For this saying to your way

 

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying to your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

 

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And he took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed,  and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

 

 - Mark 7:24–37 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.   For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man  from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."  

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.   Tyre and Sidon were cities in a Gentile region on the coast, north of Galilee.  They were ancient Phoenician cities, and still exist today in modern Lebanon.  Jesus has withdrawn to this place, and wanted no one to know it, in order to get away from the scrutiny of the Pharisees and scribes who now seek Him out to find fault and oppose His ministry.  But, as the text says, He could not be hidden.  It's likely that His reputation follows Him even here. 

 

 For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  In St. Matthew's version of this story, Jesus declares, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 12:54).  These are what is meant by the children.  Little dogs is the translation of the Greek, indicating puppies begging under the table, a reference to her persistence, as she kept asking.

 

 And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying to your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  Note that this woman first showed her faith by her persistence; here she shows it in her humility in response to Christ.  My study Bible comments that she accepts her place beneath the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  Christ's hesitancy, it explains, was not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples (see Matthew 15:23), and for her own sake.

 

 Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And he took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed,  and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  My study Bible comments on the verse that tells us that Jesus sighed.  It calls this a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  

 

 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  My study Bible comments that here, our Lord shows us we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  Interestingly, it says, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ in this situation, seeing them as a good example -- that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to. 

 

 As pointed out by my study Bible, persistence is an important quality in our faith.  In the case of Jesus and the woman who repeatedly asked for a healing for her daughter, we can consider Christ's identity as Lord in this story.  According to the story in St. Matthew's Gospel, at first Jesus did not respond to her.  This seems to correspond with what we read here in St. Mark's version also, as we're told that she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  We also have His response in St. Matthew's Gospel, that He wasn't sent except to the Jews; that is, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But according to my study Bible, Christ's methods are not meant to be cruel nor rejecting of this woman, but actually to draw out both her persistence and her humility.  In His true divine identity, it seems important to understand that He does no healing without faith; that, in fact many of Christ's healings are openly attributed to the faith of the one being healed, or the faith of friends or a loved one.  In this case, His delay in this sense offers the woman a chance to establish a correct relationship with Christ by demonstrating her persistence, and her willingnss to accept Him as Lord in this sense.  He's already known for His healings, but we have increasingly come to know the role faith plays in them.  See, for example, His experience in His hometown of Nazareth, where, we're told, "He could do no mighty work there" because of their unbelief.  Elsewhere, Jesus reminds us of the precious quality of what He offers which is found in our faith, such as in the Sermon on the Mount, when He teaches, "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Matthew 7:6).  Through her persistence she demonstrates that she truly wants what He offers, but more than that, she understands who He is and relates to Him in a proper way befitting who He is.  This is no demand for honor, but rather an important distinction between those who wish to use Him for what He can do for them, and those who will recognize and come to faith in Him.  And we should never forget this important understanding.  Christ offers to the world salvation, but this is not possible without faith, without a kind of understanding of who He is, and the right relationship with Him that would ask of us.  While this woman persistently asks for His help, and with great wit, intelligence, and humility responds to Him so as to elicit His help, in the second part of the reading we encounter a person who is deaf, and whose speech is hindered.  If we think of it symbolically in the context of the reading, where the woman could appeal to and listen to Christ, this man has truly a great impediment:  he cannot hear Him, nor can he clearly speak and request what he wants.  But those who bring him to Christ beg Him to heal him.  Note that this is also in the Decapolis, a region of mixed Gentile and Jewish populations, the home that the man healed from a Legion of demons returned to.  The restoration of this man's hearing and speaking once again enables that "right-relatedness" to the Lord in a spiritual sense; he's given back the capacity to directly speak to and hear Him.  Within the Decapolis, we assume he is Jewish, and so Jesus continues to draw up those who will come to Him, gathering into salvation those who come in faith.  With today's reading, we might consider carefully what we ask for, and whom we ask.  When we approach Christ, is it with an understanding, acceptance, and truly valuing what He offers to us?  What are the conditions of faith for us, and how do they teach us the ways to live our lives, what relationship that we have with God?  Are we, ourselves, lost sheep?  And how do we consider ourselves to be found?  All of these questions have an answer to be found in that relationship of faith, one that asks of us -- as well as the Syro-Phoenician woman -- persistence and humility, and repeated prayer.  Let us find ourselves in our proper relation to Him. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 

 

- Matthew 11:1–6 

 

Yesterday we read that, while Jesus was speaking to the scribes who criticized Him, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  The lectionary skips over chapter 10 of St. Matthew's Gospel.  In that chapter, Jesus chose the twelve disciples who would become apostles.  He taught then how to conduct themselves, what to say to people they encountered.  He warned the of persecutions to come, and the role Christians will play in the world.  He taught them about the dissension that would come about because of Him.  He taught them to fear God above all.  

 

   And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  According to patristic understanding, my study Bible says, John the Baptist asks this question in order to guide his own disciples to Jesus.  John's own faith would be in turn strengthened through the response of Jesus in the next few verses.

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  According to my study Bible, the prophet Isaiah predicted that these signs would accompany the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5; 61:1).  It notes that Jesus performed these miracles in the presence of John's disciples (Luke 7:21) so that they could see with their own eyes the works that only the Messiah could do.  

In Matthew chapter 10 (just prior to today's reading), in instructing and preparing the disciples for their first apostolic mission, Jesus closes with these words:  "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  In today's reading, after speaking to John the Baptist's disciples, Jesus says, "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."   He is speaking of the holy power that accompanies these activities, and its mysterious working that has to do with judgment and eschatological perspective.   Moreover, in speaking with the disciples of John the Baptist, Jesus speaks referring to Himself in a sense as a stumbling block, when He says that those who are not offended because of Him are blessed.  There is an acknowledgement and reward system at work here behind all of these encounters with anything blessed with Christ's power, or which acts as an icon of Christ in a sense.  Even a cup of cold water given to one of these little ones (the least powerful among the faithful) will by no means lose its reward.  So Jesus' message to John is one that affirms His place as Messiah, the One for whom John's mission was meant to prepare the world.  In this understanding of who Jesus is, then, John the Baptist finds his fulfillment and affirmation, even as he approaches the end of his life.  John the Baptist has alluded to this in chapter 3 of John's Gospel, when he says, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled" (John 3:29).  Christ, in our recent readings, spoke of Himself as the Bridegroom with his friends (in this reading), and John the Baptist is another one of the friends of the Bridegroom.  In Christ's voice, then, is John's joy fulfilled, a fulfillment of true identity and meaning -- his place, because in Christ all things are revealed as they truly are.  Here Jesus sends word ("the voice of the bridegroom") via John's disciples so that John may in turn direct them to Christ, and find in Him the fulfillment of mission and ministry.  As Christ is the Alpha and Omega, so may we all find who we are, and where we belong in Him.

 

 

And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 

 

- Matthew 11:1–6 

 

Starting with Monday's reading, we have been given Christ's address to the Twelve as He sent them out on their first apostolic reading.  Yesterday we read that Jesus said to them, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.  He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  My study Bible comments here that, according to the Church Fathers, John the Baptist asks this question in order to guide his own disciples to Jesus.  Moreover, it notes, John's own faith was undoubtedly also strengthened through Christ's response that follows.  

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."   My study Bible affirms Isaiah's prediction that these signs would accompany the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5, 61:1).  Jesus' reference to these signs prophesied by Isaiah is fully meaningful to John the Baptist.  My study Bible adds that Jesus performed these miracles in the presence of John's disciples (Luke 7:21) so they could see with their own eyes works that only the Messiah could do.

 

Jesus tells the disciples of John, "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  We have to ask ourselves why people would be offended at Christ.  There is first of all the notion that people did not want to accept what kind of Messiah He was.  He was not coming in the likeness of a great king like King David, to restore the fortunes of Israel.  He did not have an army, and was not prepared to overthrow the Romans in a political battle.  He would not give "proofs" on demand of His identity, nor produce miracles simply to please people or their expectations.  Rather, He came in the likeness of an ordinary Man, one without great wealth or position, and one without conventional authority.  All of these various aspects of Christ's identity were in some way offensive to various groups of people, and particularly to the religious leadership, who continually questioned His authority and where it came from.  Perhaps the greatest reason for offense was precisely this question of authority, and simply because Christ's authority came from God, and not from worldly sources, like a high position in the temple, or a lineage that Christ would claim for Himself openly.  Instead, Christ's authority was recognized only by faith, by something that responded to God within the hearts of those who would receive Him.  He came in humility, and yet led an astonishing life of ministry.  But still, it takes faith to receive and recognize Him, it takes a true love of God in the heart to receive, a heart open to the spirit of God.  That mysterious question of faith will come up continually, again and again.  Who are the ones not offended because of Him?  This remains a question even for today. 

 

 

Son of David, have mercy on us!

 

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

 

- Matthew 9:27–34 

 

Yesterday we read that, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Jesus, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.   

 

 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"  And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you."  And their eyes were opened.  And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."  But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.  As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed.  And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.   My study Bible comments on these events of today's reading that, according to Isaiah, the messianic age is signified when "the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear" (Isaiah 35:5).  These healings are a sign that Jesus is the awaited Messiah, as is the use of the title Son of David by the blind men, which expresses their faith indeed He is.

 

But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of demons."  My study Bible says that to cast out demons by the ruler of demons is impossible, for the aim of the devil is to consolidate power, not destroy it.  Further, Jesus cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and remitted sins -- works demons could not perform.

 

Today's reading teaches us about the fulfillment of the prophesied signs of the Messiah, a clear indication that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the One who was awaited in Israel.  He heals the blind, and makes the mute speak, signs of the time of the Messiah.  One may begin to wonder why Christ was not more widely accepted as the Messiah, but then again we don't really know how many of His contemporaries were believers and how many were not.  We can think back to the time of Christ and ponder the different political tides of the time, the dangerous and violent times of warfare and conflicts between big powers, as well as the various forces within Israel trying to retain their power.  That would include the leadership in the temple, the Council, the Pharisees and Sadducees, the Romans and their various "kings" who ruled for them.  All of these factions exist still yet in new forms, including those of the type who would seek to make their own revolution to throw off the Roman rule, like Barabbas.   All of these struggles with expectations and hopes and demands still clash, and yet how many could have understood or prophesied the effects of history to come?  We can look now at the same region and think about the conflicting struggles and powers and hopes, all magnified through new technologies, vast wealth, and great power of the type of this century, and think to ourselves, where we can find Christ in the story today?  Who awaits the Christ?  Who seeks His way?  Is there a place for Him in the hearts of people?  Can we see Him playing a role in the midst of the turmoil of our time?  If nothing less, let us ask ourselves where He is in today's picture, or if amidst so many demands, desires, conflicts, mercenary fights and retaliations, does anyone seek Him?  Perhaps we should say that He is the one thing that is truly needed, the one place to find our peace, the only way to find and an answer to the growing problems that plague us.  He is, after all, the way.  Let us, who suffer from so much blindness, say with the blind men, "Son of David, have mercy on us!"

 

Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?

John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God," by Olga Dytyniak

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

- Matthew 11:1-6

In Matthew chapter 10, Jesus has been giving instructions to the Twelve whom He is about to send out on their first apostolic mission.  Yesterday we read that He taught:  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who dos not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.  He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"   My study bible notes that according to Church Fathers, John the Baptist asks this question so that he may guide his own disciples to Christ.  It adds that John's own faith was undoubtedly strengthened as well because of Jesus' response.  Notice the "symmetry"   John is in prison, and Christ has just sent the disciples on their first apostolic mission.

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."   Jesus directs John's disciples to the things which are occurring in His ministry, the signs predicted by Isaiah as those which would accompany the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 61:1).   My study bible comments that Jesus performed these miracles in the presence of John's disciples (Luke 7:20-21) so that they can see with their own eyes the works that only the Messiah could do.

There is a kind of "hand off" in today's reading.  John the Baptist is in prison (where he will be beheaded by Herod Antipas), and he has sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He is the Coming One, the Messiah.  In the presence of John's disciples, Jesus performs those wondered prophesied as accompanying the coming of the Messiah.  This happens just as Jesus is sending out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission to preach and to heal.  John the Baptist is considered to be the last in the line of Old Testament style prophets, so in today's reading we are seeing the gospel, a new covenant, branching out and expanding, as the old is ending.  Those who follow John have a place to go, Christ to look to for their direction and their future.  There is no one left out of this spreading of grace at work in the world; the transition of the old to the new does not exclude anyone.  Even as Jesus has said He has not come to destroy, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17), so the disciples of John -- via John's question to Jesus -- now are guided to Christ.  In fact, the Gospels tell us that several of Christ's earliest disciples were first followers of John the Baptist (see John 1:35-42).  What this tells us is of the spreading work of the gospel, the kingdom of heaven at work in the world.  It doesn't eliminate the good of the past (in any tradition), but rather unfolds and expands the spiritual truth "kept secret from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 13:35; Psalm 78:2).  Christ, the One who is both human and divine, the One who will ascend even with human nature glorified, will expand our spiritual understanding of God who is love and at the same time our own understanding of the spiritual capacities of human beings for communion and participation in God's grace.  He will live His life so that we may participate in that "life in abundance" that He will offer (John 10:10).  He has characterized His ministry as that of wineskins that must be new to expand with new wine (see this reading).  Today we read about that expansion, even as He is sending out the disciples to spread His ministry via the power of grace which He has shared and distributes through them.

Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of is disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 

- Matthew 11:1-6

Throughout chapter 10 of Matthew's gospel, Jesus has chosen the twelve and is preparing them for their first mission.  In yesterday's reading, He told them:  "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.  I did not come to bring peace but a sword.  For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'  He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.    He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.  He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward.  And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.  And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of is disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  According to the Church Fathers, John the Baptist asks this question in order to guide his own disciples to Jesus.  My study bible says that undoubtedly, John's own faith was strengthened through the response given by Jesus (in the verses that follow).

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  Jesus names the signs predicted by Isaiah which would accompany the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 35:5-6, 61:1).   Jesus performed these miracles in the presence of John's disciples (Luke 7:20-21), my study bible says, so that they could see with their own eyes works that only the Messiah could do.

John the Baptist's self-stated mission has been to prepare Israel for the coming of the Lord.  He is the one who first made the statement, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (see this reading).   Jesus has repeated it in His ministry (4:12) and also given instruction to the twelve to proclaim it as they go on to their first mission (10:7).  In this sense, we get a clear image of the importance of John the Baptist to this story.  His words echo through Jesus' ministry as they are also part of the work of God in the world, the Holy Spirit working through each mission.  This unfolding also gives us an image that applies to the whole of Scripture, including the Old Testament, as all bears witness to the common work of God in the world, and human beings as laborers in this harvest, as Jesus told His disciples just before He chose the twelve (see this reading).  John is understood by tradition to be the last and the greatest of the Old Testament-type prophets, and so he gives us an idea of continuity, of what it is to 'enter into others' labor' (John 4:38).  He gives us a picture of the communion that goes through all things and people, knows no time limit, and is neither barred by spatial limitations.  The one thing required is human beings whose hearts are open to the mission in their own time and place, and to the grace that is at work through us.  Jesus has given us the prayer called The Lord's Prayer or the Our Father, in which our first petition is "Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  And here is the mission.  This is the truth of John's mission and of Jesus' mission, and it will be the truth of the mission of the apostles upon which they've just been sent out.  We get an idea of our own lives and our place in this cosmic system of salvation when we understand the role that each person plays in the story of the Gospels and throughout the Old Testament.  Each may enter into this mission.  Each may play a role in spreading the message, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  It is here and now, present with us.  We simply must "turn around" (repent) to see it, to realize it, to have its reality more deeply planted in us and to carry that Kingdom with us in the world.  This is how we receive it and pay it forward.  John is in prison at the time of the events we read about in today's Gospel passage.  He is shut up in Galilee in the palace of Herod Antipas, and perhaps is prepared to understand that this is where he will die.  He approaches the end of mission, and the one thing necessary is that he direct his disciples to the place they need to be, to the Coming One.  This is the mission for us as well, for Christ is still the Coming One, "The One who is and who was and who is to come" (Revelation 11:17, 16:5).  In the infinitely creative work of the Spirit, we each may play a role in that mission and participate in the life Christ offers, the life of the kingdom of heaven, and bringing it into the world.  This is the here and now, the always-present, the mission into which we, too, may enter into others' labor.  How do you play your role?  Remember that even those who offer a cup of water in the name of a disciple will have their reward (see yesterday's reading, above).  Our mission need not be grand or great by worldly standards nor met with great fanfare; this is a question of how we live our lives and whose judgment we meet within ourselves at all times.    "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."