The voice of one crying in the wilderness

 

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:

"Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, 

 Who will prepare Your way before You."

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the LORD;

Make His paths straight.' "

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.  

 

Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

 

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was  baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days,  tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

 

- Mark 1:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the disciples discussed the appearance of Jesus to the two who walked to Emmaus, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."  But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.  And He said to them, "Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.  But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"  So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence.  Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."  And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up to heaven.  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple and blessing God.  Amen.  Thus ended the Gospel of St. Luke.  Today we begin readings in the Gospel of St. Mark.

 

  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Gospel (Greek ευαγγελιον/evangelion) literally means "good news" or "good tidings."  It was a word used frequently in the Roman world of Christ's time, for missives from the emperor regarding his works or achievements, or other proclamations of the state.  Here, my study Bible explains that it refers not to Mark's writings per se, but it is the story of the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That is, the good news of our salvation.  Beginning points to the opening events of Christ's public ministry. That is, here, the preparation by the one we know as Christ's forerunner, St. John the Baptist, and Christ's encounter with him. 

 

 

As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.' "  St. Mark quotes from Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, giving us the prophecies that are fulfilled in St. John the Baptist's role as forerunner to the Christ.  

 

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.  My study Bible explains that the call to repentance was traditional for prophets.  Note that St. John's baptism is a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins:  it did not grant that remission, but prefigured and prepared people for the baptism of Christ to come.  John is the last and the greatest in the line of the Old Testament type prophets, and is thus a figure of the Law.  Like the Law, my study Bible notes, he denounced sin but could not remit ("put away") sin.  Both John and the Law point to the One who can, and that is Christ.

 

 Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  John is clothed in a manner which is like that of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  It helps to show that he fulfills the prophecy of the return of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6).  Here, we observe John in his role as forerunner to the Christ, preparing the people and pointing the way to the Lord.

 

 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was  baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  This event of Christ's Baptism is known as Theophany (meaning a manifestation of God) or Epiphany ("showing forth" or "manifestation").  It is a revelation of the Holy Trinity, in the Spirit descending like a dove, the Father's voice from heaven, and the naming of Christ as the beloved Son.  In the earliest years of the Church, this event was celebrated together with Nativity (Christmas) on January 6th.  

 

 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days,  tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.  This Christ's temptation by Satan and forty day period in the wilderness is reported in more detail in Matthew 4:1-10 and Luke 4:1-13.  Note the motivating action of the Spirit; He drove Christ into the wilderness to be tempted.  The word translated as "drove" can also be understood as meaning to "throw."

 

In today's reading we are given a kind of continuity of the evolving story of creation and salvation.  In the long and ancient line of Old Testament prophets comes John the Baptist.  He is a prophet himself, and is considered in the Church to be the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets.  But our text tells us, by giving us quotations from Malachi and Isaiah, how John himself fits into what has been prophesied about him -- he who in turn prophesies about Christ, the Messiah.   There is a continuity of expression going hand in hand, from ancient times even to the present, and such sequence and fulfillment of God's ongoing work of creation is here in these words for us, in these images of prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy, and an ever-expanding way of salvation opening and being fulfilled as they move through time and the events of spiritual history.  So, our text makes it clear today that we are being given another important story in that history, perhaps the most important story, the centerpoint of all spiritual history, and that is the advent of Jesus Christ and, in today's reading, the beginning of Christ's public ministry.  John the Baptist, Old Testament style prophet, is the last in a long line of those who prophesy the Messiah, but he also baptizes Christ the Messiah, and so in this sense fulfills a role in the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the world in His public ministry.  As part of this fulfillment of all righteousness,  John helps to facilitate this setting of God's manifestation to the world as the Holy Trinity, in the Spirit descending like a dove upon Jesus, in the voice of the Father making itself present, and the declaration that Jesus is the beloved Son.  Moreover, John himself even steps into a role already created by another, in the clothing and spirit of Elijah who was prophesied to return before the Christ.  This continuity is ever important to us, because what it teaches us is that each of us, from the least to the greatest, have a role to play in this unfolding story.  The expression of the action of the Spirit "throwing" or "driving" Christ into the wilderness to be tempted teaches us about the power of the Spirit at work behind all things.  It teaches us about a pattern of manifestation and fulfillment that has its purpose in God's fulfillment of the potentials and meanings of creation, and that this story is ongoing.  Therefore, each of us, when we seek God's will for our own lives, agrees to play a part in this same story, stepping into the continuity of all those who've come before us, and playing a part in God's work in creation and the ongoing salvation story of all that God has created.  We might not think of ourselves as participants in God's energies and work, but in point of fact we are a part of this creation already whether we think about it this way or not.  Our faith has the power to convey to us how to play a role in that ongoing expression of creation, in God's order and fulfillment of God's purposes.  Our baptism sets us forth as capable, meaning this is what we have to offer back to God, the remission of sins making it possible for the fulfillment of God's purposes of holiness in our lives.  We don't know what may come of the small things we do, but we do know the God's will is love, and that our participation in faith may work to increase that love and give us potentials that help us to manifest it in the world in the ways that God asks us to do so.  St. Paul writes, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  Let us play our part in that purpose, following our saintly ancestors like St. John the Baptist, the messenger sent before Christ.  Let's note also how even the wilderness plays its role in this story of ongoing salvation of all the world.  John the Baptist is the "one crying in the wilderness," and Christ is driven into the wilderness to face temptation by Satan.  All things play a role, and perhaps so do we, even when we may find ourselves also, at times, in the wilderness.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD"

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD,"'

as the prophet Isaiah said."

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

- John 1:19–28 

 

Yesterday we read what is called the Prologue to John's Gospel:   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  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.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  After the Prologue to John's Gospel (above) which introduced us to the divine nature of Christ and His Incarnation in the world, the Gospel shifts to begin the story of the ministry of Christ in the world.  Here we will be given a sequence of seven days, the first week, in keeping with the parallels to the Genesis creation account which began John's Gospel with the words, "In the beginning . . .."  Here we are given the first day, so to speak, of Jesus' ministry, the witness of John the Baptist.  He bears witness to the Light -- the Christ -- in the presence of the Jews (that is, their representatives, the priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem).  My study Bible says this is a parallel to the creation of light on the first day in Genesis 1:3-5.  It emphasizes that John the Baptist is a prophet but not the Prophet; that is, the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  John quotes from Isaiah 40:3, indicating that he is the fulfillment of this part of Isaiah's prophecy.

 

 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.   John's baptism is one of repentance.  This is a traditional call of the prophets.  His baptism did not grant remission of sins, but John here points to the One who is coming who will do so. 

 

 John the Baptist is an extremely important figure in the Gospels and in the life of the Church.  He was widely revered in Israel in his own time, with the people considering him to be a holy man.  The Church has historically viewed John the Baptist as the greatest of all the Old Testament style prophets, and also the last one.  Here he indicates his role in the salvation history of the world, that of the one prophesied by Isaiah, who is the "voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Make straight the way of the LORD.'"  He is the one who comes to proclaim the advent of the Messiah, to prepare the world for the arrival of the King who is coming, as John indicates by describing the Christ as One "preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  John is therefore the herald of the King.  He is titled the "Forerunner" in the Orthodox tradition, just as kings once sent ahead of them those who announce their coming.  John plays this very important and honored role; moreover he does so in the role of a great prophet calling the people back to God.  But if we look upon this event of John's ministry with the perspective of the Church, we have to see what a tremendous role he plays at the center of all spiritual history, for he announces the coming of the One who is the very heart and center of salvation for all time.  In this sense John plays the great role of a most valued servant to the greatest king, someone who serves with devotion and the highest calling.  John is also known to us for his tremendous humility.  He will say of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).  In this sense also of his virtue of humility, John the Baptist serves and has served as inspiration for monastics from the very beginning of the monastic tradition.  For John lived his life in complete devotion to God, to which his poverty gives testimony.  Mark 1:6 tells us, "Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey."  In is service to God, John the Baptist knows is role.  He knows who he is in the salvation story.  And perhaps more importantly, he gives us a sense that we all need to seek whatever that role for ourselves, whatever way God calls us to serve Christ, the heart and center of our faith ("the author and finisher of our faith," St. Paul writes in Hebrews 12:2).  For, as alien as this might sound to modern ears, we are each called to be our own saint, in whatever way we fulfill the role God has for us, whatever way Christ asks us to serve.  For faith is not simply a declaration, it's a way of life, a journey, even an every day adventure.  As we grow in faith, so we also come across new choices to make, and new discernment to learn -- His way.  Each of our lives is unique, just as each saint of the Church we know is unique.  And this is the great adventure, how we are called, how we are asked to live our lives in service to the One at the center of all things.  John the Baptist serves as a great inspiration to all who follow, especially to monastics who dedicate their lives to God in perhaps the most radical ways.  But God calls to each of us who would be disciples.  John heralds the Christ and testifies to Him.  What role does God ask you to play in serving this mission of the Son?  Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about John was his capacity to serve in such a unique way, one who had a mission to serve what no one yet knew.  What that teaches each of us is that no matter where we are, or in what circumstances we find ourselves, God is there leading us also, even in the wilderness.

 

 

 

Hosanna to the Son of David!

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

    "Tell the daughter of Zion,

    'Behold, your King is coming to you,

    Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,

    A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

 

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  

 

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

    "Hosanna to the Son of David!

    'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'

    Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

 

- Matthew 21:1-11 

 

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

 

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  Today's reading describes what is known as Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  We celebrate this event in the Church on Palm Sunday.  My study Bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control, and to reestablish the kingdom of David.  (Hence, the name used by the blind men in yesterday's reading, above, for Christ as Deliverer, "Son of David.")   But, in humility, Jesus explicitly shows -- and through careful direction to the disciples -- that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He doesn't ride on a horse or a chariot, signs of a king's power, but rather on a donkey, which is a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9; see also Isaiah 62:11).  My study Bible also tells us that this entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Moreover, it is a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).   Matthew's gospel reports also a colt as well as a donkey.  In patristic literature, the two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom.  

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  My study Bible comments that the people spread their clothes before Jesus as paying reverence to a King.  Spiritually this is interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, even our lives, for Christ.  

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The cry of the multitudes comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with messianic expectation.  At the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, it was recited daily for six days and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

The people cry Hosanna, meaning "Save, we pray!" as my study Bible's final note indicates.  Let us consider what this means for us, exactly.  Effectively, the people cry out for a Messiah, and one of their own expectations.  But they will get a very different Messiah in Jesus from the one of popular expectation.  As they cry out, Hosanna, desiring a deliverer from the Romans, they will get a Savior of a different kind, with salvation front and center as the message of this King.  Jesus' entrance into the Holy City is this first step in what we call Holy Week, indicating what it means to truly save, and the beginning of this final week of His life which will culminate in the saving act of His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  It is, essentially, an expression of the need to understand not only earthly realities, but the power of heavenly reality intervening, shaping, and transfiguring what we experience of our world and our understanding of ourselves in our place in Creation.  Christ's entrance into Jerusalem parallels and transfigures, as my study Bible indicates, by affirming His entry into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers as the culmination of the salvation of the cosmos, the Creation.  We can't really understand this unless we accept that salvation comes not from war on material terms but from the spiritual power of Christ to save and to heal through faith, and to bring us into that communion of His Church, His Bride.  When we think of this communion, also understood as the Body of Christ, we should think about not only our fellow worshipers whom we know and see, but that entire communion of the faithful which includes the saints of past, present, and future, and even the spiritual beings such as angels of every kind, who worship and recognize Christ as Savior.  For this entrance into what is known as the Holy City, the earthly Jerusalem, serves as initiation for the fullness of what it means to save, and even the fullness of what is to be saved -- not just individual human believers, but an entire Creation that awaits the Savior.  St. Paul affirms this for us when he writes, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now" (Romans 8:22).  St. Paul sees in our salvation -- even in whatever present difficulties we find ourselves through our faith -- the glory of this complete salvation to be revealed.  And this is the fullness that Christ brings to the world, for all that He does is transfiguring, adding dimension to our understanding.  Perhaps the greatest, most astonishing transfiguration of all is the Cross itself -- the horrible instrument of cruelly punishing death becomes the means for salvation for all, "trampling death by death" in the words of the Orthodox Paschal hymn.  Let us begin this journey into Jerusalem with the humble Christ, the Savior, whose means of changing and challenging and shaking the pillars of this world starts with faith.

 

 

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"

 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.

 

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

 

- Matthew 3:13-17 

 

 Yesterday we read that when John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.  My study Bible comments on this passage that Jesus does not need purification.  But by making the purification of humanity His own, He would wash away humanity's sin, grant regeneration, and reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  Therefore, Christ's baptism was necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.  Gregory of Nyssa is quoted as commenting:  "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."  

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  As the Spirit of God hovered over the water at the first creation (Genesis 1:2), now the Holy Spirit comes in the form of a dove to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation, my study Bible comments.  It notes that Jesus does not become the Son of God this day -- rather He is revealed to all as the Son of God on this day.  The Holy Spirit has always rested upon Him.   In the East, the feast day of Epiphany (meaning a manifestation or revelation) or Theophany (meaning a manifestation of God) is celebrated on January 6th.  It commemorates this day and points to the age to come.  In the very early Church, Christ's Nativity (Christmas) and this day (Epiphany) were celebrated together on January 6th, a practice still held in the Armenian Apostolic Church.  

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  This is a quotation from Psalm 2:7, "You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You."  My study Bible notes how the Baptism of Jesus reveals the great mystery of the Trinity:  the Father speaks;  the Holy Spirit descends; the Incarnate Son is baptized.  

 

My study Bible points out the parallel here between Old and New Testaments in the Spirit of God, who, in the Old Testament hovers over the waters at the beginning of Creation, and who here hovers over Christ at this beginning of the New Creation.  These parallels are intentional and filled with meaning, given to us so that we understand the power in these events as given to us through the Scriptures.  In the Creed, the Holy Spirit is called "the Lord, the Creator of Life" (the Greek word Ζωοποιόν/Zoopion is frequently translated as "Giver of Life" or "Life-giver" but is more accurately translated as Creator of Life).  When the Holy Spirit hovers over the waters at the beginning of Creation in Genesis, the Spirit hovers over what is understood to be chaos, the opposite of Creation.  This is the understanding of the Old Testament.  The Holy Spirit is revealed to be hovering over Christ, as the Holy Spirit has always been, at Christ's Baptism.   That is, the power of the Holy Spirit is with Christ, the Son, and Christ's Baptism in effect sanctifies all the waters of the world for Christian Baptism.  It restores the order of Creation, renewing it for purposes meant for our own restoration and regeneration.  As we will see through the exorcisms that Christ performs, His work is to restore order, in some sense, to the chaos that often permeates our world.  How can we, as modern people, understand this chaos?  We see chaos present where there are great sins committed, such as the mass and random killings which take place during warfare.  We see it where violence can permeate families and neighborhoods for all kinds of reasons, where a murder or other violence destroys and pollutes families, disrupts relationships for generations at a time, and lays particular affliction upon children who are born into a circumstance over which they had no control or who suffer the effects and fallout from violence or abuse.  We can see violence in neighborhoods from organized crime of many types, or the lawlessness that permeates and lays claim to victims who cannot protect themselves from predators.  Everywhere we look, we can find chaos that enters our world through sin and destroys the kind of order that God condones in relationships within community, family, and for us as individuals.  There is the chaos of addiction and its attendant behaviors, which so often destroys family relationships and puts equal strain especially on children who pay the price for it, or other family members afflicted through another's problem.  We don't have to look far for chaos; we can see it all around us in one form or another.  Christ -- and the accompanying work of the Holy Spirit -- remains the answer for these problems.  One may not find that God simply appears and fixes everything; that does not happen in our world.  For, as the commentary a few days ago noted, we human beings are a sort of battleground for this world, where the influences of chaos and their effects in us meet the power of God to restore and heal, to help us find our way through a world afflicted by sin and its effects.  But we can call upon Christ to help us find our way forward; we hear and listen to His commands and do them.  How often does violence result from rage, from the inability to practice forgiveness, to face a good road, from the descending depravity of chaos that simply gets worse if one does not "turn around"  toward God and find God's way (otherwise known as repentance)?  Can we look around ourselves and see what it is to lack humility, to abuse others through false use of power, to fail to find Christ's way through bad circumstances?  Do we observe people going from bad to worse as they continue along this same path of abusive uses of power and manipulation?  John the Baptist has come preaching a baptism of repentance in preparation for Christ, and this is still the way for us.  It is still Christ who must help us to find His order in New Creation; it is still Christ to whom we turn to seek to put order into our lives out of chaos, to make sense of bad circumstances and help us through them the best we can, to find what the practice of love means in our lives, and the responsible use of authority and power.  It is Christ to whom we turn and rely upon for help through our own chaos and difficulties, whose help and presence we learn to depend upon when family or others let us down.  It is our faith that helps us out of the desert wasteland of meaninglessness to values that give meaning and substance to our lives.  So here in today's reading, the Holy Spirit is revealed to be always present with Christ at this New Creation, and we are each called to be part of that New Creation, through the waters sanctified by Christ and the seal of the Spirit, through practice of His commands, and prayer and worship to keep us alive and alert to His presence in them.   Our prayer and worship, our hearing and doing of Christ's commands for us, is the ongoing moment-to-moment practice of renewing and participating in our Baptism, in the life He offers.  We, too, become part of the New Creation, and our lives may touch others in this practice as examples of what is possible through the love of Christ the beloved Son, and our return of that love for us.

 

 

 

 

 

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD," as the prophet Isaiah said

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD,"'

as the prophet Isaiah said."  

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

- John 1:19–28 

 

Yesterday we read the Prologue of John's Gospel:   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.   There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  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.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"    John's Prologue was essentially a theological statement about who Jesus Christ is, an understanding of the Word or Logos.  Here we begin to get the story of Christ's ministry.  

 

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am  'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."   Just as the Prologue began quoting the words of the creation story in Genesis, "In the beginning" (see yesterday's reading, above), here we start with the "first day" of Christ's ministry.   We are given the witness of John the Baptist.  Just as Genesis gives seven days of creation, so John's Gospel now begins by giving us the first seven days of Jesus' ministry.  Here on this first day, John the Baptist bears witness to the Light -- the Christ--in the presence of the Jews.  My study bible tells us that this parallels the creation of light on the first day in Genesis 1:3-5.  My study bible comments here that John the Baptist is a prophet, but not the Prophet.  That is, He is not the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15-19.

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.   John's baptism is part of his call for repentance in preparation for the Messiah, the Christ.  He is preparing people for the baptism of Christ which is to come (see Romans 6:3-11).   Thus, when he is asked about his practice of baptism by the Pharisees, He responds that the One who comes after him is "preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  Christ is the one whose baptism will remit or "put away" sin, which the Law cannot do in and of itself.

What does it mean to "make straight the way of the Lord," as Isaiah said?  John is quoting from Isaiah 40:3.  This chapter of Isaiah begins with the words, "'Comfort, yes, comfort my people!' says God" (Isaiah 40:1).  The prophecy of Isaiah spans a time when the Assyrian Empire grew in power and expanded in conquest, which had included the northern kingdom of Israel.  Isaiah speaks to the southern kingdom of Judah, even as Jews from Israel have been taken captive, telling them to trust in God alone.  John the Baptist is using the words of Isaiah to communicate a message to the people under Roman occupation, and gives us an immense clue to the ways that Christians would come to see all of Old Testament Scripture.  The words and teachings in Isaiah, and especially in this section of the Book of Isaiah (chapters 40-55), heavily parallel the images of Christ as Shepherd and the people of God as lambs, the "good news" or "good tidings" of the gospel of Christ, and the timelessness and endurance of the word of God, as opposed to the years of human beings and history's flow.  Isaiah says, "The nations are as a drop in a bucket and are counted as the balance of a scale . . . All nations are as nothing and are counted as nothing" (Isaiah 40:15,17).  John is signalling the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy in the ministry of Christ, and Christ as the comfort of God's people.  It is especially poignant for the people of Christ's time, who so longingly were awaiting a deliverer.  In the shadow of what was to come in the destruction of Jerusalem, it becomes a haunting statement reminding us to take care what we put our faith into, and throws the stark contrast of light and dark in the beginning of John's Gospel into even greater definition.  John the Baptist's timeless call of the prophecy of Isaiah echoes to us the truth of Isaiah's words of comfort.  There remains one place in which we can find a transcendent comfort amid the vicissitudes of history.   Even as there are presently voices which would seek to remove this comfort from our midst, we remain committed not just to our faith but also to our own experiences of comfort in our faith.   The same comfort calls back to us in the words of Isaiah, and the truth of the gospel message of "good tidings" which Isaiah prophesied amid the frightening and tumultuous history of the time in which he lived.  John the Evangelist reminds us, in yesterday's reading, that from "the beginning" there were those who preferred the darkness to the light of the gospel message in the Person of Jesus Christ.  So, for today, let us consider the words of John the Baptist, as he quotes from Isaiah, intervening in time, amidst empires and powers that seek to shake the will of human beings, what it is to be comforted with truth that has nothing to do with declarations of the rich and powerful.  Let us turn to the good news and know that our Comforter is here, our Shepherd remains even as everything else will pass (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33).

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man

Icon of Job 38:7 (Septuagint): "When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice."  Late 20th cent., fresco.  St John the Baptist Monastery, Makrinos, Greece

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?   You will see greater things than these."   And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

- John 1:43-51

Yesterday we read that on the second day given in John's Gospel,  John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'   I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You saying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found teh Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" which is translated, A Stone).

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?   You will see greater things than these."   And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  In today's reading, John gives us the events of the fourth day as given in his Gospel of Christ's ministry (see the previous two readings, here and here, for the first through the third).  As my study bible explains, this first week of Christ's ministry, as given in John's Gospel, parallels the creation story of Genesis.  This is the fourth day, in which Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael.   They come to see Christ as the true Light, the One revealed in the Old Testament which itself was a lesser light.  My study bible suggests that this parallels the establishment of the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively on the fourth day in Genesis 1:14-19.  When Jesus remarks that Nathanael is an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit,  He means that Nathanael has both a pure heart and is also straightforward with others.   What precisely happened under the fig tree is not told to us.  St. John Chrysostom is cited by my study bible, as he comments that this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and that Jesus was praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in his search for the Messiah.  It is Christ's foreknowledge and ability to see into Nathanael's heart that stir him to make his confession of faith.   Let us also note that Nathanael uses the term Son of God.  But Jesus uses the term Son of Man, a somewhat mysterious messianic title.  My study bible says that "Son of Man" indicates a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (found in Daniel 7:13-14).   In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob dreamed of a ladder which connected earth to heaven, upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is that "ladder," uniting earth and heaven, and therefore He is the Son of Man in Daniels prophecy.

Once again, Jesus demonstrates immediately His ability to know the hearts and character of others.  This clearly strikes home with Nathanael, one who is not given to falsehood or pretense about himself or others, and therefore one much more likely to respond directly to truth.  Perhaps this is the most important aspect of the praise that Christ gives to Nathanael.  Nathanael is one who loves truth:  he puts on no show about himself, he is direct in his expression, but at the same time his heart holds no guile, no deceit.  This is what it is to be pure in heart.  Like the rarest pearl made of pure nacre, the same pure consistency from inside to outside.   As Jesus reserve His greatest condemnation for the hypocrisy of the religious leadership, we understand that to be pure in heart is a kind of goal and qualification for good discipleship.  How can one value truth without at least a deep and true desire for it?  Oftentimes there are painful truths that none of us would like to face.  Perhaps we would like to hide the truth from those we love in order to protect them.  But a deep love or even passion for truth characterizes those who would go throughout the known world, enduring persecution and martyrdom to serve Christ as His first apostles, and Jesus knows what He sees in Nathanael.  Jesus preaches in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."  Perhaps it is that ongoing process of purity of heart that most characterizes what is called "theosis" or "deification" in the Eastern Christian tradition, that process whereby we participate mystically in the life of Christ, and grace works in us to refine and make obvious the things we need to cast away (Matthew 18:8-9), while helping us to grow in recognition of the spiritual gifts of true value such as is described by St. Paul in writing about love in 1 Corinthians 13.  Indeed, when Jesus sums up His Judgment and that which leads to eternal life, it is through our capacity for compassion He tells us this will happen (Matthew 25:31-46), a quality whose expression most assuredly depends not on false signaling and hypocrisy, but purity of heart.  In the icon above, we see a modern rendition of an icon meant to depict God's statement to Job, describing the creation of the heavenly lights: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7).  In the Greek Septuagint version, this reads in translation, "When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice" (found here).  It is clearly Jesus as Son who brings the creation of all things into being, including the greater and lesser lights, His hand in a gesture of blessing.  He comes to us as One who blesses and links heaven and earth, bearing His light that we may share and grow in it to be "like Him."

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  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.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' "  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

- John 1:1-18

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  Today the lectionary begins its new cycle with the beginning of the Gospel of John.  This "beginning" is known as the Prologue, and it begins by introducing us to God the Word, the only-begotten eternal Son.  The other three Gospels (called the Synoptic Gospels) speak chronologically of the life and ministry of Jesus, but John's Gospel gives us right from the beginning the theological orientation of the early Church.  That is, by the time this Gospel was written, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was understood in His divine identity, and not only in the human identity of Jesus.  Therefore, an understanding of both at once is necessary to the story of Christ.  In the beginning, my study bible says, reminds us of the story of creation in Genesis.  Genesis spoke of the first creation, but this Prologue given in today's reading (verses 1-18) reveals the new creation in Christ.  It tells us first off that in the beginning was the Word, which is Logos in the Greek.  The Word is the eternal Son of God.  The word was as written here indicates an existence without reference to a starting point -- that is, the Word exists eternally without beginning.  In the beginning, the Word already was.  Logos can take on many meanings from Greek history and literature:  it can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word."  Each of these meanings are attributes of the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  The Word, who is the Son of God, is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  He Himself is God with the same divinity as the Father.  

 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  My study bible notes here that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalms 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2), and not an instrument or servant used by the Father.  It says that will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Therefore the heavens and earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made but is, rather, eternally begotten of the Father.  Moreover, the text tells us, only God has life in Himself.  Therefore, the Word, who is God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men:  My study bible points out to us that John now introduces humankind as receiver of divine light.  As we participate in the life of the Son, believers become children of the light (12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2); the whole nation of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in his vision of heaven (Isaiah 6:1-5); and three apostles (John, the author of this Gospel, his brother James, and Peter) saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).  Darkness is an indication of both spiritual ignorance and also satanic opposition to the light, my study bible tells us.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and they also strive to keep others ignorant (3:19); this is true both of worldly and spiritual forces of darkness.  The important contextual word that is translated as comprehend means in Greek (as it does in English) both to "understand" and to "overcome."  It is akin to the expression to "take in."  Therefore, darkness can never overpower the light of Christ, my study bible says, nor can it understand the way of love.  As we read the story of Jesus and even come to know our own journey of faith, these are important things to keep in mind.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  John here is John the Baptist (not the attributed author of the Gospel).  My study bible notes for us that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him; therefore they can neither know nor recognize Him.  The first "His own" indicates His own things or domain, and the second indicates His own people.  Those who accept Him, my study bible says, have His light.  In Orthodox liturgies, after receiving communion, a hymn proclaims, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."

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.  My study bible explains here that right also means "authority" and that it indicates a gift from God, not an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ, it says, become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7) and by grace they inherit everything Christ is by nature.  (That is, we were endowed with the capacity to become more "like God"; see Genesis 1:26, and also the "fruit of the Spirit" given by St. Paul in Galatians 5:22-23, and 2 Peter 1:1-11.)  Adoption as a child of God, my study bible adds, is neither a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as in the Old Testament; and neither are we children of God by natural birth alone (the will of the flesh); nor does it come by our own decision (the will of man).   To become a child of God is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This clearly suggests its accomplishment and manifestation in the sacrament of Holy Baptism, but it also remains a lifelong process (see 3:5-8, and Titus 3:4-7).

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' "    My study bible says that the Word became flesh is a clarification of the way in which the Son and Word of God came to His people (as indicated in the verses above), and it points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God, it notes here.  God the Son assumed complete human nature:  body, soul, will, emotion, even mortality; that is, everything that pertains to humanity with the exception of sin.  As Christ is God and Man in one Person, He pours divinity into all human nature -- for anything which was not assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  We are to understand that the entirety of this great central spiritual event of world history is for healing and salvation, a gift to us.  That He dwelt among us is a translation of a Greek word that literally means "tabernacled."  Similarly to the way in which God's presence dwelt in the ark of the covenant, and later in the temple, so Christ was in the world:  the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself.  My says also that His glory refers both to Christ's divine power that was shown in His signs and wonders (2:11; 11:4, 40), but also to His humble service to human beings, which was shown most perfectly on the Cross (12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, it is revealed by Christ that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  My study bible notes that the Son has no beginning, but rather has the Father as His source from eternity.  It says that He is called only begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (In the understanding of the historical Church, the Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery which is called "procession" -- see 15:26).  To be full of grace and truth modifies both "the Word" and also "His glory."  Grace, my study bible explains, we are to understand as Christ's uncreated energy, which is given to us through His love and mercy.  Truth includes both His faithfulness to His promises and covenants, as well as to the reality of His words and gifts. 

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  My study bible notes that in saying we have all received of His fullness, the Scriptures are confirming that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  That is, in Christ, God's children become like gods by grace, without ceasing to be human (see Jesus' statement in 10:34-35, which references Psalm 82:6).  In patristic tradition, this process is likened to a piece of metal thrust into fire, which takes on the properties of the fire -- such as heat and light -- but without ceasing to be metal.  So human nature permeated by God, my study bible explains, takes on properties of the divine nature.  Grace for grace is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace.

No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  This statement emphasizes that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God, my study bible explains, for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  This means that only One who is also divine can see God, and therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God to the world.  My study bible says that this revelation of the energies of God can be received by the faithful.  This is simply the nature of grace and mercy.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw His glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41).

Thus begins the theological introduction (or more formally called the Prologue) to John's Gospel.  Right from the beginning, we can hear and witness that John's statement comes from his experience of the Christ and also the perspective of the early Church, having witnessed and understood the work of the Spirit in the world and also the meaning of Christ's teachings.  John's Gospel is generally understood to be the last written of the Gospels, and John -- who became a disciple as  young man -- was quite old when it was written, having survived persecution and exile as a member of the early Church.  Whether this Gospel is actually personally written by John Zebedee, or by a disciple, it matters little.  The testimony of John's witness is the same.   In the Gospel of John, we are given to understand John's earlier discipleship to John the Baptist, his close relationship to Christ as "beloved disciple," and even that he becomes a surrogate son to Mary, the Mother of God, by Christ's designation at the Cross.  Often, I find small hints or glimmers of ideas that link John and Mary, special passages that show her character, or perhaps information that she alone would have had.  This includes her human personality, passed on through birth to form a part of Christ's humanity, a great designation indeed.  As we begin to read this Gospel, keep in mind its uniqueness, and that it was significant enough to our earliest Christian ancestors to pass on their perspective on just who Jesus Christ was, that it is written with this Prologue, in the beginning, and teaching us who He really was as Son.  It is useful to keep in mind that in the early Church, Christ's Nativity was not celebrated separately from His Baptism by John the Baptist.  The perspective shaped through the union of these two events designates that Christ's birth into the world, as well as the birth of His ministry -- and the revelation of the Trinity and the Son's place in it -- are of equal importance and reflected meanings back and forth toward each of these events.  We have just passed through the Christmas season, and also Epiphany, which in the East has always designated the Baptism and revelation of the Trinity, which may also be called Theophany (a revelation or manifestation of God).  Whatever we are to understand from John the Evangelist, Christ's human life is inseparable from its meanings on theological terms, and His identity as Savior and Son of God.  Let us keep this in mind, that the two are not ever separate, nor is one understood -- in the traditional perspective of the Church -- without the other.  So, just the same, we are given to understand that our faith is a living spiritual reality, and our wholeness as human beings incorporating the body, the soul, and the spirit.  This is a mystical reality that gives us a clue to who we really are -- and the fullness or completeness of the identity of Jesus Christ also teaches us about ourselves, who we are, and our faith that invites us into living participation in His life.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature

"The Ascension of our Lord," by John La Farge (1835-1910), completed 1888. The Church of the Ascension in the City of New York

 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

- Mark 16:1-8 (9-20)

Yesterday we read that at the crucifixion and death of Jesus were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.  Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.  So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.  Then he brought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen.  And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.  And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.

 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  My study bible comments that because Christ died so close in time to the Sabbath, the burial customs of the Jews couldn't be completed.  So these faithful women went as early as they could to complete the burial rites for Jesus.

And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him."  The stone had been rolled away not for the Lord to exit the tomb, as in His resurrected body He does not need such accommodation (John 20:19).  Instead, my study bible says, the open tomb was to allow these witnesses -- and us -- to look in and see that the tomb was empty.

"But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  My study bible calls the specific mention of Peter is a revelation of a special care for the one who had denied Christ.   Theophylact comments that Peter would have said of himself, "I denied the Lord, and therefore am no longer His disciple."  But the angel's command is a promise that Peter is forgiven.

So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  My study bible comments that this doesn't mean the women never said anything; rather, it means they kept silent until Jesus appeared to them (as revealed in following verses).

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  The remainder of Mark's Gospel, beginning with these verses, is not included in two early manuscripts.  But nearly all other manuscripts ever discovered contain them.  They are canonized Scripture, my study bible tells us, having been considered by the Church to be inspired, authoritative, and genuine.   That Jesus appeared in another form shows that our Lord's resurrected body transcends not simply physical space and time, but also appearance.  My study bible comments that He was sometimes recognizable to His disciples, and at other times He was not (see, for instance, Luke 24:13-35).  

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."  This is called the Great Commission.  It is Christ's final command given on earth.  My study bible says it is to be lived out in the Church until He returns again.  To make disciples is not done in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  It says that the power of Resurrection isn't only for Jesus Himself, but it is rather given to all the faithful for Christian life and mission.  This is simply and profoundly what it means to be "saved."

And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."   New tongues is a reference to the capacity to speak in languages one has not learned in order to edify others in worship (1 Corinthians 14) and also to preach the gospel (Acts 2:1-11).  To take up serpents is a figurative image of spiritual battle against demons (Luke 10:19).  My study bible sums it up in saying that Christ is promising, therefore, to deliver believers from the powers of sin.  Moreover, this would include certain physical protection, it notes.  St. Paul was bitten by a serpent and suffered no harm (Acts 28:3-6), and according to tradition, Barsabas Justus (Acts 1:23) was forced by nonbelievers to drink poison and survived.  But nevertheless, a note reads, while God's grace can protect believers from both physical and spiritual harm, to test God by deliberately committing harmful acts against oneself is a grave sin (Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7).

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.  Christ's Ascension is celebrated forty days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).  My study bible says that this event fulfills the type given when Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11).  This marks the completion of Christ's glorification and lordship over creation.  At the Incarnation,  Christ's divine nature was brought to human nature.  Here in the Ascension, Christ now brings human nature to the divine Kingdom.  My study bible tells us that He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in His glorified body, revealing His glorified human nature -- even human flesh -- to be worshiped by the entire angelic realm.  In some icons and other depictions of the Ascension such as the one above, Christ's white robes of burial are tinted red to indicate the shedding of His blood for the redemption of the world and the ascent of His life-giving blood into heaven (Isaiah 63:1-3; see also Psalm 23:7-10). 

In all things, as we are repeatedly reminded, Christianity upholds the essential foundation of the Incarnation in all of its ramifications and possible aspects.  Christ was both fully human and fully divine, this is the full impact of Incarnation.  But that translates into many sorts of powerful meanings for each of us with faith in Christ.  The Ascension is a shattering moment of cosmic history, because what it means is not only that our Lord descended into the world to live life fully as a human being, but that His glorified human nature has ascended into heaven, even to be worshiped by angels.  And in being "lifted up" He therefore lifts us up with Him where He is (John 12:32).  Many people wish to separate the human from the divine, but the Incarnation teaches us differently.  The very Eucharist given to us by Christ also teaches us differently.  We're given to understand that, in fact, our true natural state is union with God.  That is, we were made to be in this communion, this synergy of divine energies (what we know as God's mercy at work in the world) and human life.  Our lives are meant to be touched by the divine.  We are to live our lives in a prayerful manner, seeking to turn all things to God and find God's way for ourselves in each step.  It is, in fact, what it means to be truly humble, seeking to give our will to Christ's, just as Christ prayed in the garden for His Father's will over His own human impulse, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will" (see Mark 14:32-42).  When Jesus teaches that "with God all things are possible" (Mark 9:23, 10:27), this is not simply a testimony to God's power alone, but also to God's power and grace which may also work in us and with us.  The Ascension confirms, indeed, that this synergy is what we are made for.  In one of the most famous statements foundational to Christian theology, attributed to St. Athanasius (and repeated by many), we are taught that "He was made human so that he might make us gods" (De incarnatione 54,3, cf. Contra Arianos 1.39).  In other words, when Christ tells us, for example, that it is possible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven because with God all things are possible, it is a testimony to God's power and grace at work in us to transform us more closely into the image in which we are created, the likeness with God (Genesis 1:26-27).  In the Ascension, and with this image of Christ's red-tinted white robes, we are to understand the fullness of communion, and even the fullness of possibility contained in our faith and in the mission of Christ.  He ascends as fully Lord, and yet in this picture of the ultimate triumph over death, He may carry with Him each one of us.  Indeed, His very mission was to save, and not to condemn (John 3:17).  And this is the real meaning of salvation; that our lives -- even as we live in the world -- may be lived also as part of the Kingdom, an eternal prospect.  We are meant to live as followers of Christ not simply in word or concept, but through a spiritual divine-human synergy, even as He will send His Holy Spirit for all.  If that seems too strange to ponder, consider the entire meaning of Christ's mission into the world.  It was not to separate us further from heaven, but to unite us in communion -- even our very hearts.  Where does His life-giving blood take you, in the here and now?  Where does His Resurrection and Ascension take you past the sin and sadness of the world and into a changed life, His road of faith?  Let us remember He lived, ministered, died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven simply for the life of the world.  In all ways, He gives us life, even as He meant to abide in us and we in Him.  We are free to accept or deny His gift of abundant life to us; but how sad and profound the loss should we refuse.  Let us keep in mind, also, that Jesus tells us literally in the Greek to "preach to all the creation."  Indeed, this completion of His mission is for the life of the whole world.