Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

- Mark 10:17–31 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus arose from Galilee and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."  Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His  hands on them, and blessed them.  

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"   My study Bible comments that this man does not come to test Jesus, but to seek advice from one whom he considers no more than a good Teacher.  It says that Christ's response does not deny that He is God, but is designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  The commandments quoted by Jesus are found at Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20.  Let us note that this man who approaches Jesus is often referred to as the "rich young ruler."  Jesus is now in Judea, and is going out on the road, perhaps toward Jerusalem, so this young ruler is likely connected to one of the important families of the temple leadership. 

 

And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  My study Bible comments that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  This young man had an earnest desire for eternal life, and sensed that he still lacked something.  So, he continues to press Jesus for the answer.   

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.   My study Bible says that to be perfect, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  Nothing is gained, it says, unless this sacrifice is given freely.  But the specifics for each person of how one follows Christ will be different.  Here, wealth had such a grip on this rich young ruler, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  According to St. John Chrysostom, giving away his possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here -- to follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.  

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  My study Bible comments that there are various interpretations which have been suggested for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some suggest that this word was not "camel," but rather an Aramaic word that sounds similar but means "rope."  Others have said the "eye of a need" was the name of a city gate through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, symbolizing wealth.  There is an expression in the Talmud "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  But, whatever this phrase refers to, my study Bible says, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.   It notes that this is clearly evidenced by the response of the disciples, "Who then can be saved?"  But through the grace of God, even what's impossible for human beings can come to pass.

 

 Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study Bible says that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses or to abandon children.  Again, my study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that this refers to keeping faith under persecution, even if it means to lose one's family.  It means also to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of a believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, my study Bible says, but in a spiritual sense -- the father's and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

This story of the rich young ruler appears in all three Synoptic Gospels.  Therefore it forms a kind of highlighted, central story in the ministry of Jesus Christ.  We should be careful not to confuse a principle of sacrifice with an elevation to a purpose of modern concepts of sacrifice per se.  In other words, Jesus calls upon this young man to give up his wealth, sell it, and give to the poor, and to follow Him -- all in that order, and for an important intention.  As my study Bible points out, the whole purpose of this is because of his deep clinging to wealth as if it were an ineluctable part of his life and identity, so much so, that it gets in the way of his desire for eternal life and to follow Christ.  And this is the purpose of Christ's command to him, so that he may be able to find the eternal life he seeks.  There is nothing in particular that is inherently evil in wealth.  St. Paul writes that it is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil, not money in itself (1 Timothy 6:10).  Neither is Jesus suggesting that wealth is meant to be distributed for particular purposes of a social or political or even moral nature (for that one presumes that following Christ teaches and leads us in what to do with our wealth).  This young man is in earnest and truly seeks out Jesus as a good Teacher.  But there is one aspect we might consider about his identity.  As he's called a rich ruler, it's likely he's connected to the temple, and his possessions may in fact by the result of inherited position.  The Sadducees, for example, formed a kind of aristocracy around Jerusalem, and they were connected to the priestly families of the temple.  So, one aspect of wealth is its pervasive grip upon personal identity.  Who are we without our possessions?  Possessions also give us social status of a particular kind, and this in turn forms identity.  How others think of us forms a highly pervasive sense of who we are, but Christ calls us out of that place.  Let us keep in mind, for example, the experience of Jesus in His hometown, and how pervasive social status is within community.  So much so, that when He preached in Nazareth, the neighbors clung to their old ideas of Jesus and His family, and could not receive His gracious words, nor could Jesus perform any great work there (see Mark 6:1-6).  His wisdom both astonished and offended His old neighbors.  So important is this event that Christ's saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house" is found in some form in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).  This young man's wealth likely ties him to his family and community in some particular way.  But Christ calls us out of our worldly identity and into one that He gives us in this sense of the eternal life.  Jesus points to that life when He teaches the young man that by giving up his wealth, selling it, and giving to the poor, he will have "treasure in heaven."  For we are called, as this young man is, to take up our crosses in order to exchange one type of life for another, just as we may have treasure in heaven by giving to those in need, a blessing for a blessing.  In the case of this man, that giving will set him free to follow Christ, for this is his particular need at this stage.  Let us note also that the text tells us Jesus gave this command out of love for this young man (Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him . . .).  The difficulties of giving up his wealth seem to keep him from becoming another beloved disciple of Christ, but of course we don't know what he did later on in his life.  For record, we should also note that there are wealthy people in the Gospels who become exemplary followers of Christ.  These are Joseph of Arimathea who donates an expensive tomb (likely made for himself) in order to honor Christ in burial, and Nicodemus the Pharisee.  Both give up a considerable amount to honor Jesus publicly, both endanger, and likely lose, wealth and position in so doing; both were among the rulers in the temple.  In fact, my study Bible notes that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by St. Peter and consequently was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem.  As we read in the text, the disciples, while not men of great wealth, are also those who have left all to follow Jesus, exchanging their places, work, hometowns, and life for the life they are called to by Christ, to become disciples and apostles.  To follow Jesus is to be called out of past identity in one form or another, and to find oneself in His life, His Kingdom.  As my study Bible says, that calling will be different for each, the specifics of each one of us taking up our cross will depend upon the things God calls us out of, and how we're called forward.  For today, let us consider the pitfalls of wealth and even of what we moderns call progress, for so much of this is linked to possessions, to "keeping up."  For the world will always seek to dictate to us whom we are supposed to be, what we need to have and to do, how we look before others, what our social status is and where we fit.  This rich young ruler is directed by Jesus to follow the commandments of the Law as a good thing.  But he's also asked to go further and take up his cross. How does Christ call you forward, to follow Him?

 

 

 

If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me

 

 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

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

 

- Matthew 19:13-22 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

 

  Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  My study Bible cites Theophan's commentary, who says that the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  But Christ rejects this thinking, and He sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore children are invited -- even as an example to adults -- to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion.  See also this reading in which Christ gave a little child as an example to the disciples. 

 

 Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."   My study Bible says that this an does not come to test Jesus, but to seek advice from one whom he considers to be no more than a good Teacher.  Jesus' response doesn't deny that He is God, but it is designed to lead this rich man to that knowledge.  It is also an expression of humility -- even by God Incarnate.

He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"   My study Bible comments that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  It notes that this man had an earnest desire for eternal life and sensed that he still lacked something; therefore, he continues to press Jesus for the answer.  

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  To be perfect, my study Bible says, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  Nothing is gained unless this sacrifice is given freely.  It's important to understand that the specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  Because wealth had such a grip on this rich man, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. John Chrysostom tells us that giving away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here.  To follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.

 

 There are a number of times where Christ emphasizes mercy over sacrifice in the Gospels.  In chapter 9 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has called Matthew the tax collector to "Follow Me," and makes him a disciple.  He is later eating in Matthew's home, together with many "tax collectors and sinners."  The Pharisees see this and complain, asking His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus replies, quoting from the prophet Hosea, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.   But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (see Matthew 9:9-13, Hosea 6:6).  So, in the context of His teachings, it is interesting that in today's reading, the rich young man (whom Mark tells us Christ loved) indicates that he has followed the commandments Jesus names all of his life, and asks what he still lacks.  But instead of telling him some other thing to do, a commandment to follow, a kind of good deed to add upon his already good life, Jesus tells him to give something up, to make a sacrifice.  He doesn't really lack anything, but he does need to give something away, and that is the great wealth that is clearly a stumbling block for him, that gets in the way of his relationship to God.  We see this by the fact that he is unwilling to let go of it in order to fully follow Christ's commands.  So, in this case, it is a sacrifice that is called for as something he "lacks."  But it is not sacrifice per se that Christ wants.  What He wants is for this young man, whom He loved, to fully rely on God and the to which He will be called as a disciple of Christ, even before the great wealth with which he is blessed.  Clearly (or so it seems to me) his wealth has a hold on his identity.  Luke tells us that he is a "ruler" (Luke 18:18), indicating a significant position in the society.  Possibly he is among the ruling parties in the temple, a young man whose family inheritance is linked to such a position.   In that case, to give away his wealth to the poor is more than a question of simply making a sacrifice of wealth, but identity is linked to that wealth -- status, and family, and one's place in the culture and society.  What it tells us is a deep and radical truth about Christ, that so often God may ask us to start from "zero," so to speak, from "nothing" in terms of who we are in God's sight, in making us into the people God calls us to become.  So often, as is our inclination, we think we are the ones who want to call the shots to God; we will accept to love God so long as we can have this or that, or retain this thing that particularly is ours, so long as worship fits into our lives in the particular way we want it to.  But a deep calling from God goes deeper than the surface, even more than our nominal identities and the things we think are "sacred" to us, the things that define who we are to ourselves.  This young man's wealth no doubt connects him also to family and relationships deeply structured in the society.  When Jesus gives the example to the disciples of cutting off eye or hand or foot (see this reading) in order to avoid abuse of their power in the future Church over the "little ones," He's speaking figuratively about things they might think are essential to themselves, but which they will have to discard in order to be good stewards and shepherds over His flock.  The "hand" or "eye" or "foot" refers to a type of behavior, such as covetousness, or abuse of power, that must be done away with in order to fulfill their roles He chooses for them.  We don't know the place this young ruler whom Jesus loved would have in His Church as one of His disciples.  But we do know what Christ asks him to give up first in order to be free to follow Him, and that is a tall order.  It proves to be too much for the young man.  The possibilities are seemingly endless for us to speculate on why Christ asks him to do this.  One thing is clear, it would lead to complete dependence upon God for life, for identity, for sustenance, and lay a radical foundation down upon which Christ could build the identity of the disciple.   At any rate, what we should keep in mind os that there are times in our lives when we are asked truly to sacrifice in order to receive our place in Christ's Church, in His economy of salvation.  As a devout Jew, this young man likely already followed every command regarding help to the poor, donation to the temple, and the nominal ways that already existed in which people were called to share wealth.  But Christ calls him here not simply to help the poor, but to make a radical break in his life.  As St. John Chrysostom's commentary on this passage indicates, this is the least of His instructions, the beginning of the call to discipleship, and that each one will be called differently.  In tomorrow's reading, Jesus will expand with a famous phrase regarding the difficulty for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.  But let us keep in mind the consistency of Christ's teachings.  Everything begins with humility; and for this young man, wealth holds such a grip on who he is that he cannot part with his wealth, even for the eternal life he so desires.  Christ's command gives him a way to become like the "little children" about whom He says, "of such is the kingdom of heaven."   Let us consider the ways in which we might be asked to give up what we think we can't live without, and the life beyond in which we are changed, strengthened, transformed.

 

 

Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always

 

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

 

- John 11:55-12:8 

 

Yesterday we read that, after the resurrection of Lazarus from death, many of those from Jerusalem who had come to Mary in her mourning, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.   

 

And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.   The events in the Gospel now head toward the final Passover of Christ's earthly life, and the events that will come in what we commemorate as Holy Week.  My study Bible comments that because Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), he connection between the Passover, when lambs were slaughtered to save the Jews from death (Exodus 12:1-13), and the death of Jesus, which saves mankind from sin and death, is continually emphasized.  

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  This Passover is the third mentioned in John's Gospel (see also John 2:13, 6:4).  As mentioned above, it is the setting for the final week of Christ's earthly ministry, which John will narrate in careful detail.  My study Bible comments that Jesus had already been glorified through His signs and words, but it remained for Him to be glorified through His death and Resurrection.  

There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.   Once again, we observe Martha, the sister who is noted in the Gospels for her practices of hospitality.

Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  My study Bible notes that the other disciples said the same thing that Judas did, but with a very different motivation (see also Matthew 26:6-13).  Judas, it says, spoke from greed, while the others spoke from the virtue of charity.  Moreover, it adds, that Jesus put a thief in charge of the money shows that by every means He attempted to save Judas:  He fulfilled Judas' lust for money; He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority (John 6:11; see also Mark 6:7); He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples (John 13:5); and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper (John 13:26).  Yet, my study Bible says, Judas could never overcome his greed.

It's very interesting that my study Bible highlights how Christ has tried to, in some sense, put Judas' tendency toward greed to good use.  That is, in an effort to save Judas, He has given Judas opportunities to transform the way that his tendency toward greed operates within himself, to transform this desire or passion to good use.  If we wish to use a different example, consider a person who is of a quick temper.  We can take a look at the two brothers, James and John Zebedee, and the hints the Gospels make in terms of their own quickness of temper and fiery tongues.  It is Jesus who gives them the names, Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17), to put their capacities to good use.  When the disciples observed others, not of their group, who were casting out demons in Jesus' name, it is James and John who asked, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  Jesus turned to them with a rebuke:  "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of" (Luke 9:54-55).  Eventually James would be the first among the Twelve to be martyred (Acts 12:1-2).  John is called "the beloved disciple," and to him is attributed this Gospel, three Epistles, and the Revelation.   Therefore, we have brilliant examples of what we might call a tendency to a particular passion which has been put in service to God, transformed through faith and grace.  My study Bible says of Judas that Christ sought to save him by putting to use his particular tendency to greed by allowing him to be in charge of the treasury as a way to positively assuage and put to good use that tendency; moreover He allowed Judas to exercise apostolic authority; He washed Judas' feet with the other disciples; and He allowed him to partake at the table of the Mystical Supper.  As we shall see, it is Judas' response to the bread dipped by Christ that will seal his decision to betray Jesus (John 13:26-27), and perhaps this also gives us a hint about human nature and our interaction with the holy, with the Lord.  We will either accept the road to repentance and respond positively to a form of grace, or we will turn away in the opposite direction.  In one way, we take the path toward Christ, in the other way we take the path in the opposite direction.  In terms of repentance, everything seems to be a matter of degree, until one reaches a point of no return, where repentance becomes impossible for lack of will, through a hardness of heart only God can know about us.  The same is true of our capacity for repentance, only God can know where we have potential to turn back toward faith.  But what strikes me as most important is this significant observation about Judas and his opportunities for change.  Perhaps it is also pride that gets in his way, as Jesus publicly rebukes them all, but it is Judas who spoke up to condemn Mary's act of love for Christ.  There are many things we can discern from today's reading, such as the capacity for hypocrisy and how it may work in underhanded ways to pose as charitable, especially in chastising others.  We need also observe that it can be said about Mary's act of love (which amounts also to tacit acceptance of Christ's coming death), that, like all the fruit of the Spirit which includes love, "against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  For now let us consider the potentials of each one, even in our worst tendencies, to be redeemed, transformed, saved -- and the unfortunate consequence of the failure to accept all means of salvation offered.  Let us remember it is Christ who stands up for Mary and her act of love, when others chastise -- and the loudest with the false face that still nurtures greed and betrayal.