The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here

 

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  

 

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.   For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

 

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 

- Matthew 12:33-42 

 

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Jesus who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against  himself.  How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.   Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age of in the age to come."

 

  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  Here Jesus rephrases His teaching from the Sermon on the Mount:  "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:18-20).  In the continuity of the Scriptures and of the mission of God for salvation, we find this same phrase used by St. John the Baptist for the Pharisees and Sadducees, religious leaders of the temple, "Brood of vipers!"  Here Jesus replies to the Pharisees who have accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the ruler of the demons, the devil (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible explains that the Pharisees formed a lay religious movement which was centered on the study of the Law and on strict observance of its regulations.  They believed in the resurrection of the dead, and cherished a messianic hope, but they taught that righteousness is attained on the strength of one's works according to the Law, and that the Messiah would be merely a glorious man.  This isn't the last time Jesus will use this title for them ("Brood of vipers"; see also Matthew 23:33).  My study Bible explains that it indicates their deception and malice, and their being under the influence of Satan.  Brood means offspring.

 

 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.   For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  My study Bible teaches us that the heart in Scripture refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It says that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  And, on the other hand, when malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion (see also Matthew 6:22-23).  

 

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  My study Bible comments that, after so many signs, the Pharisees show their wickedness by demanding yet another.  Jesus does not cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent.  The only sign to them, my study Bible notes, will be Christ's Passion and Resurrection -- "the sign of the prophet Jonah" to which Jesus refers in His response.   

 

 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  Adulterous generation is another echo of the prophets.  This was the illustration they used when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 3; Hosea 2:2-13).  

 

In a perhaps inadvertent way, Jesus teaches us through His response to the Pharisees that human beings participate in setting certain standards for the world when it comes to the judgment of which He speaks.  Those who fail to heed to work of God in the world -- that is, the work of the Holy Spirit that spoke through the prophets or that casts out demons (see yesterday's reading, above) -- will be judged by the standards of those who did.  Jesus compares the Pharisees to even those who came from outside of the Jewish tradition, and heeded the wisdom of the God of Israel spoken to them.  He uses the example of the Gentile people of Nineveh who repented at the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3), and the queen of the South (1 Kings 10:1-13), also a Gentile, who came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.  These outsiders heeded the God of Israel, and yet the Pharisees fail to recognize who is standing among them, despite the great works He's done in their midst -- "and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  It gives us a kind of clue about the spiritual possibilities of human beings, and indeed our capacity for understanding and receiving the wisdom of God.  Since this includes even these examples of Gentiles like the Queen of Sheba (the queen of the South) who came from outside of Israel, or the Ninevites to whom Jonah was sent, it teaches us a universal lesson that is inclusive of all.  These men to whom Jesus speaks, the Pharisees who spend their days immersed in Scripture and its interpretations, scrupulously following all the commands they can find, nonetheless remain blind to the things those outsiders perceived.  But their condition is even worse than blindness; it's a deliberate blindness.  Jesus calls them "Brood of vipers," indicating that they not only are not heeding the God of Israel, but following a different "father," and that they are the offspring of that father, the devil (see John 8:39-47).  In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus told these men, "He who is not with me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."  This teaches us about the absence of neutral; that when it comes to matters that are spiritual, we make choices, and either we seek to be children of God, or we turn the other direction.  Moreover, we're on an equal playing field in the sense that even these learned men, rulers in the Council, with their knowledge of the Scriptures, are rendered in Christ's sight, a "brood of vipers," while the Gentiles He names are examples that will serve as comparison to them in the judgment to come, over which Christ will preside.  Again, we're given a sort of illustration of God who lifts up the lowly and pulls down the mighty (Luke 1:46-55), and this applies even in spiritual or religious terms.  The Pharisees who represent the learned and most observant are blind in their hypocrisy, and their hearts are far from God.  They demand a sign, proofs for what they do not desire to see.  It teaches us about the importance of a heart open in humility, one pure enough to see that which is not defined by the purely worldly.  

 

 

 

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment

 

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

 

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks  after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 

- Matthew 12:33-42 

 

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Christ who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

 

  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Jesus begins by once again speaking of the heart, and how the depths of the heart bring out what is there through speech.  This is why we, as followers of Christ, practice the guarding of our hearts, and seek to know ourselves in this sense.  We bring all things to Christ for our own healing, thus seeking to make the tree good.  Jesus uses the title brood of vipers for the Pharisees, echoing John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7).  My study Bible says this title indicates their deception and malice, and their being under the influence of Satan -- just as they accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the ruler of the demons (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible explains that the heart in Scripture refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It comments that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  On the other hand, it notes, when malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion.  

 

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks  after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  After so many signs, my study Bible notes, the Pharisees show their wickedness by demanding yet another.  Jesus does not cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent.  The only sign for them will be Christ's Passion and Resurrection; this is the sign of the prophet Jonah Jesus refers to.  He mentions the men of Nineveh who repented at Jonah's preaching (see Jonah 3), and the queen of the South is the queen of Sheba (see 1 Kings 10:1-13, 2 Chronicles 9:1-12).  Adulterous generation is an echo of the illustration used for Israel by the prophets when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 3; Hosea 2:2-13).  

 

Our words are important, and Christ seems to teach and affirm this in ways which are significant throughout His teachings.  For example, when He preaches in the Sermon on the Mount, He likens name-calling to the statute against murder.  See Matthew 5:21-26.  He also suggests the importance of our words -- or really the powerful use of words in sticking to the minimum we need -- a little farther along in the Sermon on the Mount, when He speaks of swearing oaths (Mathew 5:33-37).  There He teaches us, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."  A simple integrity seems straightforward enough, yet how hard is it for us to adhere to this in the heat of a moment, or in times of fear or stress?  But in today's reading, He takes this emphasis on our words to deeper and more profound levels.  He says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."  What does one find in the abundance of your heart?  My heart?  Anyone's heart?  This is a great, and apparently grave question.  For Jesus teaches that we will indeed by judged by those words, and He doesn't speak lightly regarding this judgment.  Even every "idle word" counts.  He says, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Good and evil, justified and condemned:  these are very strong words, indeed.  And yet, the One who teaches us that our words matter so deeply, the One who has fashioned His teachings with such words that they withstand 2,000 years of history to speak to us so clearly -- certainly knows what He is saying, for He Himself is the judge.  He Himself is the only One who really knows the hearts of people (Acts 1:24; 1 Kings 8:39).  If we take His words seriously, then we should begin to take our words more seriously than we usually seem to do.  Particularly if we're talking about "conversation" on the internet, where it's so easy to express an opinion, to "flame" someone with language we might not normally reserve for in-person encounters, we should think about what Jesus has said here.  He, again, isn't just the Judge; He is the Logos Himself, the Word.  He knows the power of words, and He, as Lord, spoke the world into existence at creation (Genesis 1:3).  It's a powerful thing to ponder just what kind of words we may use if we consider that it is also Jesus who taught us that the Holy Spirit Himself would give us words for testimony in times of trial and persecution before the powerful.  Jesus told the apostles in preparing for their first mission, "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matthew 10:19-20).  Consider that it is the Logos, the Christ, who teaches us that the Spirit who proceeds from our Father will speak in us and give us words -- well, that's quite a staggering achievement to grant any human being.  We might call it truly a manifestation of God in and of itself on such an occasion.  Words are so important that Christ gives such testimony primary importance for the apostles as they go out into the world.  We live in a time when the world is encircled and enmeshed within telecommunications almost instantaneously transmitting one word to another across continents and oceans.  And yet, how we do need to take His words seriously!  How we could thrive with a sense of integrity that He asks of us!  How life could be meaningful and profound if we paid attention to what we said with the knowledge that it reveals whatever is in the heart, and that we will be judged by it.  Let us give thought to the power of words, the power He Himself teaches us all about, and exemplifies as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit

 

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 

- Matthew 12:33-42 

 

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Jesus who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." 

 

  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Here is a call for discernment, and attention to the inner spiritual state of a person.  What we have read so far (over the course of the past two readings) is a growing depth of intransigence on the part of these Pharisees, religious leaders.  Their hard-heartedness and self-righteousness blinds them to repentance, to the words of Christ, and even to see the powerful healing He has done for what it is, the sign of holy power at work.  Jesus has just criticized them for blaspheming against the Holy Spirit in accusing Him of working by the power of demons.  Here He addresses the state of their interior lives, using the analogy of a tree and its fruit.  Brood of vipers is a term used by John the Baptist to address the religious leaders who came to him in the wilderness, also indicating a lack of capacity for repentance, for opening minds and hearts to the Lord's work.  (See Matthew 3:7.)  "Brood" means offspring.   My study Bible explains that the heart in Scripture is a reference to the center of consciousness.  It notes that the heart is the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  Here Jesus speaks of the good treasure of the heart:  my study Bible says that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  But on the contrary, when the heart is captured by malice and evil, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion (see Matthew 6:23). 

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  Imagine that!  After so many signs, here these scribes and Pharisees demand yet another.  My study Bible says that they show their wickedness by so doing.  It points out for us that Christ will not cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent. 

 

 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  The term adulterous generation is an echo of the illustration for Israel used by the prophets, in the times when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 3; Hosea 2:2-13).   The sign of the prophet Jonah is Christ's Passion and Resurrection; it is the only sign these who duplicitously demand signs from Him will receive.  In the heart of the earth refers to Christ's entombment. 

 

"The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."   Here again Jesus affirms that the response to Him is the pivot point for judgment, and makes more full the analogy to the prophet Jonah (see Jonah 1 - 4).  Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh, and did not want to go to these strangers who worshiped foreign gods.  But they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and Christ, a greater than Jonah, is here before them.  The queen of the South is the Queen of Sheba, whose origins trace to the Red Sea region bordered by Ethiopia and Yemen, thereby controlling one of the earliest ancient trade routes, source of great wealth.  But together with her wealth, her understanding gave her the reverence for the greater value of holy wisdom, which is also understood to be the provenance of our Lord.  And a greater than Solomon, Christ Incarnate, is here before them.

In today's reading, Jesus teaches, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  In this sense, Jesus continues from His analogy of human beings to trees; in these words, He is comparing the words we speak to the fruit that a tree bears.  If a tree is diseased or blighted, it will not bear good fruit.  One must carefully cultivate and prune and pay attention to trees with the proper medicine, otherwise they can bear many afflictions, and the fruit will not be good or edible.  So it is with human beings, only we cannot be corrected successfully from the outside.  Whatever medicine is offered, whatever words Christ teaches, if we don't take them to heart and apply them, then how will we be corrected, how will the things that afflict us be healed so that we may bear good fruit?  If we are bitter with envy, this can blight our capacity for bearing good fruit, and afflict our souls, just as it does the Pharisees and scribes in today's reading.  In yesterday's reading, the Pharisees labeled the work of the Holy Spirit (Christ's signs or healing miracles) the work of demons, thus blaspheming the Spirit.  If we are so spiritually blind that we would do the same, then how is the grace of the Holy Spirit to be at work in us, healing us of what ails, and giving us spiritual medicine to repair our hearts?   In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul writes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  If we put together St. Paul's "fruit of the Spirit" with Christ's demand that we make the tree good in order to bear good fruit, then it stands to reason that opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit and the ways that the Spirit can be at work in us and in our lives is a key to the "good treasures" of the heart that may be brought forth as "good things."  So important is this for understanding that Jesus underscores the point by teaching us that we will give an accounting in the judgment for even every idle word.  Those fruits of the heart, our words, will be the basis for that judgment.  In this context let us again recall the words spoken by these men Jesus is confronting:  they have just pronounced the work of the Holy Spirit to be the work of demons, thereby committing blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  In this light, we have yet another lesson on personal blindness:  blasphemy is the very thing for which they will accuse Jesus and bring Him before Pilate to be crucified.  Let us consider how important the notion of repentance is, the willingness to reconsider what we think we know, opening our hearts to God to be led.  Otherwise we run the risk of projecting our own blindness onto others, our faults we don't wish to see.  Fortunately we have prayer and worship always working for us so that Christ's light can show us the way, revealing to us the things we need to see, and ways we need to change.  For this is real healing; and so important is it that this message is repeated many times:  see Matthew 13:15; John 12:40; Acts 28:27 -- all referencing Isaiah 6:10.  Let us seek the light of grace, the holy wisdom that heals us.

But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God

 

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." 

 

- John 3:16-21 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  My study Bible comments on today's passage that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  Therefore, a person can reject this gift.  But through one's own rejection, one will not be saved and is therefore "condemned" in that sense.  In the Prologue to John's Gospel, we read, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).  The self-exile of rejection, therefore, becomes a deprivation of that right to become children of God, because of the choice not to receive the the light He offers, the "true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world" (John 1:9).

 

 John writes, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  Christ comes into the world on a saving mission.  We can take the image He gives of Himself as the "stronger man" when He is accused by the religious leaders of casting out demons by the power of demons, as illustration of a Deliverer or Savior.  In Mark's Gospel, Jesus asks, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house" (Mark 3:23-27).  This is the image of one who has come to take a strong man's fortress; the initial strong man is the devil who holds people hostage in this world (his "goods").  But Christ is the stronger, who can bind the strong man, and plunder his goods, delivering people from captivity.  This was an image of what it meant that Christ could exorcise demons, to set free and to heal.  So we can look at that particular image He gives of Himself and think of His mission to save the world in those terms.  We can think of those "captive" to the darkness (for any particular reason) who reject the help of the "stronger man," of the Light coming into the world to penetrate that darkness.  Suppose we refuse that help?  Suppose we identify with the darkness instead, and refuse to be "set free" from what we're used to, in the home or fortress of the strong man we know?  This is what it means to fail to receive the Light, to fail to  receive Christ, and reject faith in Him.   Once again, we look carefully at the language of faith to understand belief as "trust," which is the root of the Greek used here.  It implies not so much an intellectual belief about Jesus, as it does a deep experiential response to the Person of Christ, to the Light itself, to the truth.   John provides us with a deeper motivation for the rejection, and John's language employed here indicates not a simple choice or preference, but rather what people love ("men loved darkness rather than light"), and for that matter, what is a first love.  And yes, that word in the Greek text means "love."  This is about a deep response of the heart and soul, not an intellectual persuasion.  We do not love by intellect or even emotion alone, but love comes from a place deeply linked to who we are.  The one act of choice here is in our works, in the "deeds" we do.  And that, indeed, is where we may be asked to change.  What is it we need to hide from the light, and why?  And we must ask, from whom are these deeds thought to be hidden?  For the One who comes to save is the "Heart-knower" from whom nothing is hidden.  But darkness blinds us to this too.  Let us consider only what it means to hide from One who loves us better than we love ourselves, who knows us thoroughly, and wants life and healing for us.  For this is what is refused, and we can only ponder the unfortunate reasons why.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

 

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come into the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 

- John 3:16-21 

 

 Yesterday we read that when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  My study Bible comments on this verse that to show the reason the Son must be crucified ("lifted up" in verse 14; see yesterday's reading above), Jesus declares God's great love not only for Israel, but for the world.  It says that this single verse expresses the whole of the message of John's Gospel, and indeed, of salvation history.  This is the message of God's love, expressed through Jesus Christ.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.   And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come into the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  My study Bible explains that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  Thus, we can reject this gift, and become condemned  through our own rejection.  

Truth and light are concepts central to John's Gospel.  They are images of Christ's being, and also of His action, and the grace which leads us into the Kingdom.  Light and truth are synonymous; they are images of spiritual truth, a desire for the good, and that which leads us into truth should we desire it.  For this reason, John's Gospel is the more mystical or spiritual of the Gospels, the one that conveys how grace works to infuse our lives, through that light and truth, and our desire for it, our response to it.  It's important to understand that while Christ in the fullness of His truth and light is always present, our lives unfold through time.  We, therefore, have time to repent, to change our minds, to grow and to mature.  We have time to change, to seek to desire the light where in the past we ourselves may not have sought it or desired it.  And growing in this light is a journey, a process.  As we can see from the Gospels, the disciples grow in their faith, just as Nicodemus, a perfect example, grows in faith and conviction and understanding from his first appearance in this Gospel (see Monday's reading).  What constitutes acceptance and desire for this gift of light and truth is something that only Christ judges, for we are not the Heart-knower, not the Judge.  In chapter 5, Jesus reiterates what is written here in today's reading:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).  But He goes on to explain that because He is the Son of Man, He is given authority by the Father to judge; and even so, "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (see John 5:24-30).  We are assured that the depth of our hearts is seen and known, for Christ's sight penetrates us in places even we don't know ourselves.  As life unfolds, we may "walk in the light" with Christ (see John 8:12, 11:9-10, 12:35).  We will find a deepening of this process; perhaps there will be things we need to review or retrace, or new obstacles within ourselves to contend with.  It is not a one-time choice but an everyday, lifelong reality in which we are met with this offer of the light that illumines our way into faith and its growth, its deepening, and its work within us.  We should keep in mind that, as the text reads here, to be saved is to enter into His kingdom, for an everlasting life, and so that He may give us life more abundantly (John 10:10).   For His light and His life, we need to accept the grace He offers, and its work in us.  Let us remember that Jesus has just spoken to Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit and Baptism, the birth "from above," and these are Christ's words which explain His mission into the world.

 

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

Annunciation, by Lorenzo Veneziano, 1357.  Lion Polyptcyh (detail), Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

- John 3:16-21

Yesterday we read that when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."   Looking back again at yesterday's reading (above), we recall that Jesus stated, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."   Here is the reason why He must be "lifted up."  Jesus declares God's great love not just for Israel, but for the world.  My study bible claims that this single verse expresses the whole of the message of John's Gospel, and even of salvation history.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  Christ came in order to save and not to condemn.  But human beings also have a role; we have free will.  Therefore we are capable of rejecting what Christ brings into the world, the gift that He offers.  It is that rejection that renders us excluded and outside the therapeutic and salvific effects of the gift.

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  Once again, as in its Prologue, John's Gospel returns to themes of darkness and light, which will also be strongly emphasized in some of Jesus' most beautiful teachings.  As Jesus phrases it, salvation and its acceptance also rests with the heart, and our impulse for truth.  A relationship to God, and our depth of communion with God, rests within this impulse and the freedom with which we open ourselves to that light, even for correction and change.  Let us note that it is only God who truly knows all these depths of the heart, and who can judge them.  Additionally, evil is contrasted with truth.  It is a reminder that those who remain outside the Kingdom include "whoever loves and practices a lie" (Revelation 22:15).

In Christ's explanation of salvation and also the failure to find it, our own role as human beings also counts for something.  We have the power to accept or reject the gift Christ brings to us all.  Phrased in terms of darkness and light, we have the free will to "take in" this light and allow it to operate in ourselves, to bring to light all that is in the heart -- or to resist and reject it.  It reminds us of the role that human beings play in the story of the Incarnation, and especially, as we are in John's Gospel and have recently read the story of the first sign at the wedding at Cana, the role of Mary, the Mother of God.  Luke gives us her assent and interaction with the Archangel Gabriel, at the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38).  Mary first questions what she is told, asking, "How can this be?"  But later, she gives a clear assent to the work of the Holy Spirit that will take place and the plan of God for her life:  "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word."  We may feel, of course, that God can do anything -- which is quite true.  But God's grace also asks for our cooperation.  These words of Mary are not included in the Gospel for nothing; they have great significance for her own role in salvation history, and for the importance granted to human beings by a gracious and loving God.  We have recently been given the first sign in John's Gospel, that of turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana, and this, too, began with words from Mary -- a plea, a prayer, a simple statement to her Son.  These things, and Mary's role in salvation history, serve to enforce the importance of Christ's teaching to Nicodemus regarding the roles that human beings play themselves in salvation.   We don't determine the gift and its action.  But we do have the capacity to reject or accept.  We can be with Mary, stating, "Let it be to me according to your word."  Or we can refuse, in the clear words of Christ here in today's reading.  We may exclude ourselves, and thus guarantee that our hearts are not opened to the work of God the Holy Spirit, illuminating and enlightening what we need to do and guiding our lives according to Christ's commands to find our way into this kingdom.  Jesus contrasts those who love truth with those who do not, a theme which will also run through the Revelation and its images of Judgment.  Let us remember that in Matthew's Gospel, when Christ speaks of Judgment, He speaks of the actions of compassion, a righteousness that looks at the depth of the heart and the truth found there.  His light comes into the world to make us more like Him, to give us discernment, but all of this depends upon a love of and commitment to truth -- the truth of God and our spiritual calling.  Mary, the Mother of God, has throughout the history of the Church, and from its earliest years, been seen as a model for the saints, and one of whom we may ask prayers and intercession, just the same as if one would ask a fellow faithful parishioner for their prayers and intercession at a time of special need.  Let us consider the role she plays for us, the human character she no doubt contributed to the Incarnation of her Son, and her "yes" to God's word and God's grace, God's calling for her.  Among the names attributed to her in the Church, many frequently express her character of compassion.  Among so many other titles, she is called, "Joy of All Who Sorrow," "Lady of Perpetual Help," "The One Who Comes Quickly to Help,"  "The One who is Quick to Hear," and so many more.  St. Chrysostom called her "Mary Help of Christians," and in Luke's Gospel, the Archangel Gabriel greets her as one who is already "full of grace."   In the historical view of the Church, she is the human being who serves as the prime example of that to which the rest of us aspire, the greatest of the saints, whose assent was fully to the grace of God and God's gift of salvation.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.   And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

- John 3:1-21

Yesterday we read that the Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."   Nicodemus, we're told, is a man of the Pharisees, and a ruler of the Jews.  This makes him an important man, a member of the ruling Council, also known as the Sanhedrin.  My study bible's emphasis is on faith; here Nicodemus believes that Jesus was from God, but his faith is still weak, as he is afraid of his peers and thus he came to Jesus by night.   But later on, after this conversation, Nicodemus's faith will grow to the point of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (7:50-51).  Eventually, he will also come to make the bold public expression of faith of preparing and entombing our Lord's body (19:39-42), along with another wealthy and distinguished man, Joseph of Arimathea.   According to some early sources, my study bible notes, Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and consequently he was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."   The word translated as "again" in born again can also be translated "from above."  It clearly refers to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (1:12-13).  The heavenly birth referred to in today's passage is baptism, and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7), my study bible says.  Clearly the new birth is the beginning of spiritual life; the goal is entrance into the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"   A misunderstanding by Nicodemus; he questions the possibility of a second physical birth.  Emphasizing the need for insight, for spiritual eyes and ears in the practice of our faith, misunderstandings like this occur frequently in John's Gospel (see 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  Jesus uses such opportunities to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal one.

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"   To be born of water and Spirit is a direct reference to Christian baptism, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit given at chrismation.   This is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."   This is a play on words.  The Greek word pneuma/πνεῦμα means both wind and Spirit.   My study bible says that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  So also the Spirit moves where He desires, and cannot contained by human ideas or agendas.

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."  St. John Chrysostom teaches that Jesus uses the phrase earthly things to refer to grace and to baptism which is given to human beings.  They are earthly, not in the sense of "unspiritual,"  but rather in the sense that they occur on earth and are given to creatures.   Heavenly things, by contrast, involve the unknowable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father; they relate to the Son's eternal existence before all time and also to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.   My study bible says that a person must first grasp the ways in which God works among human beings before one can begin to understand those things which pertain to properly only to God and relations of the Holy Trinity.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  Moses lifted up an image of a serpent in order to cure the Israelites from deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).   This miracle-working image prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross.   As believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, my study bible says, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them.  As the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of the death of Christ becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  It's not always that we get a reason for why things happen in life, but here is this reason straight from the mouth of Christ Himself.  To show the reason why the Son must be crucified (or "lifted up"), Jesus declares God's great love not only for Israel, but for the world.  This is our answer.  This single verse, my study bible tells us, expresses the whole of the message of John's Gospel -- and indeed it is true for all of salvation history.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."   Christ came to save and not to condemn.   But human beings have free will; therefore we are capable of rejecting this gift.  People become condemned by their own rejection of the light of life which is in Christ.

Why this mission into the world?  Why the Cross?  Theology and the Church may come up with many answers to such questions, and through time we will receive more, but here in John's Gospel, we are given the most central and wide-ranging and foundational answer for all:  "For God so loved the world."   Everything starts with God's love.   John's Gospel began with its Prologue, echoing the words of Genesis, "In the beginning."  And, following that echo, John gave us the first seven days in Jesus' ministry, culminating with the first sign at the wedding in Cana, and then a day of rest for Himself and those who were with Him (2:1-12).   In the creation story of Genesis, God's acts are punctuated by God's thoughts; we're told that "God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25).  But after God's final culminating act of creation, it was more than good.  Genesis 1:31 tells us, "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good" (my italics added).   This word for "good" in both Hebrew and Greek means more than good.  It also means "beautiful."  It can mean "pleasing," "excellent," "valuable," "worthy."  All of these adjectives fit the ways in which God viewed the world, God's creation.  But John's Gospel gives us the deeper understanding of God's perspective:  God so loves this world that God gives God's only-begotten Son -- so that whoever believes in Him may have everlasting life.  Notice that we are part of the wholeness of the beautiful, worthy, good creation of the world -- and God wishes to offer us eternal life through the Son, who is life (14:6).   Therefore, this life that we are offered is something merited by the full goodness and beauty of the world, and is fitting to it.  It is like a "blessing of blessings":  whatever God has already created as good is bestowed with a grace that exceeds all good, bringing out of its potentials greater good;  that we may have life more abundantly (10:10).  Whatever are the great blessings and potentials that grace can bring, evoke, multiply, and manifest, what we are given is a picture of the wholeness and completeness of the inherent and basic goodness of our world and ourselves as part of this created world.  It is good and beautiful, and so beloved of God that it is worth God's sacrifice, and we may come to eternal life through belief in the Son who is sent to our beloved world.  This is a picture of the wholeness of life, that regardless of what we see and experience, however it may be that there is a "fallenness" or darkness or evil that has made itself present to our world, this does not touch the basic goodness or the fact of God's love for the world.  And that is what we can take as our foundation for life and our understanding of life and where we stand in the whole created order of life.  It is this foundation of goodness, that which is worthy and pleasing, for which God deems the greatest sacrifice of love as God's gift, that sets out how we must view an entire order of creation and ourselves in it.  This act of giving by God is the centerpiece of history in the terms in which Christology sets out what life is all about and what we must be all about.  That promise of life is made so that the life we have may be enhanced without the limits we think we have, but with the abundance that only Christ knows and can promise.  Let us consider what light this love sheds on the meaning of our lives and how it intersects our lives in the here and the now.  What is He asking of us?  What is God offering?  That it is an offer made from love must tell us all about the gift, and what we have to lose when we refuse it.  Let us note a tiny glimpse of what this means hidden here in our reading:  Nicodemus is a Pharisee, an important man among the leaders.  He comes to Christ in faith, despite the fact that it will be the Pharisees who seek to condemn Jesus.  God's love rules out no one, there is nothing in this world inherently not "good."  It is simply a matter of our own acceptance of the gift of life and the light of Christ that makes the difference of grace.   The salvation that is offered is for all the world.

I have sinned by betraying innocent blood

 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced," whom they of the children of Israel priced, "and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

- Matthew 27:1-10

Yesterday we read that Peter sat outside in the courtyard with the servants while Jesus was on trial inside the house of Caiaphas the high priest.  And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."  But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."  And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."  But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"  And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."  Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"  Immediately a rooster crowed.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So he went out and wept bitterly.

  When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.  And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.   The religious Law dictated that the penalty for blasphemers was death (Leviticus 24:16).  But under Roman occupation, the Jews were prohibited from carrying out an execution.  Therefore they had to get permission from the the governor. 

Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood."  And they said, "What is that to us?  You see to it!"  Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.  But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood."  And they consulted together and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."  My study bible contrasts Judas to Peter.  Peter repented in his sorrow (see yesterday's reading, above, in which Peter wept bitterly).   It notes that Judas is remorseful but does not repent.  Suicide, it says, is not a sign of repentance but rather of self-absorption.  Two accounts of Judas' suicide are given in the New Testament, here and in Acts 1:16-19.

My study bible contrasts Judas' act of suicide with Peter's repentance.  If we look carefully at the differences we can perhaps find some important distinctions.  In Jewish Law, there was no such thing as allowance for "blood money" penalties.  That is, the only punishment for murder was death; it was not allowed to pay a financial penalty in recompense for murder.  The money from Judas is considered "the price of blood" by the chief priests, and therefore unlawful for the treasury.  Judas carries out his own penalty for murder, and hangs himself.   Judas recognizes, after Jesus' condemnation, that he has "sinned by betraying innocent blood."  But the chief priests and elders can do nothing to help him, he is to "see to it" himself -- and so he does.  We must contrast this with Peter who, although he has not betrayed "innocent blood" in the same sense that Judas has, nevertheless has denied Christ and repented through "bitter tears."  Peter's denial also comes in the face of a refusal to heed Christ's words to him prophesying the denial.  For many, the key difference here is that Peter will return to Christ and to the Church, and Judas does not.  Is there hope for Judas?  We noted in the commentary in Tuesday's reading (in which Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss) that Jesus immediately addressed Judas, saying, "Friend, why have you come?"  Jesus, even after betrayal, is still attempting to save Judas.  It seems clear from Jesus' question that He attempts to engage Judas, not to condemn, but to assure him that there is a possibility of return even then.  But Judas does not return to Christ, nor does he return to the other apostles.  We don't know, of course, what his reception with the other apostles would have been, but it is clear that whatever place in which he experiences his remorse is devoid of mercy or redemption.  He is engaged only with a system in which the penalty for his action is death -- and he does not go to the One who seeks above all else our salvation.  He has given up his life as a follower of Christ.  In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells three parables, each of which affirms God's exemplary joy over even one sinner who repents.  Jesus says in the first parable (of the lost sheep), "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  He repeats after the second parable (of the lost coin), "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  And finally, He tells the parable of the Prodigal Son, with the father declaring, "It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."  This three-fold emphasis on the incredible joy over one who repents, who was lost and is therefore found by returning to his father, must leave us with the assurance that there is none for whom God's love does not desire return.  We can look at the horror of the betrayal of Judas, and its depth of sinfulness, but we are then left with a question.  Do we take Judas' perspective that there is no hope at all, and that he is only deserving of death -- or can we wonder about the possibility of a return to Christ and what Christ's judgment would be?  It's clear that from a worldly perspective, there was only condemnation for Judas, and his own self-imposed exile from Christ limited his option to death by his own hand.  But with Christ, judgment comes only from God, whose love for us is so great that salvation is the key priority to all things, and the joy in heaven that we are assured awaits one who was lost and is found again.  In the story of Judas there is the assurance that although the world would condemn, our hope is with Christ -- even when there is no other hope.  This is the definition of our faith.  St. Paul writes, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  Judas, above all else, lacks this faith, but it is in that very faith that lies our hope when all other possibilities seem to be exhausted.  He lacks the very gift that Christ has brought to us when all else fails.  

Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things?

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

- Matthew 12:33-42

Yesterday we read that one was brought to Christ who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!"   Here Jesus evokes the same thoughts spoken earlier by John the Baptist, also referring to the judgment to come.  In chapter 3, John called the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him for baptism, "Brood of vipers!"    He commanded them, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance," and warned that "even now the ax is laid to the root of the  trees."  He told them, "Every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."   Brood means "children."  To be called brood of vipers is to suggest their deception and malice.  In contradistinction to their accusation that Jesus casts out demons by the power of the ruler of demons (see yesterday's reading, above),  brood of vipers also indicates that these religious leaders are under the direction of Satan.

"How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  In Scripture, my study bible says, the heart refers to the center of consciousness, the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It says that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  On the other hand, however, when malice and evil capture the heart, one becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion.   Although these men think nothing of using their power as religious leaders to make any accusation they choose, Jesus warns them that for every idle word men may speak there will be required an account of it in the day of judgment.  In the strongest terms possible, Jesus teaches us that our words matter.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."   Jesus has already provided many signs of the presence of the Kingdom.  But the Pharisees, my study bible tells us, show their wickedness by demanding yet another sign as "proof" of His identity.   Jesus doesn't cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent.  In His response, He indicates that the only sign to them will be His Passion and Resurrection.

 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  By calling them adulterous, Jesus is using the language of the Old Testament prophets for Israel when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  Once again, there's an irony here, as it is the Pharisees who've just suggested that Jesus casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub.  In the Old Testament, it was Elijah who scathingly condemned King Ahaziah for seeking the word of Beelzebub rather than the God of Israel (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Jesus cites examples of foreigners from the Old Testament who revered the word and works of the God of Israel, saying that in the judgment they will rise up in condemnation of this generation of Israel's leadership (see Jonah 3, 1 Kings 10:1-13).

Jesus teaches us that our words are important.  They mean something.  Often we hear "idle words" all around us that are full of venom, suggesting to us that brood of vipers isn't a concept so very far away at all from what we know.  We see around us, and experience it vividly through social media of all types, a kind of sea of disruption and disregard.  Divisiveness seems to permeate society more greatly than in the past.  As old types of cohesive forces shrink, the things that divide us become stronger.  In the United States, studies have shown a greater and greater polarization based on political outlook, and more specifically, political party, over the past several decades.  While racial and ethnic divides, religious affiliations, and other traditional forms of "belonging" are less strong than in the past, a deeper prejudice and suspicion of those in "the other party" has grown.  We are increasingly likely to live in areas segregated by political affiliation, and we see outright hostility toward "the political other" in many ways.  There are other forms of expression of deepening hostility that are equally troubling, particularly when they take on forms of bullying, which can happen over any issue when one person becomes a target and is deliberately isolated from others.  When we think of Christ's teaching here, that we will give an account of "every idle word" in judgment, it should pull us up short and cause us to pay attention.  If "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned," then how much more should we pay attention to what we say, and take our own words more seriously than we do?  Jesus is speaking to the men who condemn Him, who blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit, but how can we shrug off condemning and judgmental words that come out of our own mouths?  How can we not look around and see slander and heartbreak as a result of casual words that are full of hate or malice?  If this becomes the substance of our social conversation, Jesus' words warn us, then what are we inviting into our society?  It's not an accident that in yesterday's reading, Jesus' words to the Pharisees warn, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."  In the Greek, the emphasis on gathers and scatters is prominent.  To gather is "synagon," to scatter is "skorpizei."  Both words are spiritually suggestive.  One suggests the "synagogue" where people gather to worship the God of Israel.  The other suggests "scorpion" (and is related linguistically because of the nature of its "piercing" tail), an animal used often as metaphor for a devil.  "Diabolos," the word for devil in Greek, means to slander or backbite.  But it's compounded from words that mean to "cast through" -- to sever relationships.   These words suggest to us what evil is and does:  it traduces people and destroys relationships with slander and malice.  In this reading from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compares hostile, abusive language to the statute against murder.  Idle words, those used carelessly and thoughtlessly, and that do tremendous harm, are not simply things to dismiss.   They work against the goals of the good, against what "gathers."  Jesus' words in today's reading are anything but "idle."  He gives us warning on the strongest possible terms, that if we don't watch what we do and say, even in a supposedly meaningless internet conversation, let's say, then we may find ourselves as those cast out -- regardless of what other affiliations we may claim for ourselves.  Let us consider the power of words and what they indicate about the heart.  It's never too late to start to pay attention, to give an account sooner rather than later.