Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it

 

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered into a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

 

- Mark 7:24-37 

 

On Saturday, we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of the disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand?  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man." 

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered into a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  Tyre and Sidon is a Gentile region which was to the north of Galilee.  As the text indicates, Jesus goes here to withdraw after yet another conflict and challenge to the Pharisees (see Saturday's reading, above).  It is for this reasons that He entered into a house and wanted no one to know it.  However, His identity and fame by this time mean that He could not be hidden.  In St. Matthew's version of this story, this withdrawal from the Pharisees into Gentile territory is emphasized through Jesus' remark, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:23).  Thus, He was not there to preach.

For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  My study Bible comments that Christ's refusal at first to heal her daughter comes not only because His ministry before the Passion is first to the Jews, but also serves to reveal her profound faith and love.  Her persistence, her alacrity in her response, and her humility before Him all speak of her faith.  My study Bible says that she accepts her place beneath the Jews ("the children"), who were the chosen people of God, but still desires a share in God's grace.  It notes that Christ's hesitancy is not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means to reveal her virtues.  This is confirmed in Christ's response, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  Little dogs are house dogs, puppies.  One can imagine her persistence in the way that a puppy may plead under a table for the good food thereon.  My study Bible further comments that her ultimate acceptance by Christ also points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as dogs but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life. 

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.   My study Bible indicates that Christ's sigh in looking up to heaven is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature. 

Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  Here, according to my study Bible, Jesus shows us that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  Interestingly, it notes, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ under these circumstances.  He sees them as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to. 

 

 Theophylact's praise of the people who proclaim Christ's work, although He commanded them that they should tell no one, is an intriguing understanding of grace and graciousness.  From a certain perspective, it is a way to enact the reciprocal practice of mercy, of the joyful receipt of a gift.  It speaks to all of gratitude for something very fine and good.  In this sense, we can understand Theophylact's approval and praise.  In a sense slightly similar to the voluntary expression of humility by the Syro-Phoenician woman, the people's exuberant praise for Christ is an acknowledgement of something or Someone who is much greater than they, or than others they have known.  It is a way to express that God is worthy of praise at all times.  In the understanding from the Gospels, and the Old Testament Scriptures, we call this giving glory to God, an appropriate thing to do in all times and circumstances.  This seems difficult to do -- or perhaps it doesn't seem to make sense -- when we go through difficult times.  One might turn to the first part of our reading today, and a modern sense of what's fair would be appalled and upset at Christ's reference to the Syro-Phoenician woman as a "little dog."  But then one would have to recall that it was in the very earliest days of the Church that the idea that all the faithful were one family as believers, Jews and Gentiles.  Instead, we need to see the responses Christ gives to this woman as something to be thankful for, even to glorify God, because -- as my study Bible remarks -- Jesus' response to this woman draws her out, and shows to all her faith, persistence, intelligence, and commitment of love for her daughter.  In our own lives, the same can be said of difficulties met with faith and the help of God.  This particular episode described here in today's reading also opens up the door to the fruitfulness of Christ's mission, and its eventual turn toward the Gentiles as well as the Jews.  Let us remember gratitude as a great key to our faith, one that unlocks all kinds of ways in which we may experience the love of God and the insights that will give us.  For faith is not purely a rational choice, it's not just expedient, neither is it merely something we practice because everyone else is doing it.  It's the work of God we're given to do. 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11-19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  It's important to note that Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, toward the Cross, and His "exodus" from this world.  He passes through Galilee (a place of mixed populations) and Samaria, so the presence of strangers or outsiders figures strongly here, and particularly in connection to principles of faith rather than ethnicity.  My study Bible explains that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  In addition to tremendous physical suffering, leprosy meant total banishment and isolation from society.  It is also a symbol of our sin.

Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.   Now the priests, in Jewish practice, were the ones in charge of the oversight and treatment of lepers and leprous houses; one needed a certificate from a priest to be allowed back into community.   My study Bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria, who comments that Jesus wants to show the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and yet she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Jesus asks, "But where are the nine?"  My study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Therefore, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  My study Bible adds that, for Orthodox Christians, the lesson is that worship is the number one priority.  

It's an interesting commentary that my study Bible suggests that the lesson from today's reading is that worship is the number one priority.  At first glance, one might consider that the message here is all about gratitude and its cultivation.  But when one stops to think about it, one might wonder how gratitude is possible without the foundation of worship, laying down the Source of all things for which we're grateful.  Additionally, we could consider -- in the context of a lesson about gratitude -- that the nine didn't return to thank Jesus for their healing.  But it's possible that they might have done so without the proper idea of who Jesus is.  Jesus does not ask about the nine in the context of their lack of gratitude to Him personally, but for their failure to give glory to God for their healing.  Actually, the word here is cleansing, not healing.  In the tradition of the Bible, leprosy was seen as a sign of sin, and so "cleansing" here is more than healing a physical disease.  It is eliminating a contagion that debilitated not just the body, but rendered one separate from community, and that community is defined especially in the context of worship.  Therefore, once again, there is a tie to the failure to give glory to God.  These ten would have been excluded from community, a community defined by worship.  Once they are cleansed, and thus able to return to community, part of their joy must be a return to worship in community.  But the nine have failed to take joy in this, as God is not part of their focus here.  So this cleansing is quite similar to an understanding about our own possibilities for repentance, and thus "cleansing" from things which ail us in many ways, and keep us far from God.  Repentance is a kind of medicine for healing our minds, giving us a way to see life more clearly, and outside of the places in which we're stuck or in exile from community.  A habitual problem such as an addiction, or a kind of narcissism or selfishness that feeds the ego in some way, or possibly taking a secret joy in cruelty such as gossip, are all examples of sin which mires us in a place of isolation and exclusion and the breaking of community.  Ultimately repentance must be seen in its true meaning, as a change of mind, and one that comes with consequences to our lives.  In the light of today's reading, repentance must mean the restoration to community, in right relation to both God and neighbor.  This , of course, has worship as a foundation.  For without this focus on God as the center of our lives, how does the rest fall into place?  Let us consider these words and teachings today, and how important they are for our lives.  That "higher power" that helps one conquer addiction, that would destroy the pretext of narcissism and self-centeredness as our be-all and end-all, that denies the cruel gossip a secret joy at the diminishing and breaking of community, all of these things falter and fail upon the wheel of worship, the rock that either breaks or crushes.  That is, the one thing upon which we stumble and might return to true self, or which eventually may crush us together with the false notions of self we nurse or cling to (Luke 20:18).  It is worship that provide the foundation for our understanding of what ails us, as well as the cure, the place where we find ourselves.  For without gratitude to God, we are missing the point, and we haven't really returned "home."  In this understanding, we must also take note that it is just the foreigner who returns glory to God, making it even more clear what true community rests upon.  This is assuredly so, as Jesus tells him, "Your faith has made you well."

 

 

 

 

Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well

Jesus Healing Ten Lepers, Byzantine mosaic, 12th cent.  Monreale Cathedral, Sicily

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11–19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.   My study Bible explains that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  It brought great physical suffering as well as total banishment and isolation from society.  It is also symbolic of our sin.  Christ tells the healed lepers to show yourselves to the priests.  Priests were in charge of the law and its regulation of leprosy and leprous houses (see Leviticus 13).  They had to give a certificate so that a leper could rejoin the community, and there were also proper sacrifices involved.   St. Cyril of Alexandria comments that Jesus commanded them to go as being already healed so that they'd bear witness to the priests, testifying that wonderfully and beyond their hope, they'd been delivered from their misfortune.  He didn't heal them first but sent them to the priests, as the priests knew the marks of leprosy and its healing.   

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."   My study Bible comments that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, yet only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Therefore we understand that "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for the Christian faithful is that worship is the number one priority.

Jesus tells the Samaritan who glorified God, and returned to Him to give thanks, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  He also gives this saying to others who in some way testified for their faith.  Among them, notably, was the woman with the years-long blood flow (in this reading).  As He ventures toward Jerusalem, He will say the same to the blind man outside of Jericho (Luke 18:35-43).  It's interesting that Jesus tells the Samaritan that his faith has made him well, when there were nine others, who were Jews, who were also healed.  What made them well?  Why do they not return to give thanks to Christ, or glorify God?  Perhaps they take their healing for granted, or they feel that simply going to the priest, as required in the Law, was enough.  But if we look closely at the Gospels, we find other hints about faith and healing.  In John's Gospel, after a paralytic has been made well by Jesus, He says to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (see John 5:1-15).  Leprosy was seen, in Jewish spiritual history, as a symbol of sin.  The lack of gratitude to Christ and lack of praise to God in thanks can be seen as a remaining sin, a blindness to the reality of redemption in a deeper sense than the physical healing of the leprosy itself.  The implication, in the context of the Gospels, is possibly that although they've been healed, their sin remains.   One does not know what remains to them in their future.  But this Samaritan is healed indeed, and at a depth of the soul that puts him in right relationship to God, and to the person of Jesus Christ.  He is aware of his circumstances and his change, and in this deep sense it is also true that "your faith has made you well."  He is, in effect, more truly well than the others, and in a spiritual sense, stands a better chance of remaining so than the others.   Faith enables us to realize relationship and community in a deeper and grander sense than we otherwise understand; we make a connection to God that deepens our sense of who we are and why we are in the world, linking us to all of creation.  It is also a very personal and intimate relationship, that helps to guide us to well-being in our core sense of self.  To have faith, to understand gratitude to God, sets us in a place where we are connected in the heart to something that transcends our circumstances, working through all things to heal, and on all levels.  The ten lepers apparently had enough faith in Christ to ask Him to have mercy on them and heal them.  But this single Samaritan out of the ten lepers is the only one who will fully embrace its healing power going forward.  He is the only one who seems to be truly aware of how he was healed.

 

 

 

And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him

 

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  

 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 

- Luke 8:26–39 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that Jesus taught (continuing from the Parable of the Sower), "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Once again, Jesus' encounter with demons results in their identifying Him.  In this case, He is called Son of the Most High God.  It is important to understand that although these demonic spirits essentially rebel against the purpose for which they were created, they still have no power to resist Christ.  It's also important to note the disorder in which this man is found, a direct effect of the hostile demons.  This man has been driven to deeper isolation, violence, and self-destruction.  He lives only among the dead.

Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.   The reference to the abyss is a reference to the ultimate judgment, and the place to which the demons know they will be assigned, a place of non-existence.  But it is not yet that time, so they beg to enter the swine, an animal considered unclean to the Jews.  My study bible comments that some teach that the presence of swine would indicate a Gentile population.  But, since Christ forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5), and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), it's likely that these are Jews engaged in what for hem was a sinful occupation, profiting from the sale of the swine to the Gentile population.  The destruction of the entire herd of swine reveals several things.  First, while animals are a venerable part of creation, human beings are of far greater value.  Also, Christ removes a source of sin, as swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Demons have no power over creation, my study bible further notes, but are subject to the will of God.  They can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  People are protected under the providence of God, otherwise, the demon-possessed man would have come to the same death as the swine. 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.    These same people who were herding the swine show themselves to be quite hard-hearted.  Rather than glorifying God for the healing of this man who is now clothed and in his right mind, all they consider is the economic loss of their swine, and they fear Jesus so much that they as only that He depart from them.  The magnitude of their financial loss will nevertheless remain for them as a sign of the power of Christ.

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  The healed man, now in his right mind and whole, gains a renewed life thanks to Christ.  He become an evangelist bearing the good news to others at Christ's command, glorifying God.

In some sense, today's story bears resemblance to the powerful mythic stories of the ancient world, notably that of the Odyssey, in that Jesus and the disciples cross the Sea of Galilee to a strange and unknown place for the disciples, and encounter this demon-possessed man.  But it also tells us a powerful story of healing, and the many dimensions of the impact of Jesus on a disordered and strange, uncivilized world.  For these Jews in this place to be raising the swine is first of all something very wrong for the devout Jews who form Jesus' disciples.  It shows the locals' preference for the financial rewards they will reap, over the religious law of the Jews.  But by far the greater sign of terrible disorder is the man possessed by the legion of demons.  In him we find all the outward symptoms of a disordered and broken culture.   He is the one in whom all the disorder of a world that has lost its way manifests, and he's held hostage to the demons and their influence.  He can't even wear clothing, nor live in a house.   He must live among the tombs, among the dead.  In some sense, he is symbolically in hell.  He is out of control, and must be bound in chains and shackles and kept under guard.  And yet the demon, we're told, has simply driven him further into the wilderness, away from community into a stark and terrifying isolation.   It is as if he himself has been driven into the abyss the demons fear, at their hands.  It teaches us of cruelty and injustice, the destructiveness of the demons and their influence, the torment which seems to be their only product in this world for those whom they afflict.   So there is a story within a story here, of the influence of that which is against God, against Christ, and the disorder it afflicts upon human beings and human society.  All the values are out of whack; the profiteering of the swine-herders goes hand in hand with their priorities over and against human health and the value of this tormented man.  Do we simply discard the unwell?  Are our cares only for what is convenient and profitable for us?  Do we give up on what is good and the historical values we know are good?  What makes for a healthy human society?  It is the power of God at work in this story that restores those things, even in this seemingly God-forsaken place, where the people have clearly forgotten about their God and reject Christ.  But there is nevertheless one who is saved, and that is the one who was most badly afflicted through the rejection of God by that community, the one whom the demons wanted to control and destroy.  Interestingly, the healed man also remains, in some sense, alone.  He is the only one who has faith in Christ, and praises God.  But, like Christ, he is not alone in the sense that God is with him (John 16:32), and he is commissioned by Christ with purpose and meaning, and becomes an evangelist in his city.  Christ not only commands the demons, but also gives this formerly afflicted man purpose and reason.  He restores his health, and in so doing, sets him in proper relationship to God.  This once afflicted man seems to have a choice in his life.  He could waste his time wondering why God let him be occupied by a legion of demons.  Or he could accept this special position of being the one for whom Christ set sail across the Sea of Galilee in a storm, and rescued him from the legion, and who now lives to tell the story -- following Christ and glorifying God by doing so.  In some sense, this story also offers us a similar choice.  Will we face the demons -- figurative or otherwise -- in our own lives with the help of God?  Will we be angry for our troubles and difficulties, or seek out the help we need?  Do we glorify the One who is always there for us, even when it seems we're alone?   Set in right-relationship to Christ, we are also in right-relationship to the world, even when it is the world we knew that let us down.  

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

- Luke 17:11-19

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  Leprosy was a dreaded disease of its time.  For the Jews, not only was it a disease of terrible physical suffering, but it also meant total ostracism from the society in both social and religious terms.  So tied with stories of the Bible, leprosy is also a symbol of our sin.  A priest would have to give a certificate that authorized a return to the society.  My study bible suggests that showing the priests would be tangible proof that Christ is greater than Moses.  Moses prayed for his sister Miriam to be healed, and she was healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15), but Christ's healing is immediate and done by His own authority. 

 And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Regarding His question, Where are the nine? my study bible tells us that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity.  And yet, only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.   And so we may understand that "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson for us, says my study bible, is that worship is the number one priority.

What does it mean to be grateful?  It's significant for Jesus' early followers that the one who was grateful happened to be the foreigner, the hated Samaritan.  What it tells us is about how we see, how we perceive.  Perhaps those who come to Christ with "new" and open eyes are the ones who realize best what a gift they have.  Certainly it would seem to be the outsider, the Samaritan, who could appreciate what he had been excluded from before.  Perhaps it tells us about entitlement:  the notion that we come to take for granted gifts that we have already understood as given.  Perhaps, like the servant (see yesterday's reading) above, who feels they are doing something special when they're really doing their duty, so we also conversely take as our due that which is given as a gift or an inheritance.  But God asks us to see afresh the great gifts we are granted.  One of the points of worship and prayer is particularly this kind of mindfulness of what we are about, what gifts we have, what opportunities are present to us all the time.  A "foreigner" can see so much better than an insider can just what gifts and blessings the insider really has.  I truly believe that the relatively quick "success" of the gospel message has to do with a world that was hungry and grateful for what it found in Christ's message.  Christ opened up for the world what had been available to the Jewish people; His ministry "for the life of the world" gave blessings that, as He said Himself,  prophets and kings had hoped to see but did not (Luke 10:23-24).  In this understanding is also contained the meaning of Christ's parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24), recently given, in which it is those outsiders from the highways and hedges who are welcomed to the banquet when the first invitees make excuses and say they are busy with their own affairs.  What we need to understand is that our own tendency to take for granted what we're given, to sense a feeling of entitlement, gets in the way of our own awareness of our lives and their potentials and meaning.  The true energies of God are those that are available to eyes that see and ears that hear, to reference a frequently used expression by Jesus.  God's mercy and love belong to those for whom the gift is known and understood with awareness, one that always fills us with joy.  Let us understand what life might be like without it. 

Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

- Luke 17:11-19

Yesterday, we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him.  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.' "

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"   We're reminded again that Jesus has "set His face to go to Jerusalem."    When we first read this, in chapter 9, Jesus and the disciples traveled through a village of Samaritans, but none of them received Him, because He was headed to Jerusalem.  Here, He passes through Samaria and Galilee, and the story is different.  On this journey, a group of lepers appeal to Him, as do so many others who need His help, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  My study bible tells us that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the time.  It not only brought tremendous physical suffering to people, it also meant total banishment and isolation from society.  In Scripture, it also serves as symbol of our sin.

So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  In order to be re-admitted into the community, it was necessary to receive a certificate from a priest.  Jesus is following the Law (as we have just read Him speak about in chapter 16).  Cyril of Alexandria has commented on Jesus' command to a leper to show himself to the priest in Matthew chapter 5, that this also was to show the priests by a tangible miracle that He's superior to Moses.  Christ's healing is immediate and by His own authority -- Moses sought mercy from above for Miriam to be healed of leprosy, and her healing came only after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  My study bible tells us that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, but only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.   Therefore, says my study bible, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  The lesson thereby is that worship is a number one priority.

There is a sort of formula present in this reading that will be repeated later on, in chapter 18, as Jesus prepares to pass through Jericho.  He walking on His way to Jerusalem, and passing through towns there are those who shout to Him, "have mercy on me!"   Jesus concludes this reading and the one in chapter 18 (with a blind man) with similar words, to the effect that, "your faith has made you well."   And of course these stories are related in the other synoptic gospels.  And it's interesting that both places where this happens "on the road" are places of poor spiritual repute, as we could put it.  The Samaritans don't really worship properly, according to the Jews, even though they have a lot in common.  They're enemies.  Jericho is also a place of poor spiritual repute, known as a place of sin.  But the power of faith is clearly at work anywhere in this world, even in the least likely of places.  And that is the powerful notion we must take away from today's reading, by observing exactly what's happening here.  The healing of the Samaritan leper becomes spectacular not just because he's one of ten, but because he's the one who comes back and glorifies God, and he's the one to whom Jesus says, "Your faith has made you well."   In yesterday's reading, Jesus promised His disciples, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  But the understanding here is that the mulberry tree is symbolic of the works of evil in the world (as silkworms feed on its leaves, worms giving an image associated with hell); therefore the power of faith works even against the evil in this world, even amidst the places we'd least likely expect it.   Faith, thereby, in a theme continued from yesterday's reading, is a formidable weapon of power.  It is the weapon of power for the presence of the Kingdom in this world.  Our worship, in all its forms, thereby becomes a powerful tool.  True faith, in the heart, as expressed in communion with and gratitude to God, becomes a basis for real revolution, the kind that transforms oneself and one's environment, the only kind that truly reaches down inside to all that there is of what it means to be a human being.  And that is where (and how) we need the most help. So often we think of the physical and external as the place where we need things, we need help.  But if these lepers don't have their lives "straight," then even with this miraculous, extraordinary healing their joy won't be complete, and they won't have peace.  Many people feel that a lot of money is going to take care of their troubles, whatever they may be, but a good psychologist or spiritual director will tell you that there are plenty of miserable people with a lot of money.  To be really healed, we need what will touch us at the deepest core of what it is to be a person, a human being.  For that, we need relationship with another Person, and One who became incarnate as human being out of unmeasurable love for us, for the world.  We need a relationship with this Person who can help us and direct us, who is beyond us, and knows us better than we know ourselves.  The Scriptures give us repeated images, throughout both Old and New Testaments, of faithful people who are in the midst of deeply sinful places, who simply through their faith save others as well.  The power of faith is something that works through all things the world may give to us, all places we may find ourselves.  The 23rd Psalm declares, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."   Let us remember the power of faith, and strengthen it and grow in it in all the ways we can:  worship, prayer, and faith practices designed to keep us in this place we need to be.  It's a powerful weapon, and we have mighty help.  We have His love.

This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

- John 11:1-16

The events of yesterday's reading took place at yet another Festival, this time the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah), for which Jesus was again at the temple in Jerusalem (see Thursday's reading and commentary, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me).   After Jesus told them, "I and My Father are one," the religious leadership took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."    Here begins the account of Jesus' seventh and last sign in John's Gospel.  My study bible says that the account of the raising of Lazarus (beginning in today's and over the course of the next few lectionary readings) "exemplifies the truth that Christ is the resurrection and the life (v. 25).   This miracle . . . [is] the sign which sealed the decision of the Jewish authorities to put Jesus to death.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about 2 miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus is the same  name as Eleazar (lit. 'God helps')."  It also notes that the Evangelist assumes that the reader already knows about Mary's anointing of Jesus which is actually told in the following chapter.  As with the man blind from birth, this sad state will be an occasion for the glory of God, Father and Son.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"   Jesus' waits two more days before beginning the journey toward Bethany.  This will assure that there can be no doubt of Lazarus' death, which, as my study bible puts it, "will underscore the magnitude of the miracle."   His disciples remind Jesus that His death is sought by the leadership in the temple, as we read in yesterday's reading regarding events at the Feast of Dedication.  Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters are, is in Judea, near to Jerusalem.

 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These words take us back (once again) to Jesus' teaching before He healed the man blind from birth:  "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  My study bible notes that sleep is often used to signify death (Acts 7:60: 1 Cor. 15:6). 

However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."   A note here reads, "Thomas, if not with full understanding, speaks the truth:  dying with Christ, in baptism and sometimes in martyrdom, will become the seal of Christian discipleship."

Today's reading speaks about the glorification of God.  If we look up this Greek word for glory here (δοξα/doksa) we find several meanings that reflect upon one another to add to our understanding.  Among other things, this word means something that "evokes good opinion," or honor, or renown.  It can also mean "splendor."  In the Old Testament, the word used for glory is "kabo" - to be "heavy," suggesting a substance added to something, a depth of  intrinsic worth that doesn't necessarily meet the eye, a value (as in the weighing of a precious metal).  In the Greek, we also have an understanding of this word for glory which reflects light, as in splendor:  brightness, such as that of the stars and planets in the night sky.  So we get a depth of meaning when Jesus suggests that the death of Lazarus, which is not to be permanent, is for the "glory of God"  (of both the Father and the Son).   The events that follow will add depth:  glory, meaning, understanding, illumination.  Tied in with this illumination is testimony, witnessing.  And there, we have to go back to the previous sign, and look once again at the healing of the man blind from birth, about whom Jesus said that his blindness was not the result of sin, but "so that the works of God may be revealed in him."  When Jesus also states there that "I am the light of the world," He gives connotation between glory and witnessing.  To witness truly is to add light to something, to reflect light, to illumine -- and to add depth, meaning, and good opinion.  If we think about the oath administered to the formerly blind man by the Pharisees when they ask him about Jesus, we'll see a full circle:  "Give God the glory!"   John's Gospel ties in the themes of glory, light, illumination, and witnessing.  That is, true witnessing.  The works He does, the works of God, are the true witnesses to who Jesus is, as He has repeatedly insisted to the authorities.  When we choose to do our best to "walk in the day" and to "walk in the light" we must accept that we, too, are seeking to witness, to give God the glory.  When we seek to reflect His light, to "let our light so shine before men," we also are giving testimony, weight, reflection, renown, and good opinion to God.  Thereby, all of our lives, every moment, can become an occasion for witnessing, for glory, for the illumination of light and the "adding to" of meaning and value of God's kingdom, of God.  As disciples, this is how and why we seek to live in that light, as reflection of that light.  Let us remember something incredibly important:  the final two signs in John's Gospel occur on occasions of deep sadness and loss -- that of a man's blindness from birth, and the death of Jesus' very dear friend Lazarus.  In an earlier reading, we cited St. Augustine writing about the betrayal of Judas:  "Yet our Lord made a good use of [Judas'] wickedness, allowing himself to be betrayed so that he might redeem us.… If God employs the evil works of the devil himself for good, whatever the evil person does by making bad use of God’s good gifts only hurts himself. It in no way contradicts the goodness of God"  (Tractates on the Gospel of John 27.10.44).   Here, we can once again cite Augustine's thoughts and note how the glory of God in this Gospel comes especially on the occasion of tragic events.  Let us remember that every occasion of our lives can be one for witnessing in the way we respond and move through and turn to Christ.  In this way truly our lives become a testimony adding glory to God, reflecting light and value (or to put it another way, light and salt).  We remember the testimony of St. Paul:  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV).  Let us remember this through everything we think is "less than" or "imperfect."  It is the hope in every loss.  It's the blessing of the Beatitudes.  It is the great paradox of the fullness of the Gospel.  It is our message from the Cross, His Way.  This is the true way of Resurrection.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

"Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

- Luke 2:1-14

As we continue our readings for Christmastide, today we visit Luke's account of the birth of Christ. Yesterday, we read about Joseph and his betrothed wife Mary, and the angel's announcement to Joseph in Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus. See St. Joseph - And he called His name Jesus.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. My study bible notes here that "Octavian, who as emperor was called Caesar Augustus, ruled the Roman Empire at the zenith of its expansion and power (31 B.C. - A.D. 14). The registration is for the purpose of taxation." Given the historical setting provided by Luke, scholars calculate that the census most likely began about 6-5 B.C.

So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. A note here reads: "Though Mary is with child, the Gospel does not call her Joseph's wife but rather his betrothed wife, for she is still a virgin. Some manuscripts read simply 'his betrothed.' Although betrothal was binding in the Jewish tradition, the couple did not engage in sexual relations during this period." We read in yesterday's reading of the character of Joseph, a kind man who would not put his betrothed in a position of public scandal -- and also of the annunciation of the angel to Joseph in a dream, telling him about the Child and mother. Joseph travels with his family to the historical city of his ancestors for registration, the city of David. In yesterday's reading, Joseph is called "son of David" by the angel, due to his Davidic ancestry. In today's reading, we learn they travel from Nazareth.

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. A note here reads: "The firstborn Son is 'holy to the LORD' (v. 23) and has special significance as primary heir and carrier of patriarchal blessings. Firstborn does not necessarily mean others will be born after Him, but only that no child was born before Him. Manger: a feeding trough for livestock. The hills around Bethlehem held many caves where domestic animals were kept by night. It was in such a humble cave that Jesus was born." One imagines the people - others also of the ancestral lineage of David - crowding into Bethlehem for the census. I have read that many homes were built in front of such caves, which were used for livestock as an attachment to the property. This idea of Jesus' birth in such a cave is ancient tradition in the Church; writings dating from the second century speak of this tradition. My friend, Deacon Shant Kazanjian of the Armenian Apostolic Church, spoke to me about the ancient icons of the birth of Jesus, and this picture of a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a stone manger - represented not as a trough but as a table, as a sort of altar - and inside of a cave. Theologically, it is a picture of Christ being born into our world, as one of us: the cave is like a tomb (indeed, like the tomb in which He will be buried after the Crucifixion), the swaddling cloths like those in which contemporary dead were buried after anointing. Even the gifts of the Magi, which we will read about later, contain elements for burial (the myrrh for anointing, the frankincense for prayers). In effect, Christ is born into the depths of our world, overshadowed by death, to become one of us, and to bring light into the darkness. The stone manger, as a sort of table, is representative of an altar on which He is given to us as grace giving this Gift to the world, who will also become the sacrifice for all of us, so that we may have life abundantly. This is the way the ancient Church understood this birth.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. A note reads: "Not to kings, priests or biblical scholars, but to Shepherds living out in the fields do the angels announce the birth of Him who would be Lamb of God and Shepherd of the sheep." These fields have traditionally been identified as somewhere near the Bethlehem suburb of Beit Sahour, overlooking the hill country there. Jesus, of course, will call Himself the Good Shepherd, and those who hear His voice are His sheep. The identification of Jesus with the shepherds at His birth will remain an essential symbol for Christianity, and play a distinct role in its theology throughout the centuries.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. A note here reads, "The appearance of the angel and the radiance of the glory of the Lord underscores the divine event that is taking place, the birth of the eternal Son of God in His human nature." Once again, we encounter the element of grace at work through the action of angelic messengers in this story. This time it is an announcement to the shepherds. The nativity story is filled with such encounters, some of which we've read about in recent readings: to Zacharias, to Mary, to Joseph, and now to the shepherds in the fields.

Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. My study bible says here: "Christ means 'the Anointed One,' the Messiah. The title Lord shows He is God; Savior shows that He will save His people from the power of sin and death." This birth, this powerful event in which Christ is born into the midst of our world, is not something to fear. The power of grace brought into the world and working in it is something for which we experience great joy, its news good tidings for everyone. This Lord is not coming to judge, but to save, a great Gift to the whole world.

And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" A note here says, "Christ comes to bring peace and goodwill toward men, for He is the incarnate love of God, reconciling humanity to God and people to each other." The Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger, is a sign to them, a sign to the shepherds, who represent us all, doing our best to care for all that we love, in stewardship in God's world. God brings the most vulnerable of children, a Babe, as His gift to us, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. He will be the sacrifice given for us, the Son given to us, so that we all may have life.

The shepherds represent all of us who need that light and the saving guidance it brings, so that we may have life in abundance, and all that includes, even peace and joy and goodwill. I think it's quite powerful that this image of the shepherds brings us not only a single angelic messenger making an announcement, but suddenly "a multitude of the heavenly host." This is impossible for me to imagine. And there is more, they are "praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!'" What we have is at once an image of angelic presence in heaven itself, worshiping and glorifying God, and the great Gift of the Son in our midst. This heavenly event is an eternal reality, but it is ever-present to us, as it is to those shepherds at this moment in earth's history, when we receive our Gift. God's grace makes the heavenly presence a reality available to us, and we celebrate this Gift each Sunday along with that heavenly angelic presence. But first, it manifested before those shepherds who received the Good News, the Sign, the good tidings of great joy. The song of praise will be echoed in the words of Christ at the Last Supper, as He promises that He gives us His peace, and teaches us to love one another as He has loved us. The Gift that is given in this birth of the Babe is a Gift He will institute for us as the Eucharist, that keeps on giving to us, as we "do this in remembrance of Him." That Babe in the cave is born to us as God, as a Gift from God, as Son, as light that comes into the darkness for us. Through angelic messenger, and a whole multitude of the heavenly host, we are proclaimed recipients of this good news, this great joy, this saving grace. But without the love and care of those who hear, who receive this grace and good news, such as Mary and Joseph, where would He be? Where would this story be? How would we have these good tidings of great joy? As He is born the most vulnerable Babe, let us remember our part in God's grace, the part of the shepherds and all those concerned with this story. That role continues in a lineage of grace right through to our times. Where would we be without those who also hear and receive and do their part, with grace working through them? We each do our part as bearers and receivers of this great news, of the light that comes into the darkness.

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well."

- Luke 17:11-19

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued his teachings on mercy. Over the course of the past several readings, Jesus has given various examples and talks on the practice of mercy to different groups of people who were gathered at table: there were sinners and tax collectors (for which he was criticized by Pharisees and scribes, whom He also addressed), and His disciples. Over the course of the recent readings, Jesus gave parables and teachings directed at each of these groups, and it's been a fascinating exploration of His ability to give each group a lens through which to view the kingdom from their own perspective. Yesterday, the disciples asked Him to "Increase our faith" - He taught them that it was no more than their duty as servants of the kingdom to practice the kind of mercy He taught, especially to the "little ones" under God's care.

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. My study bible notes, "The lepers stood afar off because they were not permitted to approach people or enter into the villages." Jesus, we're told, is on His way to Jerusalem. This is the beginning of His journey toward His Passion. Jesus has just finished addressing different social groups, all of whom were gathered at table with Him: tax collectors and sinners, Pharisees and scribes, and disciples. He had teachings appropriate to each of them, all on mercy and the merciful use of whatever power or goods we have at our disposal. Here, he is "approached" (by standing afar off) by real social outsiders: ten lepers. Lepers were officially excluded from society by religious authority. In order to "re-enter" into community, they had to receive an official certificate from a priest. Leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins - and those afflicted could not worship at temple.

And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. My study bible notes: "Only a Samaritan, despised by Jews, sets the example of gratitude for his healing. God's blessings are all too easily taken for granted or forgotten." This Samaritan is, so to speak, the "outsider's outsider." That is, not only was he a leper, he was also someone from a group despised by the Jews and therefore not one of the chosen people - not a descendant of Abraham. He couldn't place his faith in his genealogy or heritage. Recently we've been given the story of the rich man whose poor beggar neighbor went to the "bosom of Abraham" while he was tormented in hell because of his failure to be generous (see If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one man rise from the dead). Here we have a different facet of those who do not seek Christ's kingdom - even though they've been given the miraculous gift of healing. Their difference with the Samaritan is the faith they put in their inheritance by lineage. It is, in fact, a story of redemption and salvation: only the "outsider's outsider" understands what this means, and its absolute purity of spiritual inclusion based solely on love and mercy.

So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." There is an important understanding to this story - that it is the outsider, made well and redeemed, who remains, in the end, in proper relationship to God. We don't really know what happened to the rest of the lepers. Perhaps they went their way, grateful to be returned to the community, and this is enough for them. But it is this outsider, the Samaritan leper, who truly sees the reality of God's mercy and love. It's not conveyed merely by human hands, through the authority of a priest and the worship in the temple - it is, in fact, a gift from God, and he returns with gratitude to the source of that gift. He sees spiritual reality that the others do not see.

It's interesting, also, that Jesus teaches the Samaritan leper, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." Were not the other lepers also made well? But where was their faith? We can assume, it seems to me, that the wellness that Jesus speaks of here is a deeper and different wellness than cleansing from leprosy. This Samaritan is spiritually well: his faith has comprehended where the gift comes from, and he is in right-relatedness to God. So, in the end, it is our understanding of relationship to the ultimate authority that puts us in right relationship. Jesus does not even say - and this is important - that this gratitude goes to Himself personally. No - Jesus as Son is Steward; but all power, just as all confession and spiritual revelation, originates with God the Father. And, we are told that the Samaritan gives not only Jesus thanks, but "gives glory to God." We must therefore conclude that the revelation of faith comes to the Samaritan through the action of the Father - and so, his right-relatedness, return to community, is complete at the deepest and fullest level possible. He is not merely returned to temple and community, but to the kingdom. Therefore, his faith has truly made him well in ways the other lepers are not.

Luke's Gospel repeatedly teaches us of the outsiders who are brought in through this ministry and this kingdom. This story truly teaches us that there are none excluded, and that it is indeed our faith that makes us well. It sets us into right-relationship not just with our fellow beings in this world but also within the entirety of a cosmos and the many dimensions of reality beyond our grasp - with the Father from whom all things come, including the authority of the Son. Where does your faith come from? Is it about being included in community, or lineage or heritage? Or do we reach beyond that, to an understanding of relationship to Creator which reaches over all people, all things, all of Creation and beyond what we know? This is a significant teaching about Christ and what He is here for - and where our faith leads us, and just how far community really extends. Where is your faith and whence does it come? How does it make you well, and for what purpose? Who does it serve?