

 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  

 

So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  

 

When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.

 

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

- Mark 6:30–46 

 

Yesterday we read that, on their first mission, the apostles cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  Then an opportune day came when  Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

 

  Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  This verse picks up where Tuesday's reading leaves off, with Jesus sending out the apostles on their first mission.  In between, we were given the story of the beheading of John the Baptist, so that we are aware why King Herod has now heard of Christ's ministry, and suspects John the Baptist has returned from the dead with such powers.

 

 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  My study Bible explains that Christ gives rest to His disciples to show those engaged in preaching and teaching that they must not labor continuously, but must also take rest.  

 

So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  Let us note the main ailment of these people as understood by Jesus:  they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  What does the Good Shepherd do in His compassion for them?  He began to teach them many things, for this is their true need.

 

 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Christ's miraculous feeding of five thousand men -- and more women and children -- is reported by all four evangelist.  This miracle shows Christ feeding a great multitude of His people as He, as Lord, fed the Israelites in the desert (Exodus 16).  My study Bible notes that the Church Fathers see in this feeding an image of the Eucharist, which is an idea made clear in John 6.  There is a spiritual interpretation given of the numbers:  that five loaves indicate the five books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), broken open in Christ and thereby feeding the universe.  The two fish represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  The gathering of the leftovers by the apostles shows that the teachings which the faithful remain unable to grasp are nonetheless held in the consciousness of the Church.  Christ first looking up to heaven, then blessing and breaking the loaves and giving them to His disciples to distribute to the crowd all give the sense of the Eucharist.  In this light the twelve baskets of leftovers suggest the twelve apostles and their successors through whom the Eucharist will continue to be distributed throughout the world. 

 

 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.  Once again we observe another great turning point in Christ's ministry.  This feeding of the five thousand men (plus more women and children) prefigures the Eucharist.  Jesus' response is to depart to the mountain to pray.  Every juncture in His ministry is met with communion with the Father.

 

Hospitality forms the core of our faith in a number of ways.   We can start with Abraham at the trees of Mamre when the Lord appeared to him as three men whom Abraham entertains with his hospitality.  By taking in these strangers, we have a great unfolding of the spiritual life we're given as a model in the Bible, the building up of our understanding of faith.  See Genesis 18.  So important is this sense of hospitality encountered in this story that St. Paul also mentions it in the Letter to the Hebrews.  He writes, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels" (Hebrews 13:2).  From the earliest times of monasticism among the desert monks, the sense of hospitality cultivated was considered more important than even prayer.  A knock at the door meant that even prayer would be interrupted to answer to a stranger.  In today's reading, we're given a sense of Christ's movement to hospitality.  The first thing He does from compassion for these people who were "like sheep not having a shepherd" is to teach them many things.  This is the first thing with which they need to be filled.  In some sense, we are all like sheep who need Christ as the Shepherd, like His children who need to be taught what we are to be about, what's good for us, how we must grow.  For this is, indeed, salvation, and for this we come to Christ.  This feeding in the wilderness in today's reading serves to show us an image of hospitality -- and it is, indeed, a miraculous hospitality, and one that takes place in the wilderness.  It teaches us about the importance of relying upon God's "hospitality" when we feel depleted of resources, stranded in the middle of our own "nowhere," like sheep without a shepherd, or deeply in need of guidance and sustenance or structure.  As this miraculous feeding of the multitude gives us a prefiguring of the Eucharist, so we are also meant to see the Eucharist as the very act of hospitality, God feeding us with the spiritual food and drink that we need ("For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed" - John 6:55).  This is the center of our worship, the thing Christ taught us to do in remembrance of Him.  We learn of God's hospitality in Jesus' saying to the disciples, "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" (John 14:2).  And in the early Church and the development of Christian societies such as that of the Byzantines, the first hospitals and orphanages came from this understanding of hospitality as divine, as that which the Lord has taught us, even among strangers.  Often these days as in times past, entertaining others as a form of hospitality could be considered a way to impress, a social obligation, a kind of quid pro quo in relationships that are simply transactional in nature.  But this is not what the hospitality of God implies, for God cannot hope to receive from us anything equal to God's grace.  In short, God's hospitality shows us a form of love from which we learn and may consider how we live our own lives in welcoming the things of God, and even the Lord Himself into our own hearts.  The parable of the mustard seed teaches us about the great branches that grow the kingdom from faith, so that even "birds of the air" (a metaphor for angels) can rest in their shade.  In the Revelation we read, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).  At the Last Supper, Jesus taught, "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" (John 14:23-24).  Hospitality is at the core of our faith, a mutual love not based on transaction but on grace.  Even forgiveness can be seen as a form of hospitality when we "give up" the debts of others' sins against us and allow Christ to be the judge as well as our guide in how to respond and navigate our lives.  Let us consider the incredible power of Christ's multiplication of the loaves and the fish, and think about this infinite, inexplicable power of grace and what it might create in our lives.  

 

 

 

 

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

 

 Then they 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 in 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. 

 

- Mark 5:1-20 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's preaching in parables, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was.  And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow.  And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!"  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

 

  Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. In Christ's time, the city of Gadara was a part of what is known as the Decapolis, a league of ten cities of Hellenistic culture founded in the period of Alexander the Great.  But at this time, under Rome, Gadara was placed under the rule of Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee.  This is a country of mixed Jews and Gentiles, and dominated by Greek and Roman culture, including worship of the emperor.

 

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.  We might pause to notice the entirely chaotic and uncivilized nature of this man with an unclean spirit.   Whatever and whoever this demonic spirit is, it causes him to be uncontrollable, untameable.  He cannot be bound, even with chains, which had often been tried; but he has pulled apart the chains and broken his shackles.  Notably he cannot live in community; he lives in the mountains and in the tombs, among the dead.  Night and day he was crying out and also cutting himself with stones, so we note the self-destructive effects of the demonic afflicting him.  In some sense, he mirrors the chaos of the sea in our previous reading, encountered by the disciples as they crossed over the Sea of Galilee to this place, reflecting traditional images of the chaos and destruction associated with Leviathan.  

 

 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."  This man is possessed by a legion of demons, in some sense "occupied" by an invading spiritual army and under attack.  A Roma legion consisted of thousands of soldiers; at Christ's time, approximately 6,000.

 

 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.  Now a large herd of swine was feeding there in 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.   This violent death of the swine teaches us about the destructive influence of the demons.  My study Bible says that the destruction of the herd reveals several things.  First, while animals are a venerable part of creation, human beings are of far greater value.  Additionally, Jesus removes a source of sin, for swine-herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Moreover, the demons have no power over creation but are instead subject to the will of God.  They can only enter the swine at the command of Christ (and needed His permission).  Finally, we see that people are protected under God's providence.  Otherwise the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine.  As we will see, the magnitude of the economic loss of the swine will remain as a sign to the hardhearted people who fled (see the following verse).  A steep place (a cliff) often appears in icons to represent the dangers of sin.

 

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.  My study Bible comments that while there are those who teach the presence of the swine indicates that these are Gentiles, it's more likely that they are Jews catering to the Gentile market in this region, and therefore doing what was forbidden in the Law.  Jesus had forbidden his disciples to go to any but the Jews in this time of His public ministry (Matthew 10:6).  They have traveled across the sea to save this lost sheep (the man who was demon-possessed).  The hard-heartedness of these people show in that their care is only for their economic loss of the swine, and not of the healing of this man who is now sitting and clothed and in his right mind.  They respond by simply pleading for Christ to leave 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.  In Tuesday's reading, we read that Jesus said that "whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother" (Mark 3:34-35).  This man who has been saved from the legion of demons occupying him understandably does not want to stay in this place with the people who care nothing for his healing.  In this sense of Christ's family, he wishes to come with Jesus and the disciples.  But Jesus has a better plan, a mission for him, and sends him out to the Decapolis, this mixed region of Jews and Gentiles, to proclaim the good news of Christ, and give glory to God, to "tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."   And all marveled.

 

 As referenced above, we might very well wonder in the context of today's reading if this forgotten man in the tombs isn't the prime example of Christ's statement when sending out the apostles on their first mission:  "Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  We couple that together with His statement about His own mission:  "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).  When we combine these with Jesus' parable of the Lost Sheep found in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 15:4-7), it leads us to consider Christ's determined journey across the Sea of Galilee, and through a terrifying storm, to get to this forsaken place of the man who lived in the tombs.  Perhaps taken in this vein and with these other images from the Gospels and Christ's teachings, today's reading about the Gadarene demoniac, possessed by a legion of demons, might well serve as a powerful illustration of the will of God to save even one lost sheep out of one hundred, and to make every effort, to take every risk, to do so.  We pause to wonder why indeed Christ gave the command (see yesterday's reading, above) to His disciples to sail across the sea through the perilous wind and waves.  Certainly today's reading gives us no clue that the rest of the people who populate the story -- the swineherders and villagers who come to Christ only to ask Him to leave -- are those willing to become His disciples or believers in any way.  They reject Him and beg Him to go; they are only frightened by the exorcism that saved the man possessed by the legion of demons.  In the conclusion to the parable of the Lost Sheep, Jesus tells His listeners that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  Christ's journey across the sea with the disciples to this forlorn man affirms that in the sight of God every effort is worthwhile to save even one.  It tells us of the value of human beings (as my study Bible pointed out, above), and it tells us of our Liberator or Savior, the One who frees this man from his prison among the tombs and held by this legion of demons.  Since today's Gospel reading uses the language of the military, speaking of a legion of "occupying" demons holding this man in spiritual imprisonment, who is literally bound with chains and shackles, it also speaks to us of the spiritual warfare in which our world -- and the souls, hearts, and minds of human beings -- is the battleground.  It assures us that not only is Christ the true Chief Commander of the spiritual world, but that He is also a Deliverer who will spare no effort to rescue us from the things that bind us and imprison us and make us slaves (John 8:34).  Indeed, the world and those who surround us may deter such a journey of liberation at every step, and scoff at Christ's salvation, even reject us when we are healed as do the swineherders and townspeople in today's reading, but nonetheless our salvation is incomparably more valuable than "fitting in" with such neighbors who do not bear our best hope in mind.  Ask any recovering addict, or perhaps those for whom the light of Christ commands any personal change, and we may find a kind of shunning that accompanies such healing.  Let us give thanks for that which is incomparably greater than a neglectful status quo that accepts what ails us as normal, and is frightened by the power of recovery it can't understand.  For we are also told that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:5).  There will always be those who prefer the darkness, but Christ will have a new mission, a new life, for each one of His own.  For this is the Lord's compassion, and as far as we know, that is limitless.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few

 

 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  

 

- Matthew 9:35—10:4 

 

Yesterday we read that two blind men followed Jesus, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"  But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

 

  Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."   This phrase, like sheep having no shepherd, is similar to the language in Mark 6:34, which we read as a description of the crowd of 5,000 which Jesus will feed in the wilderness (see Mark 6:30-44).  Here the words weary and scattered describe the crowd, meaning that they were like those cast aside from the world, exhausted in their struggles.  In a sense, it's a description of those who are figuratively "homeless" -- like sheep having no shepherd, who need His good guidance and love, His compassion.  In yesterday's commentary, we remarked upon Christ's gathering of the outcast, the poor in spirit, the outliers in some sense.  Here the description of these people exemplifies those to whom He has come to extend His care, His church.  His comment,  "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" teaches us that this is indeed how He views these multitudes.

 

 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:  first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.   My study Bible comments that disciples and apostles are often used interchangeably for the twelve.  Jesus gave them power to perform miracles, while He performed them by His own power.  It notes that he names of the Twelve are not the same in all lists, because many people had more than one name.  Here the names are given in pairs, which suggests who might have traveled together on their "first missionary journey," as St. Mark tells us that they were sent out two by two (Mark 6:7).  

 

It's very interesting to note how Jesus fulfills the needs He encounters in the people, as He goes out preaching, teaching and healing.  At this point in His ministry, He's encountering multitudes who are like sheep without a shepherd, weary and scattered.  As commented above, this description gives us a sense of people who are beleaguered by life, in some sense cast off by the society that does not feed them what they need.   They need a true leader, someone to guide them, and clearly that Someone is Jesus, who is our true and good Shepherd (see John 10:1-30).  This description of the multitudes sounds like something that many "multitudes" could relate to today in our world.  Wherever we are, it seems that there are a lot of people feeling like they are in need of a shepherd, who may feel cast off and even without a deep sense of community.  Christ responds in a characteristic way, which is not sad nor diminished in optimism, but rather quite the opposite.  He sees these seemingly lost multitudes as a harvest which is plentiful for His future Church, but that there is simply a need of more laborers to gather them.   These are the people He has come to gather to Himself, to guide as Shepherd.  They are the lost sheep who need Him.  And now is the time not simply to minister to them, but to expand His ministry by extending His power to His disciples who will now become apostles.  After calling the Twelve, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. This is what Christ has come to do, and it is an opportunity for the glory of God and the power of Christ to manifest itself and grow within human beings.  These are the ones He has come for, and this is the way that His Church will be built.  Christ at once gives us many things characteristic of Himself and His work:  if something is sad, or weak, or broken, or in need of healing or care in our sight, it is an opportunity for His work, His power, His energy.  If something is cast off, He can gather it to Himself, and the ones who are scattered He can gather into His community.  And He will do this by extending His power through human beings, the faithful disciples.  This is also, if we look closely, the characteristics of the Cross, for in what appears to us sad or broken or needful, and invites despair, there is God who can work even through all things.  Just as St. Paul was told that God's strength was made perfect in his weakness (1 Corinthians 12:9), so grace works through the things that look "less than" to us, and Christ's greatest power continues to work through the Cross, even defeating death.  Let us look to that grace for all the surprising, uplifting, and beautiful things it can bring into our lives as well.  For we may all be laborers in whatever ways we are called.  

 

 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed

 

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them. 

 

 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 

 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.   When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next town, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in the synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 

 

 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction. 

 

- Mark 1:29–45 

 

On Saturday, we read that after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel." And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught  them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

 

  Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  My study Bible comments that this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) tell us that Peter was married.  Additionally, it notes that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  Here, He heals by touch; at other times He heals with a word (Matthew 8:13).  This healing is immediate and complete; others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or need the cooperation of the person being healed or that person's loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  

 

  At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Once again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, we note St. Mark's repeated emphasis on what is called the Messianic Secret, as He did not allow the demons to speak.  That is, the heretofore kept secret of Jesus' identity as Christ, the Messiah.  

 

 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.   When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next town, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in the synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study Bible comments that Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Although He is God incarnate, Jesus prayed continually, and frequently found a solitary place in order to be free from distraction.  This is despite the multitude's need of Him.  Christ's ministry comes forth from His communion with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, and from there flows to the people in their needs.  Christ's praying in the morning shows us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and after that we will be equipped to serve others.  

 

  Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.   My study Bible tells us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 gives us a description of the purification of lepers and leprous houses, which was a duty entrusted to the priests.  It says also that leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclear was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), however Jesus touched the leper, expressing His compassion, and showing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean (Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).

 

In today's reading, we receive the clear message that there is a type of warfare going on behind the scenes, so to speak, in our world.  That is, there are unclean spirits, demons, created beings of a spiritual nature who are in opposition to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These are beings created as angels, but as Scripture illustrates in various places, they have chosen to oppose the plans of God.  Most particularly this oppositional force is focused on human beings.  As we can see, Christ Himself is the divine Son, He is God, and therefore they are powerless to oppose Him.  All forms of healing seem to be seamlessly mixed with Christ's power to cast out the demons.  Often it is the demons who cause disease or illness in the Gospels, but their effects may be many and quite varied.  What we find in today's reading is interesting for its revealing of the recognition by the demons of who Jesus is.  Just as in yesterday's reading, they are subject to Christ's commands ("Be quiet . . . !"); in today's reading, we're told, He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Besides the fact that this Messianic Secret must be kept, besides the fact that all things in Christ's ministry must unfold in accordance with the Father, and therefore the revelation of His identity as Christ must come later, there might be another reason why we should take it seriously that Jesus forbids the demons or unclean spirits from speaking.  In Christ's time practices calling on such spirits or demonic powers were widespread.  Indeed we read in the Bible of prophesy or divination or magic or other practices by all kinds of means, and always with demonic influence of one kind or another involved.  We, in our modern sense of history without context, may completely underestimate how common such involvement was, for even the pagan gods that were worshiped were considered to be a part of these spiritual forces in opposition to the Holy Trinity and the other spiritual powers (or angels of various types) loyal to God.  Therefore, when we read that Christ forbade the demons or unclean spirits from speaking, we should consider that this is a powerful message in the context of these warring spiritual powers who also contest for human involvement in such practices.  That is, in terms of the practice of ritual magic, or even the common pagan worship of Christ's time, and many other such practices, there is a subtle message here that even if the demons seem to know something that is true, we as followers of Christ are never to go there.  Even with true information, such as that Jesus is the Christ, it's God's will that is supreme and that we must seek -- for all of salvation must work not in accordance with any random acts or bits of information, but for a specific pattern that unfolds in the right way and the right time (as we discussed in yesterday's commentary).  These sorts of practices that involve arcane knowledge or magic of one type or another are misleading at best, often causing trouble to those who practice or seek it, and leading to bad ends, especially involving people in evil they don't understand.  It's important that in our time we take this seriously, for there are all kinds of ways in which popular culture seems to take on a veneer of interest and curiosity in such practices under their many guises, and for varied reasons given.  Jesus' commands to the demons tell us not only who is the more powerful, but also give us the message of separation.  There is no compromise with evil.  Our God is not who we manipulate or coerce to do us favors.  The God we worship is the One who needs nothing from us, who loves us, and who offers us salvation instead, and shows us the way to walk in the light.  Let us not be tempted by the dark, but seek God's will only in all that we do, first.  Jesus shows us the way by starting everything with prayer.  Such manipulative practices as discussed above seek specific outcomes, view life in material terms alone.  A modern materialist mindset would tend to view outcomes as the one important value:  Christ's healings, for example.  But Christ begins with solitary time in prayer with God first, for this is our Source for all things, including which outcome is important and when.  For we can't know what God knows, but we can always seek God's will as Christ does.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who is my neighbor?

 

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  

 

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'   So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  

 

- Luke 10:25–37 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy apostles Christ appointed returned with joy from their mission, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

  And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."   In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is asked, "What is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  He responds with a teaching of these two commandments spoken here in today's reading, adding that on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets (see Matthew 22:36-40).  In today's reading, Jesus says, "Do this and you will live."  See also Ezekiel 18:19-32 from today's reading for another context to Christ's words, "Do this and you will live."

 

 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."  My study Bible explains here that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, on the other hand, was notorious as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves, it says, speaks to the natural consequences of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  

 

"Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side."  My study Bible comments that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds do not accompany them.   It cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who writes, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  Moreover, that the priest and the Levite do not help the man also indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.

 

 "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  My study Bible notes that this Samaritan is a despised foreigner, and at the same time in this story he is an image of Christ (John 8:48), for Christ "came down from heaven" (the Creed) to save even those in rebellion against Him.  

 

"So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'   So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  My study Bible comments that the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images.  The bandages suggest the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil stands in for the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  The wine tells us of the communion of Christ's divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  That the Samaritan set the man on his own animal suggests Christ who bears our sins in His own body.  Finally, the inn is the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Jesus Himself pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).  

 

Today's lectionary reading (as indicated in commentary above) also includes a passage from Ezekiel in which God expresses the ways in which people shall live and not die; each is responsible for his or her own sins; if a sinful person turns to righteousness they shall live -- and if a righteous person turns to sin he or she will not (Ezekiel 18:1-4; 19-32).  Today Jesus gives us the two commandments on which "hang all the Law and the Prophets," which are found at Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  The lawyer, then, asks what might be considered a clever question, "And who is my neighbor?"  Jesus' answer is to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which we come to understand that to be a neighbor is to practice something, to do something -- and that is to live a life following Christ, one of compassion.    In the Epistle of St. James, he writes extensively about faith and works, and how they go hand in hand (see James 2:14-26).  There should not be one without the other; neither can save alone.  When he writes that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), he is telling us that we need to live our faith, not simply believe but fail to practice what our faith teaches.  Jesus expresses the same when He points to His spiritual family of mother and brothers:  "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  (See this reading.)   The story of the Good Samaritan in today's reading is an even more explicit and frankly, brilliant, illustration of what it means to live our faith, for it not only touches on the active compassion of the Samaritan, but it even tells us that what it means to be a neighbor is similar to what it takes to be mother or brother or sister to Christ.  It means living our faith, hearing and doing.  Not either one alone, but both, together.  Hearing the word, and doing it; receiving it into our hearts, and living it.  This is where Christ asks us to be in our lives, a living embodiment of the word He teaches, which He receives from the Father.  So much so, that we not only become faithful, but we become a neighbor.  Jesus tells the lawyer, "Go and do likewise."  Let us note that the Samaritan in our parable shows compassion to one who fell among thieves, who strays and is hurt on the wrong path in life.  So should we understand what it is to help those in need of our help, and welcome them back to the inn of our Lord.  For today's parable not only teaches us about being a neighbor, but also that the nature of our Church is to be a hospital, caring for those who need its compassion and active love.  Perhaps it is here we should note that this beautiful parable is found only in the Gospel of St. Luke, who is known also to us in the Church as the "beloved physician."