Whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD'S doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

 

- Matthew 21:33-46 

 

In our current readings, Jesus has made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), and cleansed the temple.  Yesterday we read that when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him." 

 

  "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him."  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  My study Bible explains that in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  The servants sent by the owner stand for the Old Testament prophets who came to call people back to God, and his son stands for Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, it's understood on two levels.  First, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem; and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers and not by those of His own "vineyard."  The others who later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church.  Note that, as in yesterday's reading (above), the Jewish religious leaders condemn themselves through their answer.

'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD'S doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.  My study Bible tells us that this stone is Christ (the quotation is taken from Psalm 118:22-23).  It cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who remarks that this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  There is first of all the people who fall on the stone; these are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while still in this life.  But those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant, who suffer utter destruction in the final judgment.  

It is intriguing to consider the commentary of St. John Chrysostom on today's passage, regarding the "two ways" of destruction upon the stone which the builders rejected.  One way is to be broken, leading to repentance.  That is, if this Stone is Christ, recognizing even through hardship and error the truth of Christ, and so coming to repentance.  This is a sense in which we've come upon Christ the Stone as stumbling block, and turned to Him in our own brokenness.  The second way is one which enters into Christ's teaching not too often so far in the story of His ministry, but makes itself felt quite plainly and even direly here.  That is to live life unfettered in error and sin, and come to judgment still in this state.  This latter, second way leads to full destruction, an incapacity for repentance and thus a lack of salvation.  So St. Chrysostom's thinking leads us -- if you are like myself -- to consider the redemption available to us through stumbling and difficulties, even hard and harsh experiences in life, through which we may find Christ's redemptive and saving power of truth, what leads for us to true life.  St. Paul says something similar in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, when he mentions one engaging in a scandalous sin in the Church, teaching the Corinthians, "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 5:4-5).  This would suggest the effects of such a life outside of the Church, with the possibility of leading to repentance through its consequences.  But at this juncture in the Gospel, we come up against the possibility of profound rejection and loss in the judgment of Christ, an utter loss of life at the time of judgment.  This is now the stark picture presented to these men who would be the religious leaders of Israel, in whose hands is the spiritual care of the people.  In chapter 23, Jesus will name several "woes" of the scribes and Pharisees for their practices and their hypocrisy.  Earlier in the Gospel, He has spoken of the woes that would befall those in His Church who will cause offense and scandal to the "little ones" in the Church, causing them to be lost and to stray, saying, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" (Matthew 18:6-7).  So, in making these observations of Christ's preaching of "woes" we are able to observe that He first warns His own apostles, who would become the leaders of His Church -- and by this warning, also their successors -- against abuses of power, sinning against and causing offenses to the "little ones" (the humble of the Church) who will be in their spiritual care.  Here in Jerusalem at the temple, in confrontation with the religious leaders of Israel, He gives this great warning to those who have failed to care for their vineyard, lacking the spiritual fruits meant to be produced while entrusted to their care.  Observing this consistent warning to those entrust with the spiritual care of the people of God, we may see Christ's concerns as applying forever to those who would be His followers in the Church, and in particular to those who would be leaders entrusted with the spiritual care of the faithful.  How far have we come from the mark Christ has set for us?  How far do we have to go?   Do we take His warnings seriously?  How much do we protect and take heed against abuses of the humble in the Church?  Each one of us must take His warnings seriously, and be reminded of the prophets of the Old Testament coming repeatedly to call people back to God, but especially of the warnings Jesus gives here to those who will plot to destroy Him.  In the Church, we have a great responsibility -- all the faithful -- for the care and nurturing of those who will come to find faith, and to grow in the Church.  Let us remember the Stone, and the two ways, for each may beckon before us.  One way, we may gain all that we might have through repentance; the other way, we may lose even what we think we have (Matthew 13:12). 

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  

 

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

    'The stone which the builders rejected

    Has become the chief cornerstone. 

    This was the LORD's doing,

    And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

 

- Matthew 21:33-46 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,'  but he did not go.  Which if the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

  "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vine-dressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him."  My study Bible explains that in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard is a reference to God's people.  The vinedressers are the religious leaders who are entrusted to care for the people.  The servants who are sent by the owner each stand for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, while the son is a reference to Christ Himself.  When the Son is taken and cast out of the vineyard and killed, it is understood on two levels.  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem (the place of crucifixion, Golgotha, was outside the walls of the ancient city), and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not by those of His own vineyard. 

 

 "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  Once again, as in yesterday's reading (above; see Matthew 21:31), these religious leaders convict themselves according to their own response to Christ's question.

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.  This stone, upon which others fall, is Christ.  My study Bible refers us to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, this saying shows the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while they are yet in this life.  But those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant who suffer destruction in the final judgment.  Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23; Isaiah 28:16.

 

Who is the Stone?  Jesus Christ.  It is interesting to think of stones in connection with Christ, and the various references to stones (or rock) we find in Scripture and in connection with the Church.  Here, first, Jesus refers to Himself as the chief cornerstone, the one rejected by the builders (the religious leaders who will seek to put Him to death).  A chief cornerstone functions in various ways to uphold the weight of a building and keep it together, also guiding the building of the rest of the structure.  Jesus has also given us a parable about building our house (our life) upon a rock in Matthew 7:24-29.  This is His illustration for one "who hears these sayings of Mine, and does them."  In other words, to build one's home upon a rock illustrates faithful living.  When St. Peter made his confession that Jesus was indeed "the Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus told him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (see Matthew 16:13-20).  According to Luke's Gospel, when Jesus approaches Jerusalem at His Triumphal Entry, and His disciples shout as if welcoming a Savior King, some of the Pharisees tells Him to rebuke the disciples.  But Jesus replies, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:28-40).  In St. Peter's First Epistle, he writes eloquently to the Church as "living stones":  "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, 'Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.'"   Peter then goes on to cite Christ's quotation from Psalm 118 in today's reading, and adds another from Isaiah to make the point St. Chrysostom repeats in commentary:  "Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,' and, 'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.' They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed" (1 Peter 2:4-10; Isaiah 8:14).  In each of these ways, we see the illustration used of a rock or stone to teach us about our faith, about the Church, about Christ, even about St. Peter and his confession, and to all those faithful who are in the world as "living stones."  In any way we view these statements, we should understand that this rock or this stone and its qualities are given to us as a gift.  But so much depends upon how we respond to it, and how we live -- faithfully or not.  We have the choice to build His life in this world. 

 

 

And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 

 'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD'S doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

- Matthew 21:33-46 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple (the day after the cleansing of the temple), the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered an said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him." 

 

 "Hear another parable:  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."   In this parable, my study Bible explains, the landowner represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  The servants sent by the owner are the prophets of the Old Testament, who each came to call people back to God.  The son is a reference to Christ Himself, sent last of all.  When the son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, it is understood in two ways:  first, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (Golgotha was outside the city walls); and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not those of His own vineyard.  As in yesterday's reading (above), the religious leaders convict themselves when they draw the conclusion to the parable.  Unwittingly, they tell of the other vinedressers to whom the vineyard will be leased, who are the Gentiles who will be brought into the Church in hope that they will render the fruits in their seasons.

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:   'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD'S doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.  This stone, of course, is Christ.  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who declares that this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while yet in this life; but those upon whom the stone falls are unrepentant people suffering utter destruction in the final judgment.  

The explanation of the "action" of the stone by St. John Chrysostom is quite interesting, and it is in contrast to many popular ideas about God and God's love.  If God were truly loving, so many ask, why would God permit bad things to happen to people?  While this is an important question, and is answered in various ways (the problem of evil is clearly present in the Bible!), it is also important that we understand St. Chrysostom's insight into this saying.  It is one that is shared by St. Paul as well in 1 Corinthians 5:5 (see verse 5 in context here).  Of a brother in the Church at Corinth who is sinning in ways which are corrupting to others, St. Paul writes to them to "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  What does this mean?  How can they deliver someone to Satan?  Why would St. Paul tell any believer to do this?  What it means is that the person is to be excommunicated, to live life outside of the church so that he may feel the consequences that result from his lifestyle.  This is not an assumption that a form of exile (or excommunication) in and of itself is that consequence.  It is rather the consequences that will result in a nominal believer's life from the rejection of Christ's teachings and their separation from the Church, being without the spiritual protection of the Church.  This is a teaching about what it is to be outside of God's protective mercy, to truly reap what we sow.  The understanding -- as far as I understand this teaching -- is that through worship, with God's blessings and spiritual protection we receive through prayer, we are those who understand that we are blessed not to get "what we deserve."  That is, not to directly receive the consequences of our sin in our lives.  To share in the Eucharist of Christ is not the product of a "deserving" life, for none of us can do things which render us deserving, or can compensate with some sort of payment, for eternal life.  Nothing we do can command such grace through merit alone, because the gift is far more valuable than what we can produce.  So we understand this as a gift of God, incomparable to what we could "pay" for it.  God's grace and mercy work through our faith, the way we see that faith in the Gospels works to render healing possible and all kinds of blessings that come out of Christ's ministry.  We are spiritually protected from that which seeks spiritual harm for us.  But to be cast out of that grace and mercy is a different set of spiritual circumstances.  While God always loves us, we may find ourselves disengaged from faith and wandering in our own choices not to participate in that grace -- and that is life that St. Paul speaks of when he writes to "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  For sadly, it is all too often only through our bad experiences in suffering the consequences of our own mistaken behavior that we come to repentance, that we start to reconsider the value of our souls more deeply, and especially to consider the value of our relationship to God.  It is so often there that we begin to turn toward God in our grief or despair or even anger to find the way back into that grace, the lack of which we so keenly can feel at times in our lives.  Since I myself have had this experience, I feel that I can testify to it, and readily admit that I am glad God keeps me from having all that I truly "deserve" through the grace and mercy and love that I experience instead.  For all of us err, and none is perfect, but we may all be on our way somewhere, to that place where our spirit may be saved in "the day of the Lord Jesus."  In the end, even a rebuke from Christ, even St. Paul's command to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, is not meant for punishment, but for salvation -- so that we can learn God's reality and what life is like without it, so that we can come to our spiritual senses.  May all those whom we love be brought into God's grace by every means possible.  For there are times when even worldly misfortune can be a saving grace.

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it

 

 "Hear another parable.  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to him.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

 

- Matthew 21:33-46 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- where was it from?  From heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?"  They said to Him, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

 

  "Hear another parable.  There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.  And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.  Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to him.  Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'  So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?"  They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."   In this parable, my study Bible explains, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, while the beloved son refers to Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, this is understood on two levels:  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem (Golgotha was outside of the city walls); and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers and not those of His own vineyard.  The other vinedressers who later lease the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church.  Note that, as in yesterday's reading, above, in answering Christ's question, the elders convict themselves.

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.  And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them.  But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.  Jesus quotes to the religious leaders Psalm 118:22-23.  This stone is Christ.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while yet in this life, whereas those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant who suffer utter destruction in the final judgment.  

Again in today's reading we encounter themes that have to do with God's mercy and forbearance, but also with the power of God as it works through our human interactions.  That God is the owner of the vineyard sets the stage for our understanding of our place in the world.  We are in a world that is not of our own making, nor are we even "owners" of this world.  We are, in fact, stewards of this world in the setting of the Bible.  As such, it must be our concern to be good stewards, not only to care for our world, but to care for all that God has created and all that implies; this includes much more than simply a physical material plane of existence, but also the spiritual welfare of all the world.  In this parable, the vineyard is Israel, but clearly it becomes extended out to the Gentiles, to all the world.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the people; in this case, it is specifically directed at the religious leaders in the temple, who are responsible for the leadership of the people on so many levels.  The fruits of the property are spiritual fruits, for which the owner (God) sends his servants -- the prophets who come to call the people back to God.  Finally there is Christ the Son.  But His rejection and killing will set off a different chain of events, and here we have an indication that the mercy of God actually has its limits.  Or perhaps what we should say is that our abuse of God's mercy will have its limits.  Earlier, Jesus has taught, "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men" (Matthew 12:31).  In the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, we're told that there is no such thing as an unforgivable sin -- but it depends upon our own repentance.  In other words, the only unforgivable sin is the one that is not repented.  And so it is with the story of the Wicked Vinedressers.  God's mercy, a time for repentance, extends through all the calls of the prophets sent to remind the vinedressers what they are to be about.  But the failure to understand and accept and be fruitful in their relationship to the owner only deteriorates through their attitude.  They wish simply to own and exploit the vineyard, finally killing the son and heir in that selfish quest.  There is no turning back and no repentance, and the effects of their rejection and selfishness will be the fruits they will bear.  This is something that might be difficult to understand in terms of God's love and mercy, which we consider inexhaustible.  But it is our own rejection that at some point becomes fixed; it is our own internal life that can become corrupted enough through rejection of spiritual truth that we don't turn back but hang on all the more to what is not truth, not reality.  Our world is frequently compared to God's vineyard in support of the idea that it is not simply ours to own and to exploit, but rather ours to care for as good stewards.  This is often used as a metaphor for considering the ecology of the natural world, and issues such as climate change.  But Jesus tells this parable for reasons far beyond the care of the physical being of the natural world.  It is a parable directed at the religious leaders, who know full well what He is talking about.  But it is at the same time a parable for us to take seriously regarding our own spiritual fruits and spiritual lives, the life of the soul, and the heart that does not accept the vineyard owner, and the very nature and substance of who has given us life and whose sustenance makes our lives possible.  So many people have no sense at all of the sacredness of life, the gifts we're given, and pay no attention to the spiritual needs that accompany the fullness of life, the heart and mind and soul that is neglected through a focus on selfishness.  To exploit our world is far more than a question of its physical well-being, but depends very much on our spiritual understanding of life and the righteousness in which we're called to engage and to grow.  Our ancient ancestors, and the literature of the Bible, seem to suggest that we can't separate the physical well-being of ourselves or of our world from our spiritual well-being, and I would agree that this is so.  It is something we need to take seriously and to consider for ourselves.  In the parable, this spiritual vineyard will go on to the care of others who may prove to be fruitful in the ways that the vineyard owner desires; it will be leased to others.  In that aspect, it seems we are to understand the infinite creativity of God; that God is not altogether dependent upon us but will find other creative ways to seek out those who are capable of bearing the fruits of the Spirit.  We don't know the infinite creativity and meanings and intentions of God, so let us take this parable -- and its manifestation in history -- to heart.  Let us take care for ourselves that our "right relationship" to all things begins with our relatedness to God, and that within that embrace is contained the world and every single thing in it.  It is the umbrella of God's love and care that we seek to learn and within which to grow, and to extend that to all of creation.  There is no telling what beauty and truth and goodness can come of such "right relatedness," but we are also warned of the consequences of our failure to understand this mission and the meaning of our lives within the right relationship to God, and that we are invited to dwell in God's kingdom in this world.  Let us begin today to seek Christ's way, for all that we might be in charge of in our lives, for whatever is in our care, be that big things or small ones, for all of it is a gift and all of it precious to its true Owner.  This is especially so of those who come bearing His word and His life into the world to call us all back to Him, and to wake us up to ourselves and our true citizenship in the Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

But blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears for they hear

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'

"But blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

- Matthew 13:1-17

On Saturday, we read Jesus' words as He began to conclude the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:13-21):  "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  As we begin to prepare for the commemoration of Jesus' Ascension on Thursday, the lectionary skips forward to this parable in chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel.  On Saturday we had read almost to Jesus' final words in the Sermon on the Mount.  But in today's reading, we skip ahead into Jesus' ministry, to a time when He is so well-known that many come to see Him out of curiosity, and so great multitudes come to Him.  Also by this time in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has begun to have conflicts with the religious leadership, who openly demand to see a sign from Him to prove His identity as Messiah, which He refuses.  They have accused Him of casting out demons by the power of demons.  It is at this point in the Gospel that He begins to introduce a new style of preaching.  He begins to preach in parables.  In contrast to the Sermon on the Mount (which began with the Beatitudes), in which Jesus spoke explicitly of the blessedness of the kingdom of God and God's righteousness, parables are "word-pictures" which illustrate aspects of the Kingdom and rely on the perception of the listener.  My study bible adds that in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5, Jeremiah 31:27-30, Hos 2:21–23; Joel 3:12–14).  These are images common to daily life for the people.  In this first parable, which introduces both the disciples and His audience of "great multitudes" to the use of parables in His preaching, Jesus introduces Himself in a particular way.  He is the Messiah who is the sower in the earth, foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."  The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, my study bible notes, are not simply obscure concepts or some religious truths only for the elite.  Neither is the understanding of the parables just an intellectual process.  My study bible remarks that even the disciples find the message hard to understand.    Even as Jesus  taught the same message to all, it is the simple and innocent -- at whatever level of personal education or sophistication -- who are open to its message.

"And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'"    Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10.  According to St. Chrysostom, this prophesy of Isaiah does not mean that God causes spiritual blindness in those who otherwise would have been faithful.  He explains rather that this is a figure of speech which is common to Scripture as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).   That people will hear and not understand and will see and not perceive means that God permits self-chosen spiritual deafness and blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).   They did not become blind because God spoke through Isaiah; rather Isaiah spoke in prophecy as he foresaw their blindness. 

"But blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  This statement has echoes of Jesus' comparison of John the Baptist, considered the last and greatest of the prophets, to those who are least in the kingdom of heaven:   "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (11:11).  It is a tremendous blessing, far greater than we can commonly count it, to be a part of this Kingdom and experience its truths.

In our next reading, Jesus will address the meanings hidden in the parable He has taught of the Sower.  But one thing we can notice right off, and that is that Jesus promises that the seed that fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  This is a teaching that gives us an idea of exponential growth somehow contained in this Kingdom, and in this work of the Sower.  We might call it "magical" -- as if these seeds are magical seeds from a fairy tale.  But that would be entirely missing the point.  There is not magic in the work of God, but something greater and more potent than what might be called magic.  The work of God is precisely that:  it is God's work in us.  It is the work of the holy, and this Kingdom will be accompanied -- even as it continues through our faith today -- with the promise of the Holy Spirit among us.  We are to be reminded here of the opposite of the purpose of the practice of magic that this work is the work of God.  What is produced is not merely something that comes of our own effort, but with the help of God, by the grace of God, and by the nature of the Kingdom which is divine.  Jesus gives us a picture of what is often called synergy, which means that those who struggle through the difficulties of faith and allow that seed to take root in the good ground of the heart and soul do not produce results solely on their own.  It means that our fruitfulness is not ours alone, but the work of God who works in us with our assent.  That is, with our hearts capable to receive this mysterious reality, we may watch it equally mysteriously grow in our lives.  Many decades ago, I prayed for God to make God's presence known to me because, being a very hard-headed person, I needed to know for myself, and not simply because someone else told me so.  My prayers were answered to the extent that what you now read as part of this blog is a continuation of several years' practice, and which is still ongoing.  It is the last thing I could and would have expected when I embarked on an honest simple prayer to God.  My writing skills have been used in journalism and other forms of more commercial writing, and there are other talents I have developed in life and worked at.  I often wonder myself why I do not pursue other forms of writing at this time.  But this is where God has led me, and the course of several years of writing -- through which ideas and insights continue to unfold, such as they are (and I hope worthy of reading and in some way helpful to my audience) -- continues to lead me forward, especially through prayer.  It is one small example of the power of God at work which we can't expect, can't predict nor plan, and which I say truly I cannot claim essential credit for.  It is something which is given, a gift one dare not refuse even when it is entirely different from one's expectation and/or social milieu of value.  The long and the short of it is that this growth is surprising, unexpected and unplanned, and in the hands of God as our faith grows.  Let us consider also Jesus' words when He teaches that "many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  Let us consider the astonishing ways in which we are blessed and given every day grace and the gift of the possibility to experience this Kingdom.  We must open our eyes to realize how rich we are, and how we have been blessed with Christ's promise -- even when we live among those who have eyes and do not see, ears and do not hear, and hearts that have grown dull.

To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?

Modern icon of Jesus teaching the disciples the Parable of the Mustard Seed

 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade." 

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

- Mark 4:21-34

Yesterday we read that again Jesus began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.' "  And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

  Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  My study bible says that this is a call to attentive listening and for discriminating response.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus began teaching in parables with the parable of the sower:  As the Sower Himself, Christ sows the word, and then what happens with that seed is dependent upon the fertility of the ground upon which it falls, and the conditions therein.  He referred to our capacity for spiritual hearing, saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  In this follow-up to that parable, He first promises that for those who truly desire spiritual understanding, "there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light."  Moreover, my study bible says, we must not only hear, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, and they will grow in understanding.  It quotes St. Mark the Ascetic, "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."   Christ also implies the importance of choice; for those for whom this spiritual priority is unimportant, the life that Christ promises -- especially in the context of His Resurrection -- will not be manifest.  Our own desire for spiritual participation becomes the measure you use. 

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  My study bible notes that this parable occurs only in Mark.  The kingdom, it says, refers to the whole span of God's dispensation, or the plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, and the seed is the gospel (see verses 13-20).  His sleep indicates the death of Christ, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows, it says, shows that Christ doesn't manipulate our response to the gospel, but rather that each person is free -- to receive and let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest is indicative of the Second Coming, when all will be judged on their reception of the gospel.

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."   The tiny mustard seed, in accordance with Theophylact's understanding, is like the disciples (whom Jesus has just chosen; see Monday's reading) who began as just a few individuals, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  My study bible says the mustard seed also stands for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul will become godlike, it says, and can even receive angels (the birds of the air who may nest under its shade).

 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.  My study bible explains that to unbelievers, the parables remain bewildering.  But to those with simple faith, these stories which use common images reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able.

To take all of these parables together is to gather together elements which make a marvelous understanding of the work of God in our lives, in us as individuals, and in the world.  The interpretations and understandings given by my study bible indicate traditional understanding passed on through the Church, and through generations -- literally millennia -- of experience and understanding of faith, particularly as gathered through monasteries, theologians, and saints, and their experience of our faith.  Therefore, this kind of traditional understanding is always valuable, as it is distilled through the experience of countless others who testify to it.  But there is always something striking in Christ's parables that applies to the present time, to our own personal experience, to things we may also know and consider through our own lives.  If we take a look at the parable that is unique to Mark, in addition to the traditional interpretation regarding the whole span of the work of the Kingdom, we are also given a picture of just how the Kingdom works, and this would apply even to its work within us.   That is, it works while we sleep:  it works within us whether we are consciously aware of its work or not, and despite the fact that we are not the ones who make it work.  The work of the Holy Spirit is mysterious to us, just as Christ described to Nicodemus when He compared it to the wind, saying, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  The mysteries of God work even within us, and mysteriously to us, but as this unique parable found only in Mark describes it, suddenly "crops" or "fruits" are seemingly yielded by themselves and we notice them.  Suddenly we may find a kind of peace we didn't have before, or some wisdom that comes to us in the middle of a bad circumstance, or the capacity for forgiveness we didn't think we had and which surprises us.  These are fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).   They provide fruit for the spiritual harvest of the Kingdom.  The parable of the mustard seed is in some sense the most marvelous of all, for it describes something coming from the tiniest seed, and a mysterious growth that produces so much for all to see, including shelter for angels ("the birds of the air").  Jesus alludes to a kind of growth which is both mysterious in its process of generation, and also mysterious in its direction.  We don't know all the ways in which these products of growth will manifest, and continue to spread.  Moreover, if we reconsider the parable of the Sower from yesterday's reading (above), we note that Jesus described the harvest of the crop as "some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  That is, this is not a "one size fits all" proposition.  Each life, each investment of that seed will produce different and varying results, which are unique from person to person, place to place, and depend upon a mosaic of conditions.   And looking more closely at these parables, we see that Jesus stresses that these fruits of the Spirit are not things we are entitled to, nor are they rights doled out as from a government or worldly body of laws.  Rather, they are organic things that work within us and with our own motivations and capacities, varying from individual to individual, for He says, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  Christ's parables address a deeply personal and intimate reality between ourselves and our Creator, and how we work and function within a communion that remains mysterious -- but these are mysteries into which we can delve and be given keys that unlock doors of spiritual reality, depending upon our own motivations and desires for that life.  Let us consider for today this time of Lent, which is created for us and instituted in the Church precisely for cultivating this capacity for spiritual hearing upon which Jesus places so much emphasis.  It is a time to cultivate the right ground for our fruitfulness, to set aside time to focus and to go to whatever place we need in order to do so.  We "remember God" by doing so:  by practicing the fasting capacities we have, by setting aside time for prayer, by making room to go more deeply into our individual "private rooms" and be alone with our mysterious God who not only sees what we do in secret and knows the secrets of our hearts, but who is in the secret place and sees in secret:  all of which teaches us about mystery.  Jesus says in today's reading that "there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light."  He tells us about entering into mystery, just as He taught the disciples, in interpreting the parable of the Sower, that "to you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.' "   Let us not be those who neglect our spiritual capacities to hear, our depth of potential for communion with God and the feeding of our souls.  Let us not be those who dismiss such things out of hand, or who do not care.  Let us be those who may hear and understand, and want more.   In the icon above, we see Jesus teaching to the disciples the parable of the Mustard Seed.  Standing in front, with his characteristic white hair, is St. Peter, the one whose confession of faith resulted in a new name given by Christ ("Rock"), and the declaration that, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 16:18-19).  He will journey into the world, spreading the seed of the word of Christ, bringing a harvest that is ongoing.  Let us remember him today, and seek to accompany him on his journey.

I can of Myself do nothing

Holy Spirit and Hand of God (detail from mosaic depicting Christ's Baptism).  Dafni Monastery, Athens, Greece 

 

"I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not  believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

- John 5:30-47

In our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Weeks (the Old Testament Pentecost) in Jerusalem.  He has healed a paralytic, and was then accused of violating the Sabbath Law (in this reading).  Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said to leaders, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who set Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study bible notes here that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- as all fully share in the same divine nature.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, this refers to Christ's human will, which was assumed at His Incarnation.  He freely aligned His human will in each aspect with the divine of the Father, and so we are called to do likewise.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not  believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"  As Jesus' death was sought for His declaration of equality with God (by calling God "My Father" -- see 5:18), so now Jesus presents to them four witnesses to His divine identity.  My study bible asks of this passage, "How could Christ's witness ever be untrue?"  It cannot, is the response (see 8:14).  Here Jesus is anticipating the argument, and He speaks the thoughts of the Jewish leaders (as He does also in Luke 4:23).   In the Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires a minimum of two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here in this passage in today's reading, Jesus offers four witnesses to confirm His identity as Messiah and Son of God.  The first is God the Father (vv. 32, 37, 38).  The second is John the Baptist (vv. 33-35).  His own works (v. 36).  The fourth is the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony (vv. 39-47). 

In citing the four witnesses to His identity, Jesus is giving us a sense of the truth of His statement to the disciples at Jacob's Well:  "He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors" (4:3-38).  As His witnesses are those that span the time of Jewish spiritual history (and even before the creation of the world, let us note), He teaches all of us in this testimony about His witnesses that we all enter into labors that are not our own.  His witnesses are God the Father, John the Baptist, His own works, and the Old Testament Scriptures.  Each of these and what we know about each of these witnesses may also be termed "fruits of the Spirit" in some sense.  For what would we know of God the Father without the work of the Spirit in the world?   How would John the Baptist have performed his own ministry?  Christ Himself -- as the Creed testifies -- was Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary; and finally in the Old Testament Scriptures, again as the Creed declares, the Spirit "spoke through the prophets."   Through these labors and fruits of the Spirit, we may all enter into a work and a harvest, and into the long, long line of those who have come before and those who will come afterward.  In the inexhaustible creativity of God the Spirit, each new gift of spiritual beauty into the world is complementary to all others -- in the same way that Christ's four witnesses, all drawn from various periods of time (and even before the existence of time), all complement one another.  They testify to a unified, whole truth -- and yet each offers facets which are unique and additional to what is already known and understood.  So we must think about our own lives in spiritual terms, and in terms of what we, also, are asked to enter into with our particular gifts and talents.  Let us note that as Christ declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" that as the Person who is the Truth He forms an umbrella over all.  His truth is that which shadows and nurtures every saint, every spiritual being (such as all the ranks of angels), each one who shares in the faith.  By extension, as we created as stewards of this world, that umbrella embraces the whole of the cosmos, all of creation, and not only human beings and angels.  If we look at creation as an entire calling to enter into such labors, even as each of these four witnesses testify to the identity of Christ, then we all, through our lives and the elements in our lives, enter into such labors and testimony.  A kind word here, given in faith to Christ, serves as part of the adorning beauty of this world in testament to our Lord.  A generous gift made through faith falls into the category of entering into others' labors and contributing our own.  In no case does one individual re-invent the wheel of faith, and we all build on a grand work of infinite beings and dimensions or which we are unaware.  My study bible is a text that uses the whole history of the Church, and in particular its patristic heritage of the Church Fathers, to tell us how the Church has viewed the verses we read throughout its history, and it is for this reason that I quote from its notes.  Each one of us comes into the world entering into a compendium of laborers and workers, sowers and reapers.  None comes into this work of faith alone.  Until the time of Christ's return, this is how we must see ourselves as part of the Body of Christ.  Jesus' witnesses include all of us who testify to our faith and the experience of its effects and working in our lives.  Even Jesus testifies, "I can of Myself do nothing."  Let us remember the work of all of those in the living Body of Christ and the communion of saints, and the living work of God the Father and the Spirit who work through us, among us, within us.  Even Christ does not work alone, and neither are we ever alone.  Through the power of our prayer, we enter into collaborative and complementary work in faith.  Pictured above is a detail from a mosaic icon of Christ's Baptism in the Jordan.  It teaches us of the participation of the Father and the Spirit, making His Baptism a Theophany, or manifestation of the Trinity.

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it

 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

- Matthew 7:13-21

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, which comprises Matthew chapters 5 - 7.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.  Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.  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.  Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!  Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."  In Judaism, the description of the two ways was widespread, my study bible notes here (see Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:15-18, 12:28, 15:24; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17).  This is also a distinguishing feature of early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  In Luke's version of this saying (Luke 13:24-30), the perspective is more eschatological, directly referring to the end of the age.  We wrestle against sins and human weaknesses, as swell as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12).  Therefore to enter the Kingdom is the more difficult way. 

 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them."   My study bible says that because they can easily deceive others, those who put on a show of virtue or religion are more dangerous than those who are evil outright.  Therefore, it says, we must be all the more cautious among those who are outwardly virtuous.  Jesus has spoken out against hypocrisy several times in the Sermon on the Mount (see Monday's reading), and He continues to warn against others who practice it here.  John the Baptist also preached, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (3:10).  Jesus furthers the analogy for our understanding.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."   My study bible calls this a threefold testimony of the deity of Christ.  He calls Himself Lord, which refers to the divine name "Yahweh" of the Old Testament.  Jesus also speaks of the will of My Father, which He fully knows and shares.  Finally, as judge, Christ is revealed as God, for only God can execute true judgment. 

Jesus emphasizes discipleship here.  As He comes toward the closing of the Sermon on the Mount, He approaches the subject of Judgment.  But first there is a call toward the discipline He asks of His followers.  We need good judgment, discernment, awareness, and prudence.  It's not an easy task He's answering of us.  Furthermore, the "easy" task is destruction.  It doesn't require as much alertness and watchfulness, nor the same kind of discernment.  What Jesus suggests is that He's asking us for specifics in our own conduct of our lives, we need to work at this business of being aware of who we are, where we are, what choices we're making.  He doesn't want us to sleepwalk through life.  We're to be mindful and awake to ourselves and to life around us.  We don't want to go along with the crowd.  We want to make good choices, because we choose our own direction.  In this context, He warns us to beware of false prophets.   Those who make a show of good virtue can too easily be those who will lead us astray.  Again, He calls on us for discernment.  We need to be watchful, and make the most of our capacity to understand.  He not only wants us to be on guard against our own capacity for hypocrisy, but to be aware of that possibility in others who'd lead us away from His way.  He gives us a key:  "You will know them by their fruits."  Watch what they do, watch what they produce.   In this context, the element of Judgment comes up.   Such hypocrites will not fare well in the Judgment, and He is the Judge.  The lives of hypocrites and their practices and fruits are good for nothing but the fire.   Whether this manifests in this life or at the time of Judgment, one cannot say, but Jesus' (and John's) implication is clear, such behavior bears no support in the context of the life offered by Christ.  And with that understanding we read the final line of today's text:  "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."  We can call upon Christ's name, but without sincere devotion it is meaningless.  Without a heart that chooses the treasure He has in mind, it bears no fruit.  Doing the will of His Father in heaven is the fruit Christ seeks, that bears witness to a good tree.  Once again we turn to Christ's words from an earlier portion of this Sermon:  "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Where do we put our trust?  What do we bank on?  What is it we really do with our lives?  With what do we ally ourselves?  What do we love?  These questions always remain pertinent and real.  They demand of us answers at every point in our lives.  And when we have fallen into a kind of sleep, or unawareness, they pull us right back into the alert state He wants of us:  that which we treasure and trust in will become our identity.  Let us count on His word and His love lest we be led where we don't want to go.