For the things concerning Me have an end

 

 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 

- Luke 22:31–38 

 

Yesterday we read that, at the Last Supper, there was also a dispute among the disciples, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." 

 

 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."   My study Bible asks us to note that when Jesus says to Simon Peter, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat," He is using the plural form of "you" (in the Greek of the text).  That is, Satan has asked for all the disciples.  But in the following verse ("But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren"), this form of you is singular, indicating that Jesus prayed especially for Simon Peter.   My study Bible comments that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  Note that Jesus also says, ". . . when you have returned to Me" -- see John 21:15-17.  Moreover, Jesus tells Simon Peter to "strengthen your brethren."  My study Bible comments that this refers not only to the other disciples, but to all the faithful until Christ returns.  

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."  My study Bible comments here that the sword mentioned by Jesus is not to be understood literally (compare this to verses 49-51).  Rather, this "sword" refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).  According to St. Ambrose, my study Bible notes, this has an additional meaning, in that giving up one's garment and buying a sword refers to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  As the disciples are thinking of swords literally, Jesus abruptly ends the discussion with the words, "It is enough."  My study Bible says these words are better translated, "Enough of this!"  (see Deuteronomy 3:26; Mark 14:41).

In today's reading, Jesus says, somewhat mysteriously to the disciples, " For the things concerning Me have an end."   In the reading from this past Saturday, we discussed the meaning of the Greek τέλος/telos.  This is the word that Jesus uses, which is translated as "end."  But τέλος/telos has a kind of differentiated sense of "ending" than does the English word "end."  It doesn't simply mean the cut off point of something, or the finishing off of something.  But telos denotes a sense of fullness also, as if whatever the subject is has a point of fullness -- its ultimate final state.  This is not simply an end, in the sense in which we understand "end."  It is, in fact, almost its opposite.  It is the fullest point to which something can be continued.  Hence we uses the word "teleology" for "end times," which means much more than simply that things are over.  Our "end times" are the fullness of the present age in which we live, the culmination of all of the possible outcomes of something begun by Christ.  Here, Jesus speaks of the fullness of the "things concerning Me."  And in so doing, He speaks of prophesy:  "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  This comes from Isaiah 53:12, and in this case, Christ's "ending" is not simply a finish, but in fact the fulfillment of this prophesy.  The transgressors can also be translated, the "lawless."  That is, the Author of the Law Himself will be numbered among the lawless, and hung upon a Cross, the punishment reserved for the worst offenders.  It is the fulfillment of this prophecy to which He's referring when He says, "For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me."  In Luke 9:1-6, we can read about Jesus sending out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission.  He says tells them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece."  At this time, He tells them, in contrast, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one."  If we are not to understand a literal teaching about buying a sword, what are we to make of this?  Certainly the commentary from my study Bible is true.  But we recall also that Jesus has said, "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40).  In John's Gospel, at the Last Supper, Jesus explains:  "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me" (John 15:20-21).  So, another way that we can understand Christ's teaching here is by way of explaining to them that this begins the period of tribulation.  That, in other words, with the birth of the Church is also going to come persecution -- not just for Christ, but for His followers also.  In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the Twelve on their first mission, but with admonitions about the persecution that will come:  "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (verse 16).  In fact, nearly the whole of chapter 10 is a discourse on the dangers that His followers will face (especially verses 16-42).  In this section of Matthew we find again this teaching:  "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" (verse 24).  So, if we are to take Christ's words appropriately, we should understand that ours is not a faith that promises a life in which we have no struggles.  Indeed, in some sense what we are given is a life in which we know our Lord had to deal with conflict and opposition, and so will we.  In living our faith, we might also find at times we feel like sheep in the midst of wolves.  But to suffer with Christ is to be His follower, as St. Paul writes that "if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:17).  If we mistakenly believe that our faith is a work of a kind of "magic" that automatically means the whole world loves us, or that we won't have to struggle at all, then we're sadly mistaken.  Faith is in the power of acceptance, of both the glory and joys of Christ, but yet also His struggle in the world.  In Psalm 110, God says to God's appointed, the Messiah, "The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.  Rule in the midst of Your enemies!"  Christ yet rules in the midst of enemies, and we live in a world where our greatest joys and beauty dwell together with unhappy things, and destructive influence.  Yet we persist and endure, and God is present with us always.  Let us rejoice and give thanks for the gift of Christ's blessed way of life.

Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren

 

 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 

- Luke 22:31–38 

 

Yesterday we read that, at the Last Supper, Christ's final Passover meal with His disciples, there was also a dispute among the disciples, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelves tribes of Israel."

 

  And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."   Just as we have observed over the course of the past few readings, beginning with Tuesday's, the Gospel does not tell us that the ultimate source of the evil events surrounding Jesus' Passion are simply the work of men.  Rather, the square blame is placed upon spiritual sources of evil, under the name of Satan, whom elsewhere is called the prince or ruler of this world (John 12:31, 14:30).  As we've seen, from the beginning of the synoptic Gospels and Jesus' temptations by Satan in the wilderness, and through the recent readings, Satan works through the weaknesses and especially the passions of human beings.  We've remarked upon the envy of the religious leaders toward Jesus, the greed of Judas, and the disputes among the disciples as to who would be the greatest among them.  Here, Jesus warns Simon Peter that it is not only he whom Satan has asked for, but all the disciples, as you in the first verse is plural (in Satan has asked for you).  But you in the following verse (in when you have returned to Me) is singular, which my study Bible says indicates that Jesus prayed especially for Simon Peter.  It says that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  Regarding Christ's words, "When you have returned to Me," see John 21:15-17.  Strengthen your brethren, my study Bible says, refers not only to the other disciples, but to all the faithful until Christ returns. 

 

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."  Jesus warns the disciples again about what is coming, and that this is a time of evil intent.   He reminds them of the prophecy concerning Him and this time of opposition:  "And He was numbered with the transgressors" (see Isaiah 53:12).  Regarding the sword, my study Bible tells us that we are not to understand this literally (compare to Luke 22:49-51, in which Christ heals the ear of the servant of the high priest).  Rather, it refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12).   My study Bible also cites St. Ambrose, who gives an additional meaning to this text.  St. Ambrose comments that giving up one's garment and buying a sword refers to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  Because the disciples were thinking of swords literally, Jesus abruptly ends the discussion with the words, "It is enough" -- which are better translated, "Enough of this!"  (See Deuteronomy 3:26, Mark 14:41.)

As we have seen in the readings of this past week, and as indicated above, the Gospel assigns a particular root cause of the complicated machinations against Christ to spiritual forces of evil.  Satan works through human beings, on vulnerabilities and weaknesses, manifest in our passions.  The religious leadership is vulnerable to evil through envy; Judas is vulnerable through greed; and the disciples themselves have just engaged in a very petty and out-of-place dispute over which one of them would be the greatest in Christ's kingdom.  Let us understand that the disciples themselves have no idea what that Kingdom will be or will look like.  They only know they have come into Jerusalem in a Triumphal Entry, Christ has been teaching in the temple daily, and Christ's mysterious prophecies about what is going to happen in Jerusalem have not been things they can completely grasp.   Although they have been warned several times by Jesus, the events that are about to unfold are simply unthinkable to them.  At this point Jesus gives an explicit warning to Peter, but on behalf of all of the apostles, as the you is plural in the Greek:  "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat."  In other words, Satan wishes to destroy this movement of the followers of Christ.  Jesus then adds (with you in the singular this time, directed toward Peter specifically), "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."    As the one with the strongest faith, Peter will be tempted with denial in the courtyard of the home of the high priest (Luke 22:54-62), and at the same time Christ entrusts him with the job of strengthening his fellow apostles, and by extension all of us in turn.  Over the course of the past week, in these events in which great spiritual evil is at work (according to our text), we observe some things about spiritual opposition to Christ.  It works, first of all, through temptation, and secondly, it does so by playing on the weaknesses of human beings -- and specifically what are called in traditional spiritual language our passions.  That is, the things we lust for, things of which we make idols of some sort.  This should give us pause to think for a moment that the Gospels do not teach us that we are all to be superheroes who are without a single weakness or flaw.  On the contrary, even Peter, whose faith is arguably the strongest of all of the apostles, will display a weakness upon which temptation plays successfully, even when a servant girl confronts him as one of Christ's followers.  The text tells us that all of the disciples have succumbed to a truly petty and deeply inappropriate dispute about who would be greatest among them.  In other words, to be a human being is to have vulnerabilities and weaknesses.  We should not despair that we are not super human, or do not measure up to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ, who resisted every temptation put His way by Satan (see Luke 4:1-13), and completed His mission in the world with the fullness of perfection.  What the Gospels tell us, on the contrary, is about how much we need Christ, and how this help is always available to us.  Not only are we given examples which teach us why it is so important to understand our own passions and vulnerabilities and weaknesses (and to do something about them; see Matthew 18:6-9), but the Gospels teach us that we have strength and help through the Lord, and the whole host of the saints, which include the angels.  St. Paul writes of his own struggle with what he called a "thorn in the flesh":  "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  We needn't despair over our state as human beings, because the story of Christ and especially His Passion is all about God working through even the worst of our times, the deepest of our struggles, and in the midst of difficulties.  Our power is in humility, in knowing ourselves and our dependency upon God, and especially this spiritual place from which true strength comes.  This is what we rely on, and what we know we need.

 

 

For the things concerning Me have an end

 

 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

 

- Luke 22:31–38 

 

Yesterday we read that when the hour had come to eat the Passover, Jesus sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.  Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

 

  And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  In the first two verses here, my study bible notes for us that the form of the word "you" changes.  In the first verse, in which Jesus says that Satan has asked for you, "you" is plural.  This means that Jesus is saying "Satan has asked for" all the disciples.  But the "you" in the next verse, when Jesus says, "I have prayed for you" is singular, meaning that Jesus has prayed especially for Simon Peter.  A note says that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  Regarding what Jesus refers to when He tells Peter "when you have returned to Me," see John 21:15-17.  "Strengthen your brethren" refers not simply to the other disciples, but to all the faithful until Christ returns.  Christ's prophecy regarding the rooster's crow will manifest after His arrest (Luke 22:54-62).  

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."  My study bible says that the sword which Christ mentions is not to be understood literally (compare to vv. 49-51), but rather refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).  St. Ambrose gives us an additional meaning:  to give up one's garment and buy a sword is a reference to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  As the disciples were thinking literally of swords, Jesus abruptly ends this discussion by saying, "It is enough," which is better translated, "Enough of this!"  (see Deuteronomy 3:26, Mark 14:41).  

Jesus warns the disciples, yet one more time, of what is to come.  He tells them, "the things concerning me have an end," letting them know again what is coming by quoting from the prophesy of Isaiah:  "And He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).  Jesus will be taken as a criminal and sentenced to the death penalty reserved for the worst criminals in the Roman Empire.  He will be hung on a Cross, carry a curse in His own people's eyes, and His movement will be subject to hostility and persecution.  It's easily possible to believe that this is what He was referring to in telling the disciples that they must now carry moneybag, knapsack, and sword -- as these are images of those who will be traveling and must prepare themselves for travel in places among those hostile to them, and unwelcoming.  He may also be preparing them for the time that begins here with the Passion, with His Crucifixion, death, Resurrection, and Ascension, the "end time" which is the epoch we have been in since that time.  For this is a time in which judgment is being facilitated through the work of the Holy Spirit and the word of the Gospel.  We are in a time which is essentially one of testing for all people, and indeed, we might even call it a time of the sword in a symbolic sense.  That is because the word of God itself is understood as such.  St. Paul writes, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  Revelation describes "one like the Son of Man" in metaphorical imagery:  "He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength" (Revelation 1:16).  This sharp two-edged sword coming out of His mouth is clearly the word of God, the same thing to which St. Paul is referring in similar language.  That "two-edged sword" is one of judgment, because it is how we fall upon that word, so to speak, that determines where we are.  Do we embrace its truth?  Or do we cut against that sharp side?  Like St. Paul says, it pierces even to the division of soul and spirit . . . and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  This is the language of God's judgment, of that "one like the Son of Man," for it is the Son of Man who will judge, based upon His capacity for discernment and understanding and the knowledge of our hearts, and depending upon how we all respond to that word and to the work of the Spirit in the world in this age, this time of the end.  It is this age in which we live, and have lived during the entirety of the period of the Church.  We must consider Christ's words to the disciples, as they are the ones who will be sent out as His apostles on all the roads of the Roman Empire and into the known world and beyond, bringing the word of God as they travel among strangers and those who will persecute them, sowing the seeds of that word.  As we go about our lives today, some of us know Christians who face persecution even in those lands where Christianity first took root.  Let us consider the powerful words of warning that Christ tells the disciples, and remember also the metaphorical meaning of this sword of truth, and consider how we will respond today.  The apostles responded through evangelization, and our mission remains the same, with the same warnings, and following the same Son of Man for whom "the things concerning Me have an end."  Each of us, in our own way, must follow along that road, and take up that same sword of truth.

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves

Detail, apse mosaic, 12th cent., Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome, Italy

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a  father his child; and the children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

- Matthew 10:16-23

Yesterday we read about Jesus sending out the twelve.  He commanded them, saying:  "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.  Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.  And when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whosoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."  My study bible says that Jesus instructs the disciples to be wise as serpents so that they might not be unnecessarily wounded, and also so that they can take all advantage of the spread of the gospel.  He also tells them that they must be as harmless as doves, so that they shouldn't retaliate against those who do them wrong, and remain blameless in their witness of the gospel.

"But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a  father his child; and the children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another."  This is a warning about the "wolves," and the conditions they will meet in the world, the hostility of those who cannot accept word of this Kingdom among them.  It is the first time in the Gospel (aside from the promise of John the Baptist, 3:11) that we have heard about the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's work in the world and among us.  The Spirit of your Father will speak in you, and what to speak will be given by the Spirit,  Christ promises, when they are delivered up and challenged.  Let us note the persecutions.  The alliance and affiliation with the Kingdom cuts so deep that not only are family relationships split up, they are murderous, betrayal of the most extreme kind:  brother will deliver up brother to death, a father his child; children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And they, His disciples, will be hated by all for My name's sake.   This is the depth of response of rage among those who reject the Kingdom.   And here is the watchword for those who would follow Christ:  he who endures to the end will be saved.

"When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."  Let us note Christ's commanded response to rejection:  when they persecute you in this city, flee to another.   He does not command retaliation and endless fighting, but rather a search for more fertile ground, a better harvest among others among the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" who will want what they offer.   My study bible says that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in one's mission.  According to commentary of St. John Chrysostom, before the Son of Man comes is not a reference to the Second Coming.  It means that before the disciples could visit all the cities in Palestine, Christ would rejoin them -- thereby more quickly ending the hostility they would encounter.

Jesus sends out His apostles, knowing that they are like sheep in the midst of wolves.  What kind of ministry is this?  What kind of risks are they taking?  Moreover, long before the persecutions of the Roman Empire would start -- with which we associate the early Church of the following centuries -- He teaches them that they will be delivered up by their own closest relations in this world.  We also have to understand the notions of justice that prevailed at this time in the world.  While the Romans certainly had courts, laws, and proceedings, and while the Mosaic Law held sway among the Jews, for the most part -- generally speaking -- one had to rely on relations and clan for help in times of trouble.  Frequently justice depended upon it when one was wronged or wrongfully charged.  (Even today, with all the safeguards that centuries of concern built into modern justice systems, we know that worldly justice is not perfect.)  Therefore, the kind of betrayal and deathly hostility that Jesus outlines here is truly frightening, almost unthinkable.  And yet, the power of the Kingdom cuts so deeply into the core of who we are that this is the level at which split and division will happen.  Those who respond with anger and hostility will do so in ways that will shock and reveal what hasn't been seen before.  Although Jesus teaches them to offer their peace to all, a little further along in this chapter Jesus will teach that He didn't come to bring peace on earth; rather He's come not to bring peace, but a sword (10:34), and He will emphasize the family divisions that will ensue.  And yet, we're not to think of any of this in material military terms.  If we're "soldiers for the Lord," and if we are engaged in a particular kind of battle in this world (even one that is unseen), there are particular rules of engagement involved here.  They're to simply move on to another town when they are rejected anyplace.  They're not to fear if they're betrayed to councils and judges, institutions and courts, even governors and kings, where they can face terrible penalties.  Rather, they are to trust that the Spirit of their Father will give them something to say, a testimony, a truth to utter -- as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  Now that is indeed interesting, because Christ is sending out the Twelve on their first mission only to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel."  And yet, their mission -- their testimony, even under persecution -- will have its impact among the Gentiles and the "great ones" of the world.  As sheep in the midst of wolves, we rely on the protection of God, the power of God, the holiness of God to guide our way.  These Twelve are asked to go out into a world in which Jesus testifies that "you will be hated by all for My name's sake."  But what's the real key here to discipleship?  Jesus teaches, "But he who endures to the end will be saved."   As disciples, we are soldiers engaged in a particular kind of battle, one that is to a great extent totally unseen, regardless of persecutions and hostility, injustice and cruelties, unreasonable hatred, rage, and envy.  In this battle, we struggle not for material gain or with conventional weapons, but in a test of endurance in His truth and in His word, wearing the badge only of His name.  We seek reliance upon His truth and His word, and the work of the Spirit within us and among us.  Today, we might not face the same persecutions of the past (although in some parts of the world, our sisters and brothers surely do.)  In our own lives, even the most comfortable of material lives, we may find our own challenges if we are truly His sheep.  We might be shocked to discover that we are among wolves when issues of choice and conscience rise up for us in our lives of discipleship.  As His disciples, we, like the Twelve, are faced with the choice to grow increasingly dependent upon God, rather than the institutions of the world.  This is the sword He brings to us, and the power of His name, His truth, His word.

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."  But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.  And He said to them, "Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.  But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"  So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence.

Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things.  Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up to heaven.  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.  Amen.

- Luke 24:36-53

Yesterday we read that after hearing the stories of the women about their encounter with the angels at the empty tomb, Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself what had happened.  Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.  So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.  But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.  And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"  Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"  And He said to them, "What things?"  So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.  But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.  Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.  Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.  When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.  And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."  Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"  And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.  Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.  But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent."  And He went in to stay with them.  Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.  And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"  So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"  And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."   My study bible notes that this resurrectional greeting of Christ, Peace to you,  is proclaimed by a priest or bishop frequently in worship services.  We recall Christ's teaching as He sent out the Seventy on their first mission:  "But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you" (10:5-6).

But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.  And He said to them, "Why are you troubled?  And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself.  Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.  But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"  So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.  And He took it and ate in their presence.  My study bible says that Christ eats not because He in His resurrected body needs food, but to prove to the disciples that He is truly risen in the flesh.  There is a spiritual significance to the elements of food Christ eats:  the fish is associated with active virtue, and the honeycomb is the sweetness of divine wisdom. 

Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."  And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And you are witnesses of these things."  Christ puts emphasis (as He did to the two apostles in the story of the road to Emmaus in yesterday's reading; see above) on the necessary condition of the Christ to both suffer and rise.   My study bible reminds us that it is only a partial faith to include one without the other.  The remission of sins, according to my study bible, refers to the putting away of sins in baptism, which is preached by St. Peter at Pentecost (see Acts 2:38).

"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."  The Greek for endued with means to "put on" as in putting on clothing.  It is the same verb used in Ephesians 6:11, which indicates the complete protection of spiritual armor.  The word in Greek for tarry means literally to sit down, which my study bible says is an instruction not only to stay in place, but also to take rest and to prepare attentively before a great and difficult task (compare Mark 14:32).  The Promise of My Father is the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:4). 

And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.  Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up to heaven.  And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God.  Amen.   Bethany, we recall, is east of Jerusalem, and was the home of Lazarus and his sisters, Lazarus being the one whom Christ raised from the dead (see John 11).  The Ascension of Christ is celebrated forty days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).  My study bible notes that this event fulfills the type which was given when Elijah ascended  in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11).  This marks the completion of Christ's glorification and lordship over all creation, all of the cosmos.  At the Incarnation, my study bible says, Christ brought His divine nature to human nature.  But in the Ascension, He brings human nature into the divine Kingdom, essential to our understanding of our place in the entire order of life itself, "seen and unseen," as human beings.  My study bible says that He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in His glorified body, revealing His glorified human nature -- even human flesh -- to be worshiped by the whole angelic realm.  An Orthodox vespers hymn of this feast proclaims, "The angels were amazed to see a Man so exalted."  In many icons and other depictions of the Ascension, Christ's robes are tinted with red, indicating the shedding of His blood for the redemption of the world, and also the ascent of that life-giving blood into heaven (Isaiah 63:1-3; see also Psalm 24:7-10).

Our Gospel comes to an end in today's reading.  But this is not an "end" in a conventional sense, and it's not an "end" also because of the ways in which the Greek of the Gospels renders our understanding of what "end" truly means.   For in the language of the Gospels, and also in the truth of the story of the Gospel and Jesus Christ, "end" has a particular meaning.  In Luke 22:37, Jesus says that "the things concerning Me have an end."  This word for end is τελος/telos in the Greek.  Telos does not mean "end" in the sense of the English word.  Telos, rather, means "end" in the sense of fulfillment.  It is an end because it is fully completed, it has gone as far as it can go, the fullness of a drawn out process -- that means only that all the things of Christ are fulfilled.  And that "end" of Christ is Ascension, which is but a beginning, and a beginning to an infinite and absolute change that we cannot comprehensively know nor categorize, so much does it affect the very foundation of all things, including the spiritual world and the Kingdom.    Telos is an end in the sense of the aim, purpose, or goal of something.  And here we come to our sense in which this is the "end" of the story of Christ.  It begins the "end times" in which we still live, in which the Kingdom of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in the world (the Promise of My Father) continue their unfolding, and the mission of the Church.  It is the "end times" in which Christ's glorified humanity becomes a part of heaven, of the Kingdom, and the angels are astonished, for even they did not expect this kind of end -- which is in reality a new beginning which is always being fulfilled.  It is a revelation of our very natures and what they might be made for.  In the Ascension, we find the hope of Christianity, for if humanity in the person of Jesus Christ is glorified, then we, too, may follow, as He has taught us:  "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself" (see John 12:31-33).  Christ's Ascension as an "end" teaches us that all of our "ends" may also be but beginnings, for in Him all things are transcended.  We are not left merely with an ending, but rather a kind of infinite beginning that traverses all limitations in and of the nature given to Christ even as Jesus, in His humanity, and therefore to the rest of us.  The gift of the Holy Spirit will secure for us an infinite kind of creativity, whereby we are assured that when we are crucified by the world, when we carry our own crosses and something dies for us in our lives, whatever it may be, we still have a future -- with faith -- that we can't calculate in its possibilities.  We have a future that transcends our own expectations of limits and ends, for we are clothed with purpose, a future fulfillment, a face and identity we don't yet know (Revelation 2:17).  For the Holy Spirit and Promise of the Father becomes an infinitely creative and un-limiting force, one that connects us with a whole communion of saints, a Kingdom, and a living Way to go forward and to fulfill our true nature.  This is the nature of the life in Christ, which we secure through the communion He has given us, the Eucharist ("thanks" in Greek), and our faith -- for all of which we must be truly thankful, if we can but carry the cross to realize that any worldly end is just the start of a new beginning for us as well.  We live in this time of fulfillment.  We must remember that all good things take time; this living way is not a magic trick, but one which unfolds.  Let us continue to find its meanings and new starts -- and not to fear even its "ends."