Give us this day our daily bread

 

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

 As we forgive our debtors. 

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 

- Matthew 6:7-15 

 

 We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your  Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

  "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we expanded upon this verse, and the question of what constitutes vain repetitions. See yesterday's commentary here, in which we included the subject of the Jesus Prayer.  To reiterate from Jesus' talk about prayer from yesterday's reading, let us recall that Jesus speaks against hypocritical prayer.  The true spirit of prayer is an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and vision -- my study Bible says that vain repetitions cannot establish this, but both silence and words are necessary.  The use of many words is not condemned of itself.  Rather, words must express this desire for communion with God.  Additionally, neither is repetition itself condemned here but "vain repetition."  Many psalms and prayers and hymns are repeated throughout Church services for generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  

 

 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  My study Bible explains that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals our potential relationship with God.  Christ is the Son of God, and grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" a Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ models for us in serving the Father.  My study Bible asks us to note that God is not our Father just because God created us.  He is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with Him.  This is a communion that comes by the grace of adoption alone (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  Note that with sonship follows obedience and love of God's will; the prayer Jesus gives us prays fully for God's kingdom to come and God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

 

"Give us this day our daily bread."  Here is the center of the prayer, and appropriately, it's a unification of heaven and earth.  "Daily," my study Bible explains, is a misleading translation of the Greek.  This word is επιουσιος/epiousios, which literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  The expression daily bread, then, doesn't mean simply bread for today, for earthly nourishment.  This is the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, and the nourishment of our immortal soul.  This living, supersubstantial bread, my study Bible says, is Christ Himself.  In the Lord's prayer, therefore, we're not simply asking for material bread for physical health.  Rather, we as for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  My study Bible emphasizes that this request to be forgiven is plural -- just as the prayer itself is the prayer of community ("Our Father")  -- and this directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  The term debts is reference to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35, and also the final verse in today's reading).

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  God tempts no one to sin, says my study Bible (see James 1:13); temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  My study Bible tells us that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, it notes, but we pray that great temptations; that is, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.  

 

 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible comments that Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  People who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with the same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.  

 

It may be important to remember, as we read throughout this Sermon on the Mount, that Jesus is speaking to His disciples.  That is, to a group of believers, and in this sense, to His future Church.  All of these teachings are meant for us to apply them within this community, our community of believers.  Throughout history, as Christian faith became associated with countries or nations, that community then extended to all who were a part of it.  But for us in our present day and age, it seems important to remember that the Church was not meant to be an imitation of the world, but to bring about, as Jesus teaches us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."   Jesus emphasizes this new covenant that creates its own community by living in accord with that faith, when He says to His disciples at the Last Supper, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).  This difference between "the world" and believers in the Church is emphasized by St. Paul when he writes to the Corinthians about discernment within the Church, and outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).  In the early Church then, the methods of treating one another, of living the life of faith, distinguished Christians from the societies in which they lived, and this, of course, made a great impact in terms of drawing people to the Church.  This remains entirely essential for us today, to understand that we don't want to drag "worldly" ways of behaving into the Church, but we must think of ourselves as a community with an important mission, and that mission -- as defined here by Christ -- consists in how we live our faith, especially within the community itself and between one another.  Many wise saints have taught us that the Church is not just an institution.  It is meant to be a hospital, a place of healing.  How can we heal from a world filled with things that harm and oppress except by the practice of the kind of love that Christ teaches us, and particularly among one another?  In this prayer given to the Church (which we pray communally to "Our Father" and not simply individually) Jesus lays out what it looks like to prepare a way to bring the Kingdom into the world, and to seek to live the Father's will.  Mutual forgiveness is a part of that, mercy is a part of that.  This is not to say that abuse is tolerated at all -- there are far too many passages in which Jesus warns us starkly about that, and in which St. Paul chastises his flock for such behaviors.  But forgiveness takes particular forms for us, and above all that means that we pray for one another, we don't seek vengeance, but peace between one another as best we can.  For all of this, we have great help, for Christ is always with us, and where Christ is, there are also the Father and the Spirit, and the great communion of saints and angels.  We endeavor, of course, to have peace with all around us.  But let us remember the community of disciples to whom Christ speaks, within which we each are counted. Our daily bread is the bread of the Kingdom with which we seek to be fed, and in which we wish to grow.

 

 

Your faith has saved you. Go in peace

 

 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  

 

And those who sat at table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

 

- Luke 7:36–50 

 

On Saturday we read that the disciples of John the Baptist concerning all these things that Christ was doing in His ministry.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.' For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not weep.'  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of  tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

 

  Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."   My study Bible comments here that this Pharisee was intrigued by Christ, as evidenced by his invitation.  And yet, he clearly does not believe in Christ -- which is shown in his reaction to Jesus' mercy.  Moreover, Jesus points out the man's lack of even common hospitality (verses 44-46), a sure sign of lack of respect.  My study Bible further elaborates on today's reading that Christ's encounter with this sinful woman is an icon of the grace that's found in the Church.  St. Ambrose of Milan commented that through her, "the Church is justified as being greater than the Law, for the Law does not know the forgiveness of sins, nor the mystery in which secret sins are cleansed; therefore, what is lacking in the Law is perfected in the Gospel."

 

 And those who sat at table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."  My study Bible notes that the suggestion that a man could forgive sins was beyond the bounds of the law as understood by the Pharisees (see Luke 5:21).  But Christ wasn't a mere human being only; He was the very Lawgiver Himself.  St. Cyril of Alexandria is quoted as commenting, "Who could declare things that were above the Law, except the One who ordained the Law?"

 

One thing is very striking about today's reading.  In our present day and age we tend to take Christ's mercy for granted, which is unfortunate.  But taking things for granted is very important to today's reading, for what we read in this woman's love for Christ seems to be a supreme expression of gratitude on her part.  We don't often see gratitude as a form of love, but in this instance we have the perfect illustration of that concept.  Jesus says it Himself, "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."   It is surprising how little importance we often give to gratitude, but in Christ's eyes here, it is practically everything.  This woman's status in His eyes is clearly elevated -- and praised -- for her expression of love and gratitude.  So long as we feel entitled to grace, or entitled to forgiveness (or perhaps "entitled" to just about anything), we will struggle to understand the proper role of gratitude in a well-ordered life and its place in our ways of thinking.  This is especially true for those who call ourselves Christian.  There is nothing that surpasses the importance of recognizing how significant our dependence upon God really is, and the light that casts on how we live our lives, and how we view ourselves and our circumstances.  With her fragrant oil, this woman shows an extravagant thanks indeed, a gratitude that can only be borne of being freed from a kind of slavery to her sin.  It is this the Pharisee doesn't see, and perhaps cannot understand.  He doesn't see the reality of Christ, doesn't even receive Him with the hospitality (or common courtesy, as my study Bible says) that would no doubt be shown to a fellow Pharisee.  Do you and I value what Christ has to offer us?  Do we understand the depth of dependency upon and the love of God for us?  This is what we see if we but open our eyes and look at the extravagance of love, the release from a debt.  And yet, how many of us may take this for granted?

 

 

 

gratitude underrated

Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses

 

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it. 

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests hears it and sought how they night destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, an you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

- Mark 11:12–26 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

 

Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  My study Bible explains that it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early fall foliage, which would be a sign of a first crop, but without bearing any fruit.  Jesus, therefore, find not even one fig, and so he condemns the tree.   A fig tree, in Scripture, my study Bible explains, is often a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10).  Her fruitfulness has ceased, so the Kingdom will be taken from her and given to another people, who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).  

 

 So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests hears it and sought how they night destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.   My study Bible explains that those who bought and sold were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins, since Roman coins bore the image of Caesar and were therefore considered defiling in the temple.  (Caesar, we should remember, was worshiped as a god.)  The cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits, my study Bible tells us.  Remember that each person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), and so our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  As He does elsewhere, Jesus puts together two quotations from Scripture to make His point (Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11).

 

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, an you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible says that the cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act which signifies the judgment of Israel  It explains that the disciples need to learn that the old covenant with Israel is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will establish His Church, which is ultimately to be filled with Gentiles and Jews, and and they need assurance that they are following Christ's will.  This fig tree will be an indelible image in their minds.  This withering of the fig tree is also a sign to people in every generation regarding what will befall anyone who fails to listen to His message.

 

 Jesus speaks about effective prayer in today's reading.  He makes the following promise to the disciples:  "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them, an you will have them."   We must note, of course, that this promise of effective prayer comes with a clause, a sort of premise that must be fulfilled if we are to be effective and the promise of powerful prayer fulfilled.  He teaches us, "Therefore I say to you, whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."   We must therefore ask, why this condition?  Why does Jesus submit this requirement for effective prayer?  What does forgiveness have to do with it?  What does it have to do with faith in what we pray for?  These are important questions, for Jesus lays down a law with this saying, and it is a solemn statement we must all pay attention to.  One thing that happens when we forgive is not so much about what we do.  One would think -- in our very common modern assumptions about forgiveness -- that forgiveness means that we no longer think about the wrong someone has done us.  "Forgive and forget," the saying goes.  But in Matthew 18, Jesus gives a prescription for forgiveness and reconciliation and correction in the Church, and this includes the very important step of repentance on the part of the person who has trespassed against another.   In that context, Jesus teaches about naming the sin or trespass, witnesses, and also reconciliation.  He teaches, "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  So this concept of reconciliation, which is not just a simple matter of overlooking a sin or pretending it didn't happen, is worth an infinite number of times to forgive ("seventy times seven"), but there is a process to it.  It's similar to our reconciliation to God, and the requirement of repentance in being so reconciled.  We don't expect to carry on sinning, and place the responsibility for the sin on God or others; we do our part for forgiveness.  In this context, we should think, then, about what Jesus means when He teaches that "whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."    It is within this sense of reconciliation that we are bound to one another.  Our forgiveness in this case, to which Christ refers, is our reconciliation to God.  When we forgive, we "give up," as the word literally means in Greek.  And so, whatever way we feel someone has trespassed against us is given to God for God's judgment, and not ours.  In this way, we are reconciled to God, we "give up" our control, and accept that we need to follow the Lord's way -- regardless of what has happened and what anyone else has done.  Note that this does not mean we pretend an unrepented trespass never happened, full reconciliation is only possible through acknowledgement.  But nonetheless, we are free to give things up to the Lord regardless of what someone else does.  Why does this make for effective prayer?  Because this is the foundation of covenant, and there is no covenant without the acceptance that God is the judge of all things.  We are always free to reconcile to our Lord, even if another person does not accept repentance for a bad act -- and thus, we are free in this covenant.  We are not bound to the trespass; we are bound instead to God.  Neither does Christ say, in Matthew 18, that we are required to accept continuing abusive behavior.  Let us think about what covenant means, for covenant and forgiveness are the foundations of effective prayer.  We place our trust in God, letting nothing stand in the way, and that is the faith that moves mountains. The fig tree stands as a symbol of violated and failed covenant; let us take notice.

 

 

 

Our Father

 

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, 

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 

- Matthew 6:7–15 

 

 We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 - 7 of St. Matthew's Gospel).  Yesterday we began reading chapter 6, in which Jesus taught, "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. . . . Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  The two separate sections of yesterday's reading above, distinguished by the ellipsis ( . . . ), frame the section of the Gospel we're given in today's reading.  Here Jesus continues His teaching on prayer, begun by His teaching, "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites."  Here in these verses He speaks of vain repetitions, which cannot establish the communion with God that we seek in prayer.  My study Bible comments that God does not need our "babble."  To partake of the communion with God, it says, both silence and words are necessary.  Therefore, we seek to pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).   My study Bible further notes that Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but rather teaches that words must express the desire for communion with God.  Jesus gives us specific words to repeat in today's reading further along in today's reading (the Lord's Prayer, verses 9-13).  It is not repetition itself that Jesus condemns, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayer, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  My study Bible adds that true prayer is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing pious in front of others.  Taking together the teachings in yesterday's reading and today's, we understand true prayer to be humble (go into your room), personal (pray to your Father), and sincere (do not use vain repetitions).

"In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The Father-Son relationship within the Trinity is a revelation of our own potential relationship with God.  My study Bible comments that Christ, the Son of God, grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" (meaning both males and females, as heirs), a Christian is called to love, trust, and to serve God as Christ serves the Father.  My study Bible cautions us to understand that God is not our Father simply because God created us.  God is only Father to those in saving and personal relationship with God -- a communion that only comes by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  

"Give us this day our daily bread."  My study Bible says that daily is a misleading translation of a Greek word, found only here, epiousios/ἐπιούσιος, which literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  This expression daily bread, therefore, indicates not simply bread for today or for earthly nourishment.  It's the bread "for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God," my study Bible tells us; that is, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  This living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself, the voluntary sacrifice given for us.  In the Lord's Prayer, therefore, we are not asking merely for material bread for physical health.  We ask for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."   My study Bible points out that this request for forgiveness is plural (as the prayer is in the plural, for we pray to "Our Father").  Here, this plural form means that we are directed always to pray for the forgiveness of others.  The term debts is used to refer to spiritual debts (see Matthew 18:21-35, as well as the final verses of today's reading).  

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.  For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  My study Bible affirms for us that God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13).  Temptations, it notes, are from the evil one, the devil.  Temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  My study Bible adds that no one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us. 

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Here Christ is insisting upon mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  My study Bible comments that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  It notes that this teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with this same teaching.  It adds that to not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves. 

 

Jesus teaches us to pray addressing "Our Father."  In a discussion on another blog, written by Fr. Stephen Freeman (Glory to God for All Things), Fr. Freeman comments as follows:  "In Romans 8:15, St. Paul writes: 'For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, "Abba, Father."'  This describes what is happening in prayer. The Spirit prays within us, with the voice of the Son, calling 'Father.' We pray 'our' Father, because we are always praying through the Spirit in the voice of the Son."  This is a tremendous understanding of what is happening when we pray -- and especially in this wonderful prayer given to us by Jesus.  In the sense that Fr. Freeman seems to be indicating, and as my study Bible commentary also notes, and St. Paul conveys, Jesus invites us in to His own Father-Son relationship with the Father, whereby we also may be "sons" (meaning heirs), and through the Spirit of adoption in the voice of the Son praying, "Abba, Father."   So if the Trinity in some sense is participating with us in prayer, Christ has given us this extraordinary gift of an entire universe singing through the voice of the Son in the power of the Spirit, all praying together to our Father.  This puts a perspective on the entire rest of the prayer in which Christ teaches us to participate in the same life He leads for us, while the Spirit helps to guide us in this life.  As He taught us, we pray for that Kingdom to come into this world, as it is always in the process of coming.  We pray to forgive and to be forgiven, and we pray for the bread of the Kingdom so that we all may be together and  dwell there ("In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" - John 14:2).  Jesus faced His own temptations (Matthew 4:1-11), and we know how often He Himself took time out for prayer to His Father (for example, Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12).  We are encompassed in this prayer, which has as its center a prayer for our daily bread -- that is, for Christ Himself, giving His "supersubstantial" Body and Blood, so that we may participate fully in Him and He in us in the Kingdom for which He teaches us to pray.  When we say this prayer He has given us, we pray with Him and in the Holy Spirit, joining to "Our Father."

Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?

 

 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted  to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 

- Matthew 18:21-35 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the disciples, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." 

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted  to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  My study Bible explains about today's reading that the number given by Jesus, seventy times seven, is symbolic of an unlimited amount.  It notes that this parable illustrates the need for unlimited forgiveness.  Ten thousand talents, the sum owed to the king, is an impossible sum.  It's more than a laborer could earn in many lifetimes (according to one estimate, 200,000 years of labor).  From an earthly perspective, a hundred denarii is also a significant amount of money -- about three months' wages, but a pittance compared to the giant debt owed to the king.   But God does not just stay the punishment that would equal the debt, but forgives us the entire debt as well.  Since God forgives us, we are in turn asked to grant the gift of forgiveness to others. There is also in patristic tradition a spiritual interpretation of the punishment that is described here.  In that view, the man represents the soul, the wife represents the body, and the children represent a person's deeds.  So, therefore, the body and the deeds are given over to slavery -- that is, to Satan, so that the soul might possibly be saved (see 1 Corinthians 5:5).  

What is forgiveness?  Is it full reconciliation?  Here and in the Sermon on the Mount, in the prayer Jesus gives to us that we call "The Lord's Prayer" (Matthew 6:9-15), Jesus likens our sins against others, as well as those committed against us, to debts, when He teaches us to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  He also uses the illustration of trespass in His admonition about forgiveness He adds afterward.  So debts, in this context, become some shortcoming of our own, some way in which we've harmed or hurt others, or sinned against them.  There are all kinds of sins and sinning that harm others, some deliberate, some even inadvertent if we are going to count a liability for something unintentional.  A careless word, harmful gossip unthinkingly repeated, unintended consequences may result in so much harm to another or to ourselves that one might consider it "owed" back for the detriment done.  So what is the cost of forgiveness?  Are we prepared to give up restitution, or what we think we're owed when there is a sin to us or to our well-being?  But let us look at the formula for correction in the Church given by Jesus in yesterday's reading (see above).  The one committing the sin is called upon to recognize what has been done; the failure to do so will result in the person being ostracized from community.  As the repeated expressions of what that means exactly given by my study Bible indicate, this last result, to be delivered  "to Satan for the destruction of the flesh" in the words of St. Paul (1 Corinthians 5:5), is not seen as punishment.  Rather it is seen as the last hope for correction and recognition of destructive behavior, the last means of coming to salvation.  It seems that the giving up of such debts for mutual forgiveness is a way of maintaining community not simply among us and between us, but under God, and as the Body of Christ.  For ultimately, everything is owed to God, the author of our lives, the Creator, the One "in whom we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).   But what of those who refuse to acknowledge their debt?  Jesus does not acknowledge that in the parable, but rather His emphasis is on forgiveness and our own failure to extend it.  Of course, coming after Jesus' teaching about mutual correction and discipline in the Church, Peter's question is really a focus on relationships with fellow faithful ("my brother").  But what of the rest of our lives, in our highly secular world?  How does one forgive when sin is not acknowledged?  What does that look like, as is so often the case?  If we think of God as the One to whom all is owed, then our extended forgiveness is a kind of contract between ourselves and God.  We don't necessarily need full communion with a person who continues to sin or trespass in some way, as is evidenced in Jesus' formula for mutual correction in the Church.  But nevertheless we are encouraged to forgive in the sense of letting go of the debt, refraining from seeking our own means of punishment.  If we're concerned about justice as a way of equalizing things, penny for penny and pound for pound, then we must take into consideration the aspect of Christ's parable that tells us clearly that this will be the work of God, and is not up to us to do ourselves.  I was once told by an attorney (who handled many inheritance cases) that the only place that justice really happens is in heaven, and this would seem to match up with Christ's parable.  What we take away from His teaching is that we forgive, even if that means we simply place our faith in God to work things out, and give us good things with which to build our lives.  Whether or not an injustice or hurt is recognized on worldly terms, we have a way to follow our faith, and exchange our debts for something better, a trust in God.   Note that in the parable the emphasis is on our initiative to forgive, and not on the failure of others to repent.  Ultimately our agreement is with Christ's heavenly Father, our first relationship of prime importance.  Let us endeavor to maintain this relationship with God as we are taught.

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you

 

 "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

- Luke 6:27-38 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass in those days that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.  And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:  Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.  And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits.  And they were healed.  And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.  Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:  "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled.  Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.  Rejoice in that day leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."

 

  "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  My study Bible comments on verse 31 ("And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise") that this "Golden Rule" is a minimum of Christian virtue, as it places our desire for goodness (what is called "the natural law of self-love" by St. Cyril of Alexandria) as a basic standard of how to treat others.  It is but the first step on the path to the perfection of virtue.  This perfection, my study Bible says, is found in verse 36 ("Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful"), where it is God's mercy, rather than the desire of human beings, which is the standard.

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."  My study Bible comments that mercy precludes human judgment.  Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over are descriptions of how an honest and generous merchant would measure bulk goods.  Flour pressed down, for example, would yield a more generous amount than flour fluffed up.  The blessings God intends to put into our hearts, my study Bible says, are more generous than we can possibly contain, yet this also depends upon the spirit in which we ourselves give and forgive.

For anyone who has had to cope with cruelty or unfairness, today's teaching by Jesus is particularly difficult and can be met with struggle.  How do we practice mercy to someone who has treated us badly?  Do we open the door to more abuse?  How often do I give someone who asks for something who has no appreciation whatsoever for the gift?  These questions can be asked incessantly.  But I think it is important to take Christ's teaching with a certain frame of mind, a perspective He's sharing with us.  My study Bible's comment that our job is not just to follow our own standard of mercy (what we'd like or how we'd like to be treated), but to aim further -- to find what God would want from us as standard.  I don't believe that the spirit of these teachings includes anything that would encourage abusive or bad behavior.  But it is a teaching which encourages ways to create good community.  One of the oldest problems in Scripture is that of envy, and slander that often goes along with it.  Some scholars suggest that both the Old and New Testaments link envy to a form of idolatry.  In this sense, to be envious (particularly with malice) is to reject the fullness of God's goodness for us, and our reliance upon God.  So envy as a malevolent desire is rooted in a lack of trusting to God's blessings.  Moreover, envy that manifests as withholding good from another is seen as a sort of gatekeeping of God's blessings, an enforced exclusivity that effectively forms a false relationship to God and the abundance of goodness described by Jesus when He says that God is  kind to the unthankful and evil.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:44-45).  If we look at the definitions for the Greek word translated as "kind" in today's passage (verse 35) perhaps the best one is "gracious."  But this is the kindness of God, so it is always fitting and useful.  We must also take note that this word (χρηστός) is pronounced the same way as the word for Christ, Χριστος,"Christos."  Moreover, God's goodness is that which provides for an ultimate good, God's eternal perspective of salvation.  So when we are kind to those who mistreat us, this isn't an invitation to continue behavior that is surely not beneficial to their salvation, but rather a refraining from doing harm, from taking revenge, a pleasantness that aims to keep peace -- or at least the open door to repentance and salvation.  Sometimes what is fitting and helpful can only come with patience.  St. Augustine comments on this passage:  " A final just vengeance is looked for, that is, the last supreme judgment, only when no chance of correction remains. But now we must be on our guard, more than anything else, not to lose patience in our eagerness to be justified, for patience is to be more highly prized than anything an enemy can take from us against our will" (Augustine, Letter 138).  We're to remember that full justice comes from God, the One upon whom we rely for vengeance.  St. Paul writes to the Romans, "Repay no one evil for evil. Have[a] regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord (Romans 12:17-19; quoting from Deuteronomy 32:35).  When Jesus speaks of refraining from judgment (or perhaps we should say, unrighteous judgment), it is with the clear understanding in mind that the ultimate judgment is God's, so so should we also keep in mind that there is an eternal aim for the highest good.   And again, that brings us back to the virtue of patience.  Ultimately, the good that we give requires reliance on God, the true source of flowing abundance, true Judge, and the source of the virtue we need, the only Giver who can assure us that "with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

 

 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So He said to them, "When you pray, say:  

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one."

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

 - Luke 11:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." 

 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."   My study bible says that the request, teach us to pray, expresses a universal longing to be in communion with God 

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  My study bible comments here that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity is a revelation of our own potential relationship with God  Christ is the Son of God, and He grants us that privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  Therefore, as one who is also a "son of God" (regardless of gender; "son" indicates one is an heir), each Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God just as Christ does the Father.  My study bible also notes that God is not our Father just because He is our Creator.  God is only Father to those who are in a saving and personal relationship to God, a communion that comes only through the grace of adoption (see John 1:13, Romans 8:14-16).  As heirs to this kingdom, so we all pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven; this includes our own walk in the path of Christ.

"Give us day by day our daily bread."  My study bible tells us that daily is a misleading translation of the Greek word epiousios/επιούσιος, which literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  The expression in the prayer, daily bread, indicates not simply bread for today.  It is neither merely a plea for earthly nourishment.  The word in Greek indicates the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, and for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  It is an acknowledgement of the fullness of our humanity, our need for a deeper nourishment than something worldly.  This living, supersubstantial bread, my study bible says, is Christ Himself.  Therefore, in this prayer, we aren't simply asking for material bread for physical health, but for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  We ask for that which nurtures, sustains, and deepens the fullness of identity in Christ.

"And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us."  My study bible calls to our attention that this request to be forgiven is plural, noting that it directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  Debts refers to spiritual debts (see 18:21-35). 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  A note here tells us that God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13).  Rather, temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  Temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5); such temptations come in many forms, which may sometimes be hard to recognize - but experience, with prayer, becomes our teacher.  My study bible adds that no one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"    In the original Greek, these verbs which are translated ask, seek, and knock are in fact in a form that implies continuing action.  They are better translated, "keep asking," "keep seeking," and "keep knocking."  My study bible teaches that God responds when we are persistent in asking for things that are good.  The words that Christ uses:  bread, fish, and an egg, are images of life.  They all symbolize the gift of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:13-14, James 4:3).

Jesus teaches us how to pray.  Let us remember that He is speaking to His disciples, one of whom requests that they be taught how to pray.  The disciple cites the example of John the Baptist.  Many of Christ's disciples were first disciples of the Baptist, and the text indicates that John taught his disciples ways to pray.  So, this request is made of Jesus, clearly after observing Jesus in prayer.  No doubt -- as the Gospels tell us in various places that Jesus withdrew for prayer -- this is the way discipleship works; we are meant to learn by imitating our Teacher (6:40).  And so, this is how we come to this prayer in the Church, which is universally known and heard at every liturgy.  It is often titled, "The Lord's Prayer," as this is the prayer He gives to the disciples in response to the request.  But a message which is as urgently given as the prayer itself is for praying with persistence.  This is not meant to be a one-time prayer.  It's not even meant for simply once on Sundays.  The injunction by Christ which accompanies the prayer is for us to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking.  Ultimately, the symbols of life which Jesus gives -- bread, fish, an egg -- are symbols of the life meant to be lived by the disciples.  That is, they are images of life in Christ, of an eternal life which opens into this kingdom of heaven, even as we live our lives here on earth.  Jesus speaks explicitly of the gift of the Holy Spirit.  In the Creed, the universal Church calls the Holy Spirit "the giver of life."  Therefore, when Jesus urges us to keep praying persistently -- to keep asking, seeking, and knocking -- we are seeking the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, to dwell in us and pray in us, to continue enhancing and enriching our lives so that we may have the life in abundance promised by Christ (John 10:10).  In this place of prayer to Our Father, in which we proclaim, as does Jesus, that we are all "sons" and therefore heirs by adoption, we pray to be given even more greatly the gift of life, the Holy Spirit.   For the Holy Spirit is the Lord (the Third Person of the Trinity) who dwells with us and among us, in whose place is the presence of the Kingdom with us, and who enlivens our own lives so that we bear the Kingdom into the world ourselves.  We might add that where the Lord the Holy Spirit is present, so are Father and Son.  Where God is present, so is God's kingdom -- as well as the eternal reality of that Kingdom.  In other words, if we can wrap our heads around it, we might come to understand that in prayer we not only seek God's presence and help in our daily lives, but we are also knocking, seeking, and asking in the place of the eternal day of the Kingdom of God.  We seek and ask and knock for the gift of life beyond the limitations we know, even of time and space.  In this way, prayer truly acts to help us to transcend our present problems, the limitations of life and circumstances we can't necessarily see around or find our ways out of -- and it connects us with that place where all is reconciled in Christ.  Our prayer is communion with the Kingdom that lives beyond the present day, beyond time and space, and connects us to the ultimate union with the Teacher.  In this way, prayer works in a subtle sense, where insight may become possible, a flash of enlightenment about how to proceed through a problem, as well as the great gift of the peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7).  Prayer is the essential movement toward communion with God that must accompany all things in life, for it connects us with God who knows our deepest troubles and who shows us the way through all things, even our own stumbling blocks.  Let us not forget that we are not meant to live lives in limitation, but to seek that place of the Kingdom always, so that we may be the disciples who bring the kingdom of God near (10:9).

Have faith in God

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.   And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

- Mark 11:12-26

On Saturday we read that when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there and said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord!  Hosanna in the highest!"  And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

  Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.   That it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early fall foliage, according to my study bible.  The early foliage would indicate a first crop, but there is no fruit borne on the tree.  Jesus doesn't find a single fig, and it results in a vivid symbol of condemnation.  In Scripture, my study bible comments, a fig tree is often a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10).   At this time of the Triumphal Entry (Saturday's reading, above), Jesus enters His last week of life as human being and earthly ministry, and this is a comment on the lack of fruitfulness under the present leadership; the Kingdom will be taken and given to another people, called out of the whole world to bear spiritual fruit (see Matthew 21;43, Galatians 5:22-23). 

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.   Those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals for sacrifice.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins.  Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and were considered to be defiling in the temple.  It is particularly noteworthy that the text specifically mentions those who sold doves, as these were the affordable sacrifices of the poor.  My study bible comments that the cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each one is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters that do not reflect the loving nature of God.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."   The disciples remark upon Christ's prophetic act of cursing and withering of the fig tree.   It is an image they won't forget, as they go out into the world as apostles after Christ's death, Resurrection, and Ascension.  The old covenant is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will go on to establish Christ's Church, which will be filled ultimately with both Jews and Gentiles, and they will need assurance that they are following His will.  The image of the fig tree will remain significant to them in this way.

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  Jesus uses this occasion to teach once again regarding faith, and it is important that this teaching on prayer and faith is couple with the admonition to forgive in prayer.  This is because it cements in the notion that all prayer is couched in the hands and will of God.  Prayer and faith go hand in hand simply because of this understanding that all things are given up to God for reconciliation, including whatever it is that we have against anyone.    Forgiveness is the act of giving up our hurts to God for God's will and adjudication; it does not mean excusing harm done to us or even necessarily reconciling in full with others, unless this, too, is something we find we are drawn to do through prayer.  But we are asked, rather, to put all things in God's hands, for God's will, including our own will.   The prayer given to us by Christ (Matthew 6:9-15) includes both of these understandings, that we give our will to God's will, and that we give up all "debts" and "trespasses" to God for God's reconciliation in our lives.  Therefore, the faith with which we pray becomes powerful in that will.  My study bible comments that while it is not recorded that an apostle literally moved am mountain, Church tradition is clear that the saints had this authority if the need has arisen (in certain stories of the saints they did make crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not everything the apostles accomplished has been written down.  Beyond the literally meaning of Christ's words, the promise is also an illustration, my study bible says, of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  It quotes Theophan:  "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

What makes prayer powerful?  This is a question all kinds of people throughout history and the ages would like to ask.  But what makes prayer effective and powerful?  I think it could be understood that God hears every prayer.  Whether or not that prayer is necessarily good for us, effective, or profitable in a spiritual sense makes little difference.  God's messengers are everywhere and uncountable, and each has an angel who hears.  Within that system of messengers (for messenger is the root meaning of the word "angel" -- and even most likely why the visions of angels given to us have wings) we are all certain to have had our prayers heard.  The question becomes, then, what prayer is effective, and how it is so.   My belief is that we can be certain that our prayers are answered even when we don't think they have been.  Often, prayers are answered instead in ways that we need them to be answered for our own highest good.  An unanswered prayer in my own life has meant that I had further issues to deal with, to resolve and reconcile, new understandings to gain in my own spiritual life which would not have been possible if my prayers were simply answered as I had requested them in my own ignorance or lack of knowledge and understanding.  Sometimes an unresolved issue goes a long way to giving us new revelation about God's work in our lives and even the nature of God's love for us.  In this context, St. Paul's own experience is particularly enlightening.  He prayed several times for relief from a "thorn in the flesh" but was eventually told, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  "Therefore," concludes St. Paul, "most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-9).  This new way of thinking was a message to St. Paul which opened up a new understanding of God's grace at work in the world.  Seemingly paradoxical, it teaches us about our own struggles and our own lives.  As human beings, we may be called upon to struggle with particular difficulties and obstacles, even so that God's grace may shine out from us.  We may consider Beethoven, the great composer, who wrote groundbreaking music through all manner of personal pain and illness, and even through deafness, completing and performing his "Ode to Joy" when he was completely deaf.  We may think about these twelve men, Christ's apostles who will go out into the whole of the known world of their time spreading the message of Christ's gospel.  The Gospels teach us all about their own personal flaws.  They are for the most part unlearned in a formal sense of educational institutions of their time.  None of them are a part of the institutional hierarchy of faith or national leadership.  And yet, what they do will -- in a very short span of one generation -- revolutionize the world.  It seems clear that God's grace works through our own imperfections.  The Cross of Christ -- as well as our individual crosses which He teaches each of us to bear (Luke 9:23) -- functions to give us an image of struggle in which each of us is bound by our very natures to engage.  That very struggle is for God's grace to work through us, imperfect as we are, bringing even greatness possible through each one.  This greatness is born of a struggle not necessarily known to the world, but is between ourselves and God -- and found especially through heartfelt and honest prayer.  If we are open to God's grace, placing ourselves and all of our lives in God's hands, then we are on the right track for answers to our prayers -- but most especially for that particular grace which might be known only to ourselves.  Let us be good disciples and find His way, for this is the true substance of life within us, and something we cannot predict or calculate.  But we can put trust in His promise of the power of our faith.  We just need to place faith in the answers we find.   The story of the cursing of the fig tree is couched in Mark's Gospel on either side of the cleansing of the temple.  Let us understand there is also a message for us there, about seeking God's will in all that we do and learning to set aside our own impulses for selfishness or corruption.  We give all things to God, but most especially the fullness of ourselves.  In this is our greatest expression of faith.