He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  

 

The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

 

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is  this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from?"  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  

 

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer,  and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

 

- John 7:14–36 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's teachings on His Body and Blood (the theme of chapter 6 of St. John's Gospel), and the rejection He encountered, Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."   However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  

 

  Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  My study Bible suggests that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  It says that spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize God's authority.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ as follows:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness: the anger, the envy, and the hatred, which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."  

 

 The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Jesus is referring to events that were recorded in chapter 5 of St. John's Gospel, in which He healed a man suffering from paralysis during the Feast of Weeks, understood to be the Old Testament Pentecost, which celebrated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai (see this reading).  The day of that healing was a Sabbath, and He was accused by the religious leaders of violating the Sabbath Law.  Here, as in Matthew 12:3-5, Jesus provides a "blameless" violation of the Sabbath, circumcision, to show that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God.  This is righteous judgment.  

 

 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is  this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from?"  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."   These crowds think they know where Jesus is from, but they're mistaken on two counts.  In an earthly sense, they believe Jesus to be from Nazareth in Galilee, but as we know, He was born in Bethlehem of Judea (Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, in the divine sense, they can't understand that He has come from the Father in heaven.  He is, as the Creed states, eternally begotten before all ages (see John 1:1).  So therefore His eternal "origin" is also unknown to them.

 

 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer,  and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Here Jesus is referring to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven. 

 

Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  To go among the Greeks means to go among the Greek-speakers (the lingua franca or international language of the time); in other words, to go among the Gentiles.   This is an unwitting prophecy, my study Bible says, which points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles.  

 

Once again, Jesus' defense before His accusers in Jerusalem focuses completely on His relationship with God the Father.   He tells them, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  Let us note that first of all here is His loyalty.  He is completely devoted to the Father, so much so, that even the doctrine He teaches is not His, but is rather that of the One who sent Him.  But this connection to the Father runs deeply within all people who sincerely seek it, similarly to the relationship to the Father among those who would come to Christ, as He stated in Tuesday's reading ("Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father").  Here He states boldly that if anyone wills to do God's will, he would be able to discern whether Christ's word was from God or from His own authority.  As He has stated before, this desire to serve God is directly linked to the notion of glory.  Glory is linked to honor, to reputation.  Do we seek the honor of God, or of ourselves?  It may seem, from a secular or materialist perspective, that this is a very idealistic way of thinking—that, of course, all people will seek their own glory.  But one may find in fact that life is anything but glorious with a completely self-centered approach.  The honor that comes from the only God has a way of elevating and uplifting in mysterious ways, and includes a tremendous gratitude at simply being able to serve, which goes far beyond social or worldly exaltation.  It is a way of lifting up the soul to serve God in this sense, something that must be experienced from the inside looking out.  This honor comes with a sense of blessing, and no doubt inspired so many across the centuries to sacrifice for love of God, even to martyrdom.  So let us yet again consider honor.  Where does it come from?  What is glory and how does it work?  Perhaps the glory of God is simply so great that even its reflection in our lives casts us in a light that illumines and uplifts.  How else do we understand Christ's love but in this light as well?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees

 

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

- Matthew 16:1–12 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus departed from the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

  Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times".  My study Bible comments that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.  The time of the Messiah, it notes, was expected among the Jews to be accompanied by signs.  However, these hypocrites have not recognized (and do not recognize) the signs which Christ has already performed.  This is because their hearts were hardened, and they ignored the works happening all around them.  

"A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  An adulterous generation is one that is not loyal to their God.  This term echoes the illustration used for Israel by the prophets when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  We note Jesus' clear refusal to prove Himself in a spectacular way.  My study Bible comments that a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God.  See also Matthew 4:5-7, and the devil's temptations to Christ to prove Himself.  The sign of the prophet Jonah, on the other hand, is a veiled prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (Matthew 12:40), which my study Bible calls the ultimate sign that Jesus is the Christ.  

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study Bible says that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  The reason, it explains, that the disciples are painfully slow to understand is that they have such little faith that they would not completely grasp the teachings of Christ until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.

What are the signs of the times?  I wonder how often this phrase has been used, and I imagine has been used by quite a lot of people lately.  For some in the world, the signs of the times denote something quite different today from that which our faith preaches.  If we're worried about war and violence, we have only to turn to Christ's words about the whole of the age in which we live, which began at His coming into the world the first time, and will end with His return.  In the language of the Church, the whole of this age is considered "end times."  Jesus said, among many other prophesies, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6).  Certainly wars and rumors of wars are things with which this age is familiar, even if technologically and through telecommunications the full experience of such has changed and morphed to include some elements that are very old, and others that are very new.  But the signs of the times that Christ speaks about here are not signs of violence and earthly tribulation.  The signs of the times of which Jesus speaks are those miraculous signs which accompany His ministry, to which the Pharisees and Sadducees have made themselves blind.  There was much to read in prophesy about the signs that would accompany the time of the Messiah, and Jesus' miraculous healings echo those prophesies.  Today there are many who dismiss out of hand any possibility of the miraculous, considering that science has now banished such a concept from our conception of reality.   But if we're going to begin with an assumption that some "factual" elements of the Bible cannot be literally true, and take that to mean that none of it can be true (including the existence of the God the Bible guides us to), then that is a kind of willful blindness that can preemptively gainsay anything.  And this is akin to the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.   It is a way of rendering oneself blind in order to erect and preserve a  comfortable conclusion.   The Sadducees and Pharisees have a foregone conclusion, that the Messiah is going to be One of whom they must approve as ruling authorities, and this simply does not fit Jesus.  It is clearly a lesson to us of how blind we can be when we choose our own blindness, and we are desperate to continue in that bubble of our own comfortable restrictions (even when that includes an ignorance of how to read Scripture in the first place).  In a recent reading, Jesus said of the Pharisees (to His disciples),  "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  We should consider, then, what kinds of blindness we might find as our own potential stumbling blocks.  If our blindness is meant to keep out the deeper, wider, greater truths that God wants us to embrace, then we also will not be true to the One who planted us.  And this is the meaning of the Cross, that we must follow where it leads, and give up our own willful restrictions upon the growth God calls us to embrace, the uncomfortable things which God's light might shine upon.  We are here to follow our faith, to follow God, not to impose our own walls and restrictions upon the work of God, the activities of the Holy Spirit.  It is to this end we pray, we practice the historical teachings and disciplines of the Church, we participate in worship and sacraments, we study Scripture, the teachings of the saints and all that tradition might hold in its treasure for us.  For new light and illumination can come even from old treasure.  As we prepare to enter into Advent, let us think about that light, and how we make ourselves open to receive it, to live it, to let it illumine our lives, and shine in us for the glory of God. 

 

 

 

Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod

 

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  

 

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked Him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

- Mark 8:11-26 

 

Yesterday we read that, in those days of Christ's ministry, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broken then and gave the to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand  And He sent the away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

  Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  My study Bible explains that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.  The time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these men are hypocrites, not recognizing the signs already being performed, because their hearts were hardened, and they ignored the works happening all around them,   Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way, my study Bible says, for a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God.  

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  The leaven of the Pharisees, my study Bible explains is both their doctrine (Matthew 16:11-12), and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).   In Scripture, it says, "leaven" (a type of yeast or dough starter) is used both positively (as in Matthew 13:33) and negatively, as it is here.  In either case, leaven is a symbol of a force powerful enough -- and often subtle enough -- to permeate and affect everything around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8).  

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked Him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible says that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (Matthew 11:21).  It is for this reason that Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him, so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and bring upon themselves greater condemnation.  It notes that as this blind man was healed in stages, it shows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6).  But this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  My study Bible adds that Christ's command not to return to the town symbolizes that we must not return to our sins once we have been forgiven.  

Once again we note the central importance of faith in Christ's ministry; that is, our own active and living faith with which we meet life, and through which we view our lives and our experience of the world.  This does not mean we are naive or unaware of the reality of the world; on the contrary, Jesus is never afraid to point out what is wrong or mistaken, or to teach us to stay away from what is not good for us, what will harm our faith.  Awareness and mindfulness are important components of our faith.  He teaches the disciples, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." As we can see, at this point the disciples fail to grasp His meaning, teaching us all about the journey of faith.  Even these hand-picked chosen disciples of Christ are failing to understand what He's teaching, and unaware of what it means when He refers to the "leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  Both the Pharisees and Herod demand signs and proofs, and this has nothing to do with faith, but is rather a product of denial.  It's important that we take a close look at Jesus' actions, and especially the detail that He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town before He could heal him.  This once again reinforces the idea that Jesus teaches us to protect our faith and nurture it to grow, no matter what we need to do.  If we need to separate ourselves from "the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod" then we should do so.  If we need to put distance between ourselves and certain scoffers then it's a good idea to do so.  Faith is the very center of His ministry, and faith is all about trust.  In whom do we trust?  In what do we put our trust?  And ultimately that means it's about relationship on a deep personal level, as deep and deeper than the heart, a mysterious thing that sometimes happens in spite of ourselves.  It is something akin to a marriage:  love needs protection and nurturing and support, and we do what we need to do to protect something precious that we love.  This is the way it is with Jesus.  Only there is yet another component here to watch, and that is hypocrisy.  We might think that demanding proofs is a way of verifying truth, but here it is rather the opposite.  It is a hypocritical line in the sand drawn only to take away from the true perception of the holiness and divinity in Christ and in His mission, and this is something we still need to beware of.  Jesus has said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  It is important for us as Christians to understand how important the whole notion of truth is to our faith, and how lies constitute forms of evil (see Revelation 22:15).   Our ascetic efforts for humility, to be among the "poor in spirit," and assorted other historic disciplines of the faith all hinge on the importance of truth -- especially with ourselves and especially in the place of the heart where we stand before God.  If we read the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), we will see this as Christ's foundation for our relationship with God.  It explains why hypocrisy -- part of that leaven of the Pharisees and Herod -- is so destructive to real faith, and to our growth in faith.  Christ asks us to be alert to the pitfalls of self-delusion, of hypocrisy, and the lies and half-truths that constitute misleading and false roads for us.  Let us take it with the seriousness He asks of us.  In this context we note the growth of the faith and discernment of the disciples which would come gradually, as in the example of the blind man whose sight returns gradually.  We are all on a road, a journey of faith -- but we must all take care Whose road ("way") we're on, and the rigorous discipline we sometimes need to see clearly.

 

 

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

 

- John 7:14–36 

 

Yesterday we read that at this time, Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the religious leaders sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.   

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Jesus is at the eight-day Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot), an autumn festival commemorating the time the Israelites wandered toward the Promised Land following Moses, and dwelling in tents (or tabernacles).  My study bible comments on this passage that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.   It says that spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize God's authority.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ in this way:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."  Regarding healing on the Sabbath, Jesus refers to this event which occurred at the Feast of Weeks, or Old Testament Pentecost, which takes place fifty days after Passover.  

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."   My study bible comments that these crowds are mistaken, in both an earthly and a divine sense.  In terms of Christ's human identity, they think Jesus is from Nazareth of Galilee.  But they aren't aware that Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem (verse 42; see Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, they can't comprehend that Christ has come from the Father in Heaven, eternally begotten before all ages, and therefore His divine "origin" is also unknown to them.

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  Christ's hour is His time of suffering and death, His Passion.  My study bible remarks that He is the Lord over time, an authority which is possessed by God only.  Christ comes to the Cross by His own free will and in His time, and not according to the plots of human beings (see 8:20, 10:39). 

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."   Christ's statement is a reference to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  To go among the Greeks is to go among the Gentiles.  This is an unwitting prophecy, according to my study bible, and it points to the time after Christ's Ascension when Christ's name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles.  

It's so interesting that John presents us with Jesus' teaching and the perplexed responses of the leaders and the people.  In today's reading John specifically gives us the dialogue of Jesus with the leaders and also the various people from Jerusalem and also the crowds.  The religious leaders at some point even send officers to seize Him, but as we shall see, and as we've been told, it's not quite His time for that yet.  Yesterday we read that the leaders were searching for him at the feast, but also there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews (meaning the religious leaders).  So the people are looking for clues.  People apparently are talking about Him in today's reading:  common people both from Galilee and now from Jerusalem.  The leaders marvel even at how Jesus knows all the things He's talking about.  Jesus asks, "Why do you seek to kill Me?" and the people respond, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"   Some from Jerusalem ask, "Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?"  But on the other hand, how can He be the Christ since "we know where this Man is from?"     And yet, despite this debate, there are also many who believe in Him because of the works He has done.  Everywhere there is discussion and debate.  There is also fear, and a myriad of opinions hidden under an umbrella of that fear of the leadership.   There is more than one opinion here, more than one party with their own perspective and point of view and interests for consideration, and Jesus is in the middle of all of it.  He is the central point of the controversy, with myriad rumors, opinions, ideas, and interests involved.  In short, we are in the middle of a crisis.  Even while the leaders issue orders to have Him arrested, how does Jesus respond to all of this?  What does He do?  Does He clarify everything for everyone?  Does He carefully explain all the things everybody wants to know?  Does He tell the people He was indeed born in Jerusalem?  No, instead Jesus talks the straight talk about His mystical origins and especially about the Father.  He says His doctrine is that of the One who sent Him, and that they must judge righteous judgment.  He tells them that they both know Him and where He's from, but they don't know the One who sent Him, whose will He always follows:  "I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."   Everything keeps going back to the Father.  Finally, as if the climax of a crisis has come, Jesus announces that He will only be with them a little while longer, that He will return to the One who has sent Him, and where He will go they cannot follow.  "You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."   Instead of resolving this crisis to everyone's satisfaction, Jesus tells the mystical truth of the reality of His ministry and mission.  They cannot understand, but we must consider that these words are not meant only for His immediate circumstances but also with the knowledge that they would also become meaningful to His disciples, and eventually be given to us.  Jesus never abandons the mission.  He doesn't seek to explain everything to everyone's satisfaction, but He does reveal the mystical reality of who He is.  He tells the truth about Himself, even though the people cannot understand.  He is leading them somewhere, and just as John's Gospel gives us this portrayal of the confusion and opinions that surround Him, so are we always in a similar place in the sense that we might hear, think, and entertain all kinds of notions about Christ.  But yet we still have only His words about who He is, and He is speaking to us all of these millennia later.  If we follow His lead, He continually points to the Father, that the Father and He are one, and that this is His mission, to be true to that identity as Son.  He knows His mission and what He is about, and yet into that mystery He reveals we are still drawn and invited in to enter.  Where is that place He is going?  Do we really know the Father, and follow the words and teachings we've been given?  How best do we follow Christ, and where is He taking us?  How do we reconcile our own social roles in the midst of a still-confusing life and time, and yet be true to Him, and even wait on His word?  All of these things are somehow with us still, and John does not spare us the confusion, the misunderstanding, the hostility, the manipulation, the desires, and the thousand and one other things that make up this slice of the life and time of the ministry of Christ.  For all of these things are still with us.  We walk through confusing times.  We don't fully understand the mystery of Christ.  But we know one thing, that He stands firm in His truth for us, and He goes to the Cross and returns to the Father for us.  We have our faith.  We have our will to do His will, and Christ's promise that this is enough.

If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"   The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?" 

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

- John 7:14-36

On Saturday we read that Jesus practiced His ministry in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  (The lectionary has skipped over chapter 6 for now, and we have begun reading in chapter 7.)  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; other said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  We recall that Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn harvest festival, commemorating the time when Israel wandered in the desert of Sinai, led by Moses.  Here my study bible comments that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  Spiritual blindness comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize the authority of God over our lives and our existence in the created cosmos.  My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom, who paraphrases Christ:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of god.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"   The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."   Jesus turns here to the themes which repeat themselves throughout His reported ministry in the Gospels.  What is a violation of the Sabbath?  What constitutes an act against the will of God?  As in other instances, He here states a "blameless" violation of the Sabbath, that of circumcision, as given by law of Moses (or as the text says, from the fathers).    He cites not only the purpose of the Law, but the full aim of the will of God:  to heal.  To judge with righteous judgment is to do what He has said in the verses above:  to desire above all to do the will of God.

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  My study bible notes that these crowds are mistaken, in two ways.  That is, in both an earthly sense and a divine sense.  As human being, they are thinking of Jesus as being from Nazareth of Galilee, but this is not the truth.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem (7:42; Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, they can't understand that Christ has come from the Father in Heaven, and as the divine Son He is eternally begotten before all ages.  Therefore, this divine "origin" also remains unknown to them.   The crowds, as reported by John, reflect the confusion of the people regarding Jesus.  But Christ's emphasis remains on the desire to love and serve God, and the wisdom this confers.

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"   Christ's hour is the time of His suffering and death.  He is the Lord over time, which is an authority possessed by God alone, as my study bible notes.  Jesus comes to the Cross of His own free will and in His time, and not according to the plots of human beings.  See also 8:20, 10:39.  John repeatedly gives us instances where Christ is the object of murderous intent, but it is not yet His hour.

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."   Christ refers to His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.  It is a confirmation regarding His total foreknowledge and understanding of the culmination of His mission in the world.

Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  We are reminded yet again that the term the Jews is a political term in John's Gospel, used to denote the leadership.  (As opposed to the people, and the crowd.)   To go among the Greeks is to go among the Gentiles; that is, the Greek-speaking populations of the world, for at this time Greek was the international common language in the way that English is today.  The Dispersion is the Diaspora of the Jews among the Gentile populations.  My study bible says that this is an unwitting prophecy by the leaders (and not the last one; see 11:50), which points to the time after the Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the Apostles. 

The confusion of the crowds speaks volumes.  It tells us about our own places in the world, and how confusing it is to find truth.  Even the leadership are confused as well, and perhaps led even more astray than the crowds are by their own envy and resentment and outrage that Jesus seems to be violating and upstaging their authority.  But Jesus Himself gives us all the key here to understanding Him, His aim, His works, and our own places in the universe.  He gives us one great key to seemingly all things, and in particular to wisdom:  "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority."  This is the key not only to doing as He teaches:  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  But it is also given as the key to His own knowledge, when the leaders ask themselves, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  What Jesus offers us, then, in today's reading, is the key to discernment, to wisdom, and to good judgment.  That is, a sincere desire to do the will of God, to put our own wills second, and to find and to serve God's will.  This is no easy thing.  It's not simply about following rules written down and interpreted for us somewhere, as the passage clearly illustrates since so much evolves here around Jesus healing on a Sabbath.  The real key to seeking to know and do the will of God is in prayer, in dialogue.  And what is that dialogue like?  So much depends upon silence, upon our own capacity for silence and stillness in prayer.  The Psalmist tells us, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).  Christ teaches us about intimate prayer with our Father who sees in secret -- even about the importance of "secretness" (if we may call it that).  "Secret" is another word for mystery in the Greek, we must remind ourselves.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us that when we pray, we are to "go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place" to "your Father who sees in secret" (see Matthew 6:5-6).  Let us consider the practices of monastic prayer designed to take us to this secret place with our Father who sees in secret, such as the Jesus Prayer, and remember that there is in our depth a kind of sacred silence into which we pray.  (Here is a rather thorough article on the practice of the Jesus Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart.)  It is said that God prays in us in silence, with language we're not keen enough to understand as anything but silence.  But this is also a great mystery.  Nevertheless, what remains with us is Christ's great teaching, this great key to all things:  that it is the will to do the will of God that really gets us someplace in life, that gains us the benefit of wisdom and understanding, discernment and good judgment.  This involves great humility, and its cultivation in ourselves, as Jesus says:  "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  Let us understand Him.  This is the way of the Cross (see Matthew 16:23-27).  Today is the day on which many branches of the Church commemorate the Annunciation, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary the Mother of God.  How could Mary have heard Gabriel speaking to her?  How could she have given her assent to the will of God?  Let us consider her as the model, even as His mother, for each of us.  Consider her life and what was of most central importance to her, how she remained with Him through all things and even at the Cross.  In humility we listen and accept and seek God's will for our own, even through all the times of our lives.