So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen

 

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

 

- Matthew 20:1-16 

 

Yesterday, following His encounter with the rich young ruler,  Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."  My study Bible explains that in this parable, the vineyard is life in this world.  The day refers both to the span of a single person's life, and also to the whole of human history.  The laborers are all the people in every nation.  Each hour can refer to times in a person's life, whether infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  There is also a second meaning in the span of history, referring to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  Take note that God's generosity provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  Jesus teaches here that the former should not be proud of their long service, nor should they resent those called at the eleventh hour.  My study Bible adds that to the latecomers, Jesus teaches that it is possible even in a short time, or at the end of one's life, to recover and inherit everything.  In the early Church, we're told, this message applied specifically to the Jews (the first-called) and the Gentiles (those called later).  In our time, it can apply to those who were raised in the Church and to those who find the Church later in life, both of whom receive an equal reward.  The renowned paschal sermon of St. John Chrysostom is based on this parable, applying it to the preparations of each person in approaching the paschal Eucharist. 

 

My husband is an economist, and when I asked him his opinion about this parable, he said that in an economics perspective, the same payment for different work (or work hours) means that each worker makes a unique contribution, and each contribution is necessary to the project.  The equal payment also teaches us about the equality in the Kingdom, that each soul is equally precious, and giving meaning to Jesus' words, "the last will be first, and the first last."  So, as in the paschal homily of St. Chrysostom, we are each reassured that God welcomes our contributions, and each is precious to the completion of the project of the kingdom of heaven, of Christ's mission for salvation in our world.  Indeed, we may assume that in the fullness of salvation, no souls are meant to be lost -- just as Jesus taught in the parable of the ninety-nine sheep and one stray (found in this reading).  Each is precious and necessary to God.  The parable of the Prodigal Son illustrates this point eloquently (Luke 15:11-32).  As in our recent readings regarding the rich young ruler, we remind ourselves once again that Christ's life for us is the way of the Cross, and our "work" in faith -- our own cross to take up -- will be unique for each of us.  As we know from the lives of the saints, and countless others, including perhaps one's own life experience, there are differing amounts of time one may suffer with a particular cross.  Sometimes injustices last a lifetime; sometimes they do indeed take away our lifetime (as in the case of martyrs).  Some suffer seemingly lesser burdens than others.  But in all cases, the unique cross we each bear becomes, in some way paradoxically, the means of our salvation.  We find that exchanging our way of seeing and thinking about and even responding to that particular cross of ours for the meanings and efforts and work that Christ will give us is, in the end, the whole point.  So, for today, which is the day of Thanksgiving in my country, the United States of America, I invite my readers to consider giving thanks for just that, that cross that you bear in life.  For perhaps, through the grace of God, it is the very thing that blesses your life most profoundly, the very work in the vineyard that God has given you to do to contribute to God's kingdom, and for the life of the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." 

 

- Luke 13:18–30 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."   My study Bible comments that the mustard plant grows to a height of about ten feet in Palestine.   It notes that both the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples who, according to Theophylact, began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  These also stand, it says, for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul can become godlike and receive even angels (the birds of the air).

 

 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."   My study Bible points out that the description of the two ways was widespread in Judaism (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:17-18, 12:28, 15:23; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17) and in early Christian writings such as the Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas.  Here in Luke's version, this sense is more eschatological than in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 7:13-14), and refers to the end of the age (as is evident from the parable that follows).  My study Bible comments that, because we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), entering the Kingdom is the more difficult way. 

"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." My study Bible asserts here that neither verbal confessions (Lord, Lord) nor sacramental experiences (we ate and drank in Your presence and You taught in our streets) avail anything, unless we also do the works of faith (see Luke 6:46-49).  In terms of the last and the first, Theophylact sees the first who becomes last as not only faithless Jews, but also those in the Church who "from infancy have put on Christ and have been taught the Word, but who become last by transgressing against it."   Note that Christ's teaching consistently places more responsibility upon those who already know the gospel, as opposed to those who do not (Luke 12:47-48).

Let us study the language of Christ's parables of the Kingdom, and the great beauty He inspires from so few amazingly well-chosen words.  Jesus teaches, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  This extraordinarily simple parable fills us with images that explode with a vivid illustration of growth.   The tininess of the mustard seed already speaks to us of something extremely small and compact, from which one will observe growth that surprises.  My study Bible speaks of the growth produced from the mustard seed in the region from which Christ came, that they are not just the bushes we might be familiar with, but trees which can grow to ten feet.  But Christ's parable takes us on an added journey, by remarking upon the birds of the air that nested in its branches.  These birds of the air resemble for us angels, which can accompany those who grow in the holiness of the Kingdom and expand the energies of God which work through their lives, the activity of the Holy Spirit in our world.  One can simply think of the kind of growth Christ describes here, and think of the possibilities it arouses in our imagination from the parable.  Through such growth in our world has been produced countless hospitals and charities, over the time of history, universities, and beautiful art and architecture from so many periods, in so many styles, across the world.  One can simply reflect on the aspect of creativity that accompanies such type of growth, and understand that the work of the Kingdom is one that is attributed to the unlimited creative potential in God the Holy Spirit, the Creator of life (Nicene Creed).  The kind of growth described in this image of the mustard seed become a tree which can nurture and house life gives us a sense of broad expansion, and support that offers shelter for those who can nest in it, including the messengers of the air (the angels).  In the parable that follows, we receive a highly significant image of a different kind of growth, one that is equally mysterious (how does the great tree come from the tiny seed?), and also internal, but one of which we take cognizance when we recognize the transformation it produces.  This is the mysterious process of a natural yeast leavening a lump of dough, working its natural enzymes to the point where all of the dough is changed, transformed.  This is also the power of the Holy Spirit, working to transfigure us, from the inside out.  Indeed, if we study the word for leaven in the Greek, ζύμη/zyme, we'll get a closer picture of this kind of action.  Zyme/ζύμη (pronounced "ZEEmee" in modern Greek) is the root of our modern English word enzyme.  Its action speaks to us of a powerful but compact dynamic activity, working in a way through the interior of the smallest components of life, speeding up chemical reactions within the cells that comprise organisms.  In fact, according to one definition, enzymes are catalysts that do so without being consumed or altered by the reaction.  They are a kind of activation energy.  This is the evolution from the root understanding of Christ's words here, the use of language and its evolution from the Master, our Teacher, who is the Word Himself.  While we ponder how the activities of the Kingdom and the action of the Holy Spirit take place both among us and within us, let us marvel at the great gift of language and teaching we're given in the Gospels, from the word of Christ, thankfully with us always. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who then can be saved?

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at the and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

- Matthew 19:23-30 

 

Yesterday we read that little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at the and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  There have been various interpretations of Christ's image of a camel going through the eye of a needle suggested throughout the history of the Church.  For example, that the word was not camel, but actually "rope" (it sounds similar in Aramaic); or that the eye of a needle was the name of a city gate through which a camel could barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all of its baggage, which symbolizes wealth.  In the Talmud there is also the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  My study Bible explains that whatever the phrase refers to, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  This is evidenced by the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?"  But with God's grace, even what is impossible to human beings can come to pass.

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  My study Bible refers to commentary by St. Ambrose of Milan, writing about a similar passage in Luke 22:30.  He wrote, "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  The apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but by the witness of their own lives.  Since God's kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ, my study Bible adds, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (see also Matthew 16:19, John 20:23).  

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study Bible comments here that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  Again, we cite St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that this refers to keeping faith under persecution, even if it means losing one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, my study Bible says, but in a spiritual sense; that is, the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.

Jesus' teachings seem to be harder than ever, when we look at the world which has grown so immeasurably greater in terms of the material things we're offered in life.  Since the medium I use to communicate my blog is the internet, we can simply look at technology alone and start to understand how much more we are offered in terms of consumer goods than anything that Christ and His contemporaries could possibly imagine.  Well, perhaps our Lord would have the capacity to know this, but He was born into and preached for quite a different world than the one we live in.  It is doubtful that even the wealthiest people in the world at the time that Christ lived could have dreamt of what in the West we might consider standard features of dwellings we live in today (for example, indoor plumbing).   So, when Christ speaks of the difficulties for a wealthy person to enter the kingdom of heaven, He is not talking about the abundance of things we have today which we can purchase -- or which a wealthy person can purchase.  He's actually speaking of people who live a life of less wealth than even people of fairly modest means in the West today; that is, people, for example, who could not dream of walking into a supermarket and finding fruits and vegetables from far beyond the place they lived, let alone the assortment of manufactured goods -- even the least expensive goods -- that are widely available to us today.  Nevertheless, the disciples are still stunned at this message; they still "get it."  When they ask, "Who then can be saved?" it is clear that the disciples, although they do not come from wealthy backgrounds, understand the difficulties posed in Jesus' statement.  All of these factors, and especially our modern highly consumerist-oriented society, point more than ever to the difficulties about which Jesus speaks in His highly illustrative phrase about a camel going through the eye of a needle.  This isn't simply about people with high incomes, but about anyone for whom attachment to possessions becomes the main understanding of identity.  That is, it is Christ who must give identity, before whatever it is we consume:  whether that includes the latest skateboard, the best pair of shoes, the most impressive house, or whatever else we rely on to define ourselves, the importance of Christ's teaching is that the more we depend upon possessions to define us, the harder it will be to dwell within the kingdom of heaven.  Instead, we can orient ourselves to use whatever wealth we have for God's purposes, in the context of a prayerful life and reliance upon God to show us how to use what we have, and to live righteous lives.  

 

 

They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." 

 

- Luke 13:18-30 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.   

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."   My study bible comments here that the mustard plant grows to a height of about ten feet in Palestine.   Up until now, in recent readings, Jesus' focus has been on our loyalty to God before all other things, and on seeking the Kingdom first in our worldly lives, and participation and communion in that Kingdom.  But here, Jesus gives us a great parable, in so few words, about the explosive growth that happens.  It is, in fact, in the context of yesterday's reading (above), a testimony about grace and how grace works.  Just as God's mercy is not limited or measured in response to our own investment of faith, so is the growth of the Kingdom in this illustration.  This parable can be understood as the small amount of faith, invested in the soul, becoming a tree of virtue so great that even angels can come and nest in it.  Theophylact has understood the mustard seeds as representing the disciples, who began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."   There are many occasions in Scripture in which leaven is used as a metaphor for a bad influence (such as when Jesus tells the disciples, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy"; see Luke 12:1-3).  But here, Jesus uses "leaven" as an image of the kingdom of God and the way that it grows in us and among us, in the same way that leaven (or yeast) permeates the whole.  The previous parable of the mustard seed teaches us about great and unexpected growth from the tiniest source or influence;  here Jesus speaks of the grand influence on the whole of a person the small amount of faith has to "leaven" our entire lives, to permeate our souls.

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."  In Matthew's report of this saying (Matthew 7:13-14), we get a description of the two ways or paths from which we choose, for life or death.  This was common in Judaism (Deuteronomy 30:15-20: Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:17-18, 12:28, 15:21; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17).  But here in Luke, the saying is once again, like so much in our recent readings, given by Jesus in the context of the end of the age.  It is a warning about the time of judgment.  My study bible comments that because we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), to enter the Kingdom is the more difficult, narrow way.

"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God."  Jesus clearly My study bible comments here that neither verbal confessions (Lord, Lord) nor sacramental experiences avail anything unless we live the works of faith (see Luke 6:46-49).  That they will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, together with all the prophets gives us the eschatological understanding of Jesus' preaching.

"And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."  My study bible cites the commentary of Theophylact, who sees the first who becomes last as not only faithless Jews, but also those in the Church who"from infancy have put on Christ and have been taught the Word, but who become last by transgressing against it."  

Today's reading again gives us the context of the final judgment, of the eschaton.  This is apt, one feels, as Jesus is now clearly headed to Jerusalem, and preparing His disciples for the time that is to come, the time of the Church, which is also the time of the end.  In fact, in the historical tradition of the Church, all of the present time in which we await the return of our Savior is the entire "end time."  And so, as Jesus is clearly journeying toward Jerusalem, as the text tells us, He continues to prepare the apostles -- and by extension, their successors -- who will rule the Church in His absence.  In Luke's expression of His teachings, it is the eschatological emphasis that is significant, as He prepares His followers to think in terms of the primary importance of thinking about serving God in light of the judgment that is to come in fulfillment of all things.  Let us remember that this is not something to think of as far, far into the future, but rather something present and real as it awaits all of us at the end of our worldly lives, and is clearly linked and based upon how we live our lives and what importance we attach to living the life of the Kingdom while we dwell here in this world.  If we keep in mind this overarching power of God, and the awareness of Christ's promise regarding a greater judgment that comes to the entirety of all those who live or have lived in this world, then we keep in mind a perspective necessary to exactly how we live our lives in this world.  The explosive and permeating growth of the Kingdom teaches us also about the choice to live this awareness of the Kingdom, and of the overarching understanding of our participation in it, and God's participation and grace in our lives.  It magnifies the importance of our choices, the essential quality of each moment of time and how precious our lives in this world are, for all is intermingled and tied to one another.  The eschatology speaks of the "time" when time itself will end, but it also reflects upon and magnifies the importance of our time in this world as well.  It means that what we do and choose, how we live in this world right now in our earthly lives, is also tied to the arc of an entire cosmos, to all of creation and God's action in it.  Christ reminds us that His plan for the salvation of the world, culminating in the Cross at Jerusalem, and His Resurrection and Ascension, is essentially a plan that magnifies and creates meaning for each moment:  nothing is wasted and all is precious.  Let us keep in mind just how precious our lives and our moments in time really are.

Who then can be saved?

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

- Matthew 19:23-30

Yesterday we read that little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  My study bible gives us varying interpretations that have been suggested for the impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some have commented that the word for camel sounds like the word for "rope" in Aramaic.  Some have suggested that the eye of a needle was a city gate through which a camel possibly could barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of its baggage, which symbolizes wealth or possessions.  In the Talmud there is the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  In any way that we read the phrase, it tells us of the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  The disciples understand this clearly, as they respond, "Who then can be saved?"  But by God's grace, even what is impossible for human beings can come to be.

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study bible says here that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  Rather, according to St. John Chrysostom, what this means is keeping faith under persecution, even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means that one may need to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but rather in a spiritual one.  That is, in the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  This includes the entire communion of saints, with whom we pray and to whom we can call for prayerful intercession with us.

Jesus speaks of the near-impossibility of a "rich man" entering the kingdom of heaven.  But, He says, "with God all things are possible."   By the standards of Jesus' time, there is no doubt that many modern people fit into the category of a "rich man," if we consider the types of prosperity and innovation that many in the world enjoy today, especially in countries in which there is a well-developed middle class.  But Jesus is not simply talking about wealth in terms of dollar equivalents.  He's speaking about possessions as they define who we are and what we do in life.  He speaks of the disciples who leave all behind for the sake of following Him, and ask Him, "Who then can be saved?"  What is important are the difficulties of exchanging one type of life for another, and how entrenched we are in the things that Christ will call on us to give up our attachments to in order to more deeply follow Him.   If we take the example of St. Peter, who tells Jesus, "See, we have left all and followed You," we get an interesting case to examine.  Peter, we know, has an extended family and is married.  Earlier in the Gospel we were told about His mother-in-law who was healed by Christ, and began to serve those in the house (Matthew 8:14-15).  What we understand about Peter's life is, first of all, his business as a fisherman, and that he was married, and also that his family home becomes Jesus' ministry "headquarters" in Capernaum.  We're never told that this makes Peter particularly wealthy by any standards of the time, but here he is the one who says "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  I think it's important for us to look closely at Peter's life, and see that he has left his job as fisherman to follow Christ and be His disciple and apostle.  His home has become a place for Jesus' ministry.  His wife's mother, we're told, serves Christ when she is healed.  Everything in his life has become a part of his faith, and has been "handed over" to serve his faith in Christ.   This is the type of devotion to which Jesus points, and in particular that which we should consider when we're told that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."    Whatever possessions we have (including extended family in that equation), our lives will be turned over to our faith in an increasing and deepening journey in which our prime loyalty becomes to Christ -- and through Christ, the Kingdom of heaven and all that includes.    We all have some possession to which we are attached, but to give one's life over requires a deepening difficulty when one has many possessions in one's care and attached to one's identity and station in life.  We all need God's grace to do this.  We all rely on God's grace to lead us into a life where our goals and aspirations center upon a deepening participation in the Kingdom and the sharing of God's grace as a part of the life we live in the world.  This is not simply a matter of doing good deeds and sharing one's wealth.   It is even more significantly a question of the heart.  It becomes a question about what we are most devoted to in life, what we place first in the way we relate to the world, including our possessions.  It is an orientation of love that mediates the rest.  These men to whom Jesus speaks, His disciples, are those who've put everything else aside for this mission and in service of this mission.  This is the great difficulty of detaching from possessions that bind us to a way of life, a purpose, and the demands of a world that is not so attuned.  Let us remember that love and the deepening journey to Christ start in the heart, that the Kingdom of heaven is within us and among us.  Repentance is that long and continual process of turning from one "devotion" to another, to the place where Christ calls us.  It asks of us everything in our lives, leaving behind what we thought was more important, bit by bit -- and reassigning values.  Grace is the key to its work, and holiness part and parcel of what He asks.  It's important to know, as noted by St. John Chrysostom's commentary in yesterday's reading, that the specifics of what this will look like for each of us will be different.  There's a story from the Desert Fathers about one monk who thought he'd achieved great holiness.  His spiritual elder told him, "I know someone holier than you are."  He took the monk not to another hermit, but deep into the heart of a city, where there was a man who worked repairing shoes in his shop.  All the day as he worked, this man sang to himself the thrice-holy hymn and its praises to God:  "Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."  There may be saints among us one never knows about; the real depth of devotion in the heart is something only God truly knows.