If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes

 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children, within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And He was teaching daily in the temple.  But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.

- Luke 19:41-48

Yesterday we read that, after telling the parable of the Minas, Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"  And they said, "The Lord has need of him."  Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.  And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.  Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:  "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"  And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes."  My study bible explains that Jerusalem means "foundation of peace."  The things that make for your peace are the things of God -- faith in Christ, the one who has come to them.  This is where true peace remains.  My study bible calls this a truth which is hidden from a city that will soon rebel against its Savior.  A false peace is one that suppresses truth in order to achieve a shallow harmony.  But genuine peace is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and a surrender to spiritual truth. Referring to 12:51, my study bible says that genuine peace has division as a byproduct, because not everyone wants this spiritual truth.  In a fallen world, a spiritual battleground, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).

"For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children, within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation."  This destruction of Jerusalem, as foretold by Jesus here, would occur in AD 70.   My study bible says that this also describes the spiritual end of all who lack faith.

Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And He was teaching daily in the temple.  But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.  My study bible explains that those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals which were used for sacrifice.  Among these were also money changers, who would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins, since those coins bearing the image of Caesar were considered defiling in the temple. "My house is a house of prayer" echoes Isaiah 56:7.  Jesus' condemnation, "You have made it a 'den of thieves'" quotes from the prophecy of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:11).

In today's reading, the division that is so much the focus of today's reading, and Christ's prophecy over Jerusalem, begin to manifest.  Jesus has just been welcomed into Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry, as Messiah (see yesterday's reading, above).  But right away, after Jesus' condemnation of what is going on in the temple as He characterizes it to be "a den of thieves" after Jeremiah's prophesy, we're told that while He was teaching daily in the temple . . . the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.  There is this immediate division, between those who rule the temple and the community with power -- the religious leadership -- and the people, who were very attentive to hear Him.  Although clearly there will be divisions stirred up among the people which are coming, at this point one thing is clear:  they universally wish to hear Him.  This happens repeatedly in the Gospels, where people from all walks of life among the Jews wish to hear Jesus speak.  When the tax collectors also gather to hear Him speak is one of the times that mark the turning point in His ministry, at which we have notable criticism from the Pharisees, those in leadership.  Jesus always defends those who come to hear Him, and at this point, after His entrance into Jerusalem, the pilgrims coming from everywhere among the Jews, even the diaspora, want to come to hear this famous Teacher speak.  Somehow this emphasis on the need for all the people hear, with Christ at the center in which there are those who wish to silence Him, tells us something about freedom in the truth.  It serves as underpinning for emphasis that true peace is found in Christ, not in a shallow suppression of division.  In a note on the passage above in which Jesus laments over Jerusalem, and her failure to know the things that make for her peace, my study bible returns us to 12:51, in which Jesus states, "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division."  It reminds us of the wisdom that, in this world and its condition, division is the response to truth.  What is important for us to note in these scenes given to us here is that for the common people, it is desirable at least to hear Christ, while for the leadership their desire is simply to be rid of Him.  In the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, found in Matthew 13, Jesus lays out the reality of such divisions in the world, where the good wheat is closely resembled by the tares, which are indigestible for human beings.  What looks good might not always be good, and requires a "higher power" to sort one thing from another.  The truth is not always obvious to us!  This underlines the importance of prayer, of discernment, of repentance, and humility.  In a time of division and conflict, we need to know what we are about.  The ideals of service and humility stand us in good stead, plus constant prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).   (Regarding "constant prayer" I have added to my Prayers page a text for Prayers of The Hours, modified for personal use.)  Let us remember the condition of our hearts, when the world shows us confusion.   At such times, it is all-important to seek the things that make for our true peace, to find ourselves in God's love.

Take heed that no one deceives you

Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, "I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

- Mark 13:1-13

In our current readings, it is Holy Week.  Jesus daily teaches in the temple, and has been engaged in confrontation with various people in the leadership.  In yesterday's reading, after having discussed with a scribe the greatest commandments in the Law,  Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."   This prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled when the temple was destroyed by the Romans in the Siege of Jerusalem, AD 70.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, "I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows."  Jesus begins a discussion about "end times," which includes both the destruction of the temple and Siege of Jerusalem, as well as a discussion of the end of the world.  My study bible points out that in the entire passage (which will also include verses from our next reading on Monday, up to verse 23), the account of the end times is given in a reverse parallel (called chiastic) form -- the topics mentioned in the first half of the passage are repeated and amplified in the reverse order in the second half.  So this section begins and ends with a warning to take heed about false christs.  The second warning is about wars, the second-to-last (our next reading) is about tribulation. 

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."  Here is the third warning, that His disciples will be delivered up to councils, and the third-to-last -- also about being delivered up, but this time by one's own family members.  But the very center of Jesus' prophecy here is that the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  This is the heart of the apostolic ministry and mission of the Church, my study bible tells us (see Matthew 28:19-20). 

Jesus' warnings about the end times combine both the destruction of the temple (and the Siege of Jerusalem), and the times of the end of the world.  In an apocalyptic sense, these are mixed, as we are to understand that the epoch of "end times" truly begins with Jesus' ministry.  That is, the times in which we live, and the time since Jesus' mission on earth, have been the time of the end.  These images of destruction and conflict, of persecution and turmoil, the warnings of wars and rumors of wars, of false christs, and of all kinds of sorrows -- all of these things are in some sense, both literal and figurative, connected with His mission in the world and His return in Judgment.  Most particularly, His warnings here about persecution to come to His disciples, the preaching of the gospel to all the nations -- and betrayals by those who are closest to oneself -- all of these are connected to "end times" and the coming time of Judgment which closes the age.  The language here is legal, if we look closely, for the centerpiece is testimony.  The preaching of the gospel to all nations is testimony.  And there is direct action of the Holy Spirit:  "But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."  We live in a time of choice, of conflict, and of testimony.  The gospel message going out into the world is one of ongoing mission.  The work of the Holy Spirit in the world is also one of ongoing "mission" -- and all of us are in the center of that mission.  There are those who die for their choice to love Christ, we call them martyrs, and martyr means "witness" in Greek.  The time of this mission and ministry is one of division and of persecution for His followers.  It is a time of choice, of making choices.   It is even a time of being "hated by all for My name's sake."   And most of all, for believers, it is a time of endurance, of enduring to the end, as Jesus says.  There are those who say that faith gives false assurance and security.  There are those for whom faith means a promise of prosperity.  But Jesus promises no such thing to His followers.  Rather He promises a time in which we are called to endure to the end, a time of conflicts and difficult choices, of testing and betrayals even by those whom we love in the world, of hatred for His name's sake.  The mission of Christ in the world to many of us today may not seem to parallel times of great persecution of the early Church and its missionaries, these men to whom Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple and the end times.  We may live in countries where Christianity is well established, even associated with ruling or upper classes.  However, it is also true that we can indeed look around in the world today and find horrific places of Christian persecution on various continents, even genocide in recent memory.    But reading Jesus' words for ourselves, there may truly be times when in our own private lives, we find ourselves at odds with those whom we love "for His name's sake."  One may have to stand out in difficult ways from one's own social circle, regardless of what that particular personal circle is.  That Jesus begins today's reading with a prophecy of the destruction of the extraordinarily splendid temple at Jerusalem, one of the greatest wonders of the world in its time,  is a sign that we're not necessarily going to be prepared for the changes such struggle may bring us.  We find we need courage to follow our faith -- that the fragrant roses of faith are accompanied by things which are not so pleasant and invite us into a struggle rather than a pleasant walk in a park or garden.  In each of our lives, this is the time Jesus promises us, one of great rewards and depth nothing else can touch, but also one worthy of such a price as the struggle it may ask of us.

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

 Then one was brought to Him 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."

- Matthew 12:22-32

Yesterday, we read what happened after some Pharisees had begun to plot against Jesus.   When Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust."

  Then one was brought to Him 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?"  Healing the blind and mute are signs of the Messiah, messianic acts.  The crowd understands this, and so begins to wonder if Jesus could 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."  My study bible points out here that the Pharisees are filled with envy and pride. They find in this miracle a pretext to attack Jesus, accusing Him of having Beelzebub as the source of His power.  "Beelzebub/Ball," it notes, "was the prince perhaps of 'the dung heap' or 'the flies' -- a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16), here he is called ruler of the demons.  Demons do not fight against themselves, but are cast out by God's power through the Holy Spirit, whose action signals the present reality of the Kingdom."

"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."  My study bible tells us, "Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit - the accusation that Jesus healed the demoniac by demonic power rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit (see Mark 3:29-30).  Every sin against the Son of Man can be forgiven, because the Jews do not yet know much about Him.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity they know from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven.  This blasphemy is willful hardness of heart.  It attributes the saving action of the Spirit to Satan and refuses to accept God's forgiveness and mercy."

Once again, Jesus as Son of Man defers to God -- this time in the Person of God the Spirit.  It is the Spirit that will be the judge, that creates judgment, in the sense that those who blaspheme the work of the Spirit are judged.  This tells us something important and essential about the nature of God and the nature of the Spirit.  Not only do these people, as my study bible points out, fully understand the work of the Spirit as they are experts on Scripture already and the spiritual history of Israel, but it is clear from this passage that human beings are capable of receiving an understanding about this work.  The common people wonder, "Could this be the Son of David?"  They at least pay attention to the effects of this ministry, and begin to ask themselves what it means.  But the leadership, jealous for their places, are not doing this.  Instead they continue to merely advance their own authoritative places, and they simply feel a threat from Christ.  They claim to work for God themselves, but they fail to honor the work of God through Jesus' ministry.  It's an important reminder of another teaching of Jesus that "whoever is not against us is for us."   There is a kind of hidden theme within a theme here; even the demons work together.  Who are they therefore working for, who deny the Spirit's presence in this healing?  It comes down to a stark choice, here in today's reading.  The Pharisees are either going to open up their eyes and ears and really look and accept what is happening, or they are going to be fighting something much bigger than they understand.  Jesus compares the "Son of Man" to the Spirit, and even the Son of Man comes short of what it is these men are blaspheming.  As Jesus' ministry continues, the inevitable conflict occurs because of their rejection of the Kingdom that has come near, the work of the Spirit.  And this is what the conflict is all about.  It's not about the Son of Man, but about humility before God, deference to the work of God in the world, to the presence of the Spirit.  It's a mistake to see this conflict in terms of human beings, some believing one thing and others believing another.  That is the point of view of these men who cannot give up their authority to recognize God in their midst, even the actions of the Holy Spirit at work.  The real point of view here, if they should truly be healed by the presence of the Spirit, eyes and ears open, is to wake up to the spiritual work of God.  This is the God who lives, who is.  It is the work of the Spirit that is still moving among us, that is always present, that moves and works in our world, that comes when we call.  The important thing, if we really want to be healed, is to be aware of this spiritual reality and what it asks of us -- especially in how it asks us to grow and to stretch, to open our eyes and ears, and to quit taking the easy way out and defending what should not be defended.  I find that the process of growing in faith asks of me this kind of stretching and growth, to open up my eyes and ears, to heal what needs healing in humility before God.  When we lose that living connection, when we forget that the Spirit is present now to us, in a moment of prayer, then we lose the thread, the real meaning and power behind the Son of Man.  We've been given this tremendous gift.  Let us not refuse it.  Let us not refuse to acknowledge what's on offer because it takes us out of what we think we know.