You are the light of the world

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  

 

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

At this relatively early stage in Christ's ministry, St. Matthew reports that His fame has already gathered to Him many multitudes, especially due to His miraculous healings (which include the casting out of demons).  Yesterday we read that, seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."   This beginning of the Sermon on the Mount gives us Jesus' Beatitudes, and we continue today.

 

  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study Bible comments that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  It explains that the Greek for be exceedingly glad means literally to "leap exceedingly with joy."  See also Acts 5:40-41.

 

  "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study Bible says that salt and light give us a picture of the role of disciples in society.  Salt has preservative powers, is necessary for life, and gives flavor; from these qualities it had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty, covenant.  As the salt of the earth, my study Bible says, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  Also, we know that God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), of the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible comments that light is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself.  Faith relies upon this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle being presented and the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

 

Salt and light are given as two images of what Christians are to be in their societies, and in the world.  Salt, as my study Bible explains, means covenant.  It means loyalty.  It is a binding agent, a fixative, and hence it had great significance in the ancient world, besides being a necessity for life, and a preservative for food. But Jesus also speaks of salt in terms of flavor.  How we live our faith matters, the nature of our covenant and loyalty, our capacity to adhere to faith is crucial.  It gives a particular enhancement of flavor to the world, and in Jesus' illustration, makes all the difference.  It brings something essential to the table, so to speak, within the societies which Christians inhabit.  He speaks of the faithful as the salt of the earth (meaning our planet, the globe), implying an element that is worth the effort to dig for, to value, and to consider an important part of the composition of our world and the life of the Creation.  (See this article on Halite, natural rock salt.)  At the same time, He speaks of believers as the light of the world.  This word translated as world is κοσμος/kosmos in the Greek, and it means all of Creation, the universe and everything in it.  It comes from a root in Greek that means adornment, decoration, God's beautiful order.  It's related to the concept of a jewel or jewelry, so we can imagine what light is to a jewel in this context.  If God's beautiful order and creation needs light, then faith and faithful believers are that light.  As my study Bible teaches, we know that Christ is the original "uncreated" Light, but Jesus is speaking of light that illumines all of the creation.  In this context, the faithful are a light that illumines what God has made.  So the effects of faithful living by Christ's gospel make the world more clear to us, show us where we are and what the world is truly like, illuminating the facets of a jewel created by God.  Light is indispensable for us to find our way, and in this context, forms an illumination that guides the way for all, no doubt rooted in the spiritual fruits that Jesus says cast glory upon God.  If we take a good look at the fruit of the Spirit as named by St. Paul, we can correlate such virtues with all of the qualities that Christ names in the Beatitudes in yesterday's reading, above (see Galatians 5:22-23 for the fruit of the Spirit).  Such things form the light that shines in the world before all people, that illumines and glorifies God, as we reflect the light given to us in our faith.  In this light, we are able to see the purposes for which we've been blessed with God's creation, hold it in right relationship, and even to bless the world with its illumination, showing what is possible in the light of Christ.  Let us remember our loyalty and our light -- where it comes from and to whom we are dedicated, for "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).  In the following chapter, as Jesus continues this sermon, He will give us the prayer known as the Lord's Prayer, or the "Our Father."  Here, in today's reading, He is teaching us what it means to be the salt and light of "our Father" in this world, and to reflect God's glory back to Him.  This is what it means to be His faithful disciples, to live the gospel message He gives us in this sermon.  Let us be true to His teaching, and remember how important and essential we as faithful are to the world in His sight.  

 

 

 

 

Salt and Light

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

 

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall  it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men,  that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

 Yesterday, we began reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapter 5 - 7).  St. Matthew writes:  And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

 

  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study Bible tells us that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  The Greek for be exceedingly glad means to "leap exceedingly with joy" (see Acts 5:40-41).  

 

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall  it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men,  that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Salt and light illustrate the role of disciples in society, says my study Bible.  It notes that because of the preservative powers of salt, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, it had both religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth, it says, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  Regarding light, God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  Light, it continues, is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself.  Faith relies on this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle being presented and the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."  Finally, we come to understand that Christian virtues have both a personal and a public function; for, as my study Bible says, our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.

 

What does it mean to be salt and light?   Jesus is speaking of believers in two ways here, as my study Bible explains.  There is first of all the integrity of salt, if you will.  That is, salt as a symbol of fidelity and steadfastness, not being wishy-washing, but firm in belief and values.  In that sense, salt binds a relationship, a relationship of community to Creator in this instance.  It is a symbol of loyalty -- of adherence to covenant.  This very steadfastness and loyalty to Christ is spoken of as "flavor," a sense in which this ingredient, liberally sprinkled adds powerful enhancement to the good things of the community, the society, and the world.  It is like the magic crystals that make everything better, turning life from just okay to delicious and appetizing, even good for you.  Having recently bought some sea salt crystals, there is this experience of something bursting with flavor on top of whatever food one has made or is eating, and this is the way that Christ sees faithful living among the society, as that which gives bursts of delight and brings out what is there in ways that magnify and give beauty to culture, the same way that a tradition of good cooking does, to make life appetizing and gracious.  Light goes without saying -- there is nothing that can be seen without light.  Light reflects upon all things, and by it and that action we can see what is what.  In this sense, light gives us the advantage of truth, of knowing where we are, how to navigate life, and to negotiate its curves.  Light in this sense is truth, and it allows us to discern the nature of things, even the details we might not see otherwise, or blur to ourselves without really looking in the dark corners.  Jesus says, "Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  He speaks of Himself as light in that case, and His life in the world.  But here in the Sermon on the Mount, He is asking us to bear His light into the world, to become His light, to share His light and His truth by allowing it to shine in us and in our lives.  This is only possible through faith, and through faithful living, hence the indispensable quality of salt to be matched with our light.  Light shines through things, it reflects off of things,it clarifies things, and teaches us discernment, separating good from bad, distinguishing the differences and the nuances as well.  In Christ's light we distinguish false from true, and are taught to recognize heresy so that we don't go down that path.   It's part of the measure of all things.  And, lest we forget, light in Christ's time came from lamps that burned fire, not light bulbs, and the fire one reads about in the Scriptures is so often derivative or descriptive of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's action in the world.  When Jesus speaks of believers as light, it's as well that we think of carrying lamps illumined by flames, or torches, because we carry that fire of faith and belief that can test out gold from dross, an energy that burns and consumes but also purifies and enlightens, a flame shared with us from the fire of the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ.  John the Baptist came preaching that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire, and here is the fire of that Holy Baptism, given to us, and what we are expected by Christ to do with it (see Matthew 3:11).  The image may be old fashioned to our ears and eyes, but nevertheless it remains the same, stunning in its message all this time later just as it was 2,000 years ago, in the timeless quality of Jesus' words.  For His word is also that flame in our hearts, as we must bear that into the world, too.  Let us remember what He asks of us today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven

 
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.  Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:13–20 

 

This week, we read through the Sermon on the Mount, in preparation for Lent.  Yesterday we read that,  seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

 

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study Bible comments here that salt and light illustrate the role of disciples in society.  Due to its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its capacity for giving flavor, salt had both religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant that people were bound together in loyalty.  To this day salt remains used in chemical processes for its fixative properties.  As the salt of the earth, my study Bible explains, Christians are preserver's of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  In terms of light, we know first of all that God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible comments, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  Light is needed for clear vision, and even for life itself in this world.  Faith relies on the divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) shining in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Eastern Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (or Easter) Liturgy starts with a candle being presented as the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."  My study Bible adds of this last verse here that Christian virtues have both a personal and a public function, for our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  My study Bible explains that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  He does so in the following ways:  He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15); He transgresses no precepts of the Law (John 8:46; 14:30); He declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law, which in this Sermon He is about to deliver to the people; and He grants righteousness -- the goal of the Law -- to us (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  He fulfills the Prophets both by being and by carrying out what they foretold.

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."  The word translated as assuredly is literally "Amen."  It means "truly," or "confirmed," or "so be it," my study Bible explains.  Here Jesus is using it as a solemn affirmation, which is a form of oath.  His use of this word at the beginning of certain proclamations -- as opposed to the end -- is unique and authoritative, my study Bible tells us.  He declares His words affirmed even before they are spoken.  A jot (Greek ιωτα/iota) is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.  A tittle is the smallest stroke in certain Hebrew letters.  So, therefore, the whole of the Law is here affirmed as the foundation of Christ's new teaching.  All is fulfilled refers to Christ's Passion and Resurrection.

 

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."  My study Bible comments that righteousness according to the Law is a unified whole.  It says that the observance of all the least commandments is to observe the whole Law, while the violation of the least commandment is considered a violation of the whole Law.  

"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  Righteousness that leads to salvation must exceed that of the Pharisees, my study Bible explains, because theirs was an outward, works-based righteousness.  The righteousness of salvation is the communion of the heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  True righteousness is to live in a state of continual communion with God.  By faith in Christ, we receive God's righteousness.  

If true righteousness is an ongoing communion with God, how do we achieve that?  We first need to understand that Christ came into the world as a human being in order to achieve this level of communion, this righteousness, so that we may be justified by faith.  That is, we live, and may receive an eternal life, a more abundant life, through this communion made possible through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We partake of His life through the Eucharist, seeking to live our faith and to grow in that faith, deepening a communion that extends through all things, as my study Bible indicates when it speaks of the communion of heart, soul, mind, and body in Jesus Christ.  Jesus' teachings in today's reading give us clues about how this works through our lives in the comments that we believers are both salt and light.  As salt, we bear His covenant into the world, giving the real "flavor" of this righteousness, holding firm in faith to His teachings and living them as fully as we can, in all these ways named.  As light, we seek to reflect His light back into the world, to carry it within ourselves and share it with others, to add such "illumination" to all the things in which we might participate as part of our life's experience and the living of our faith.  In this way, Jesus says, we glorify our Father in heaven -- and so, in that sense also, we become "like Him," we imitate Christ in the living of our faith.  But Christ's righteousness also includes the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets; there is nothing left out.  My study Bible calls the Law a cohesive whole; it says that to violate the least Law is to violate the whole of it, and to uphold one Law is to uphold the whole.  In other words, the Law itself can be thought of as something representing communion in its wholeness.  If we recall that Christ's gospel is the gospel of the Kingdom, then we must consider what it means to be a part of a communion -- this communion of the Kingdom -- to step into it through faith, and for it to grow within us (like the parable of the leaven).   So we consider Christ's teachings and begin to understand that there is a depth of communion we're invited into, and the life's journey that our faith is meant to be for us is one of deepening communion.  In a comment on Romans 3:26, my study Bible notes that righteousness by faith is not a one-time declaration or "not guilty" verdict.  We are to understand it as Christ living in us, and we in Him (Galatians 2:20).  So, to be justified by righteousness is to be in communion with Christ in an ongoing, dynamic, and growing life with Him -- developing a deeper reliance upon Christ through our own struggles with faith, insights, a prayerful life, and the practices of our faith.  This is a dynamic that reaches down into the heart and soul and should be lived (as a goal) with every breath.  Let us simply begin with His images here of salt and light, and imagine what it means to live as both, in such a way as to glorify our Father in heaven, becoming a "child of light" through our Shepherd, Christ. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?

 

 Then the Jews 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 our 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.

 

-  John 10:31–42 

 

In our recent readings (from the beginning of chapter 7), Jesus has been attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is the final year of His earthly life.  There He has disputed with the religious authorities, and restored the sight of a man who was blind since birth.  Yesterday we read that there was a division again among the leaders because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."

 

  Then the Jews 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."   At the end of yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus responded to the question of the religious leaders, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  He answered clearly when He said, "I and My Father are one."  For this they take up stones again to stone Him.  (We recall that the term the Jews is most often used in John's Gospel to designate the religious leaders, and not the people.)   In so doing, Jesus reveals Himself to be fully God.  To be one with the Father means one in nature or essence.   Christ's opponents clearly recognize this claim of divinity, my study Bible says, and therefore accuse Him of blasphemy.  

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in our 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."   My study Bible comments on Christ's quotation from Scripture, "You are gods" (Psalm 82:6):  People who receive God's grace in faith will partake of God's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  St. John Chrysostom paraphrases Christ as effectively saying, "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"  Again, Christ cites His works as witness to His divinity and His union with the Father.  

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.  As Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (verses 17-18), those who accuse Him cannot arrest Him until He is ready (John 7:30; 8:20; see Luke 4:28-30).  

 

In today's reading, when Jesus goes beyond the Jordan (that is, east of the Jordan River, the place where John was baptizing at first), the people say, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  Note how, in the people's response to Jesus beyond the Jordan, it is first of all His works that speak as witness for them.  That is, the things that He does prove that John's word about Jesus was true.  Moreover, we are once again given John the Baptist as effective witness, for the people now see for themselves that all the things John spoke about Jesus were true.  So, in subtle ways, even though the religious leaders don't believe Christ, and don't accept His witness (nor the people or things He names as witnesses to His divinity), the people believe.  They accept Him, and affirm that the things John the Baptist said about Him were true.  This seems to be clearly the perspective of the Gospel, at least among those who have faithfully pursued the holy ones dedicated to God, like the prophet John the Baptist.  Perhaps there is a lesson here about witnessing and truth, in that these things teach us that the acceptance of truth also depends not simply upon witnesses, but also upon the disposition of the heart of the beholder in the first place.  If a person is dead set against accepting someone or something, then no amount of witnesses will be entirely persuasive.  This is especially true if there is a particular reason of self-interest or group interest for people to reject a particular truth.  Such things can form a compelling reason to deny or reject truth.  In the case of the religious leaders and Jesus, He criticizes them freely.  They stand to lose their positions of authority, and He also alludes to their corruption.  They have a tight control on positions in the temple and even for some faction of the ruling Council, on the wealth and property around Jerusalem.  So important is this aspect of faith that John the Evangelist begins this Gospel with verses that focus on the rejection of light for darkness (John 1:1-5).  At any rate, Christ's emphasis on repentance comes in here as an important aspect of His preaching, because in the sense of the Greek of the Gospels, the word translated as "repentance" means literally "change of mind."  In this context of witnessing and belief (or, more accurately, trust), the possibility of changing one's mind, the minimal awareness that there is perhaps something one cannot be absolutely certain about, is the one thing that opens one to the places God may lead us.  In the story of the Publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14), we read that the Pharisee prayed "with himself," while the Publican's position of humility at least allows for the possibility that there is something he has to learn, something left undone, something God calls him to that he doesn't know.  To be at least capable of changing one's mind means that God's work within us is still possible, and we know that this is important because -- especially in our recent readings -- Jesus has emphasized God the Father's role in drawing us to Christ (see above, "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand").  In yesterday's reading, Jesus also said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Without the possibility of "changing our minds," of allowing for the unknown and unexpected, how would we hear Christ's voice?  For God will always call us to what is greater than we know, what we haven't considered, or perhaps especially what we need to reconsider in our own choices and behaviors.  For God will always be asking us to grow, leading us forward into what is greater than what we think we know.  Even the works that Christ does, those "signs" such as healing a man blind from birth, ask of us to open our own minds to accept them, and especially to accept what they mean about Christ's divine identity, and the kingdom of God present with Him.  Let us consider what it is to witness, and how we receive that witness.  For how will we be prepared to understand and accept the evidence that is before us?

 

 

 

 

 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

In the reading from Saturday, we read of the explosive growth of Christ's ministry, across the territories of Israel and the Jewish communities that surround them, even in Gentile areas.  So already "great multitudes" are following Jesus.  Yesterday we read that, seeing the multitudes, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 

  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study Bible tells us that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the same road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  The Greek word translated as be exceedingly glad means to "leap exceedingly with joy."  (See Acts 5:40-41.)

 

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house."  Salt and light are used here by Jesus to illustrate the role of disciples in the society.  My study Bible explains that because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; See also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone, it notes, meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth, therefore, faithful Christians are preservers of God's covenant and they give true flavor to the world.   Regarding these images of light, God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all the other nations.  In the New Testament, moreover, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible says that light is necessary both for clear vision and also for life itself.  So, faith relies on this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5), who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many Orthodox parishes, the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle being presented, and the faithful are invited to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Of this verse, my study Bible notes that Christian virtues have both a personal and public function, for our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

Salt and light seem to serve several important functions.  As Jesus has given us both of them, we may assume that both are necessary for us to understand and to follow in our own lives as disciples of Christ.  Salt speaks of covenant, loyalty, a kind of steadfastness to a pledge and a relationship.  It asks us for our firm bond to Christ, through thick and thin, through good times and bad.  Jesus also emphasizes its flavoring qualities, which are essential everywhere in cuisine.  Salt has that flavor property that universally adds to whatever it is one uses it on.  (If there is any doubt that this is also true of sweet foods, let it be known that many salt watermelon and also apples.   In some sweet foods, it is a kind of balancing agent, again enhancing flavor.)  In the ancient world, salt was necessary -- as my study Bible points out -- for preservative power before refrigeration was available.  Believers, therefore, in this context, are valuable to God as those who are loyal and steadfast, and also as those who "flavor" the earth with its enhancing power.  Light, of course, has long been an image of God.  From the pillar of fire that illumined the way for the Israelites following Moses in the night, to the halos of the saints and angels, and manifest in the light of the Transfiguration, light is an unshakable image of God and God's energies at work in the world.  Beyond that, the light of the Lord is said to illuminate our path through a difficult world, beset with paradoxical choices and dilemmas and temptations, half-truths and heresies.  Jesus spoke of Himself as Lord to the people, just prior to the events of Holy Week, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35-36).  So God is Light (John 1:5), the grace of God (God's energies in the world) is light, and yet another property of that light is that it is shared with us, and we also may bear it into the world (Acts 2:3).  Jesus speaks of a lampstand because in the ancient world, light was given through fire, through torches and lamps which burned oil, so we must understand all instances of fire to be also giving us images of this light.  In fact, the verb "to shine" in the Greek of the Gospel is λάμπω/lampo.  Not only may we be gifted by the bearing of this light ourselves, but through our own faithfulness, Christ asks us to participate in the work of grace:  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."   What are these "good works?"  Well, they are undoubtedly related to the fruit of the Spirit, which St. Paul teaches is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control," and for which he adds, "Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  In living these qualities, and bearing this fruit, we let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.  

 

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are a light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Now do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

Yesterday we began reading the Sermon on the Mount, which starts with the Beatitudes, or blessings of the Kingdom.  Seeing the multitudes who now follow Him, Jesus went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 

 

  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  My study Bible comments that those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs.  The Greek for be exceedingly glad means literally to "leap exceedingly with joy."  (See Acts 5:40-41.)

 

 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are a light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Now do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  Salt and light are important illustrations give by Jesus of the role of disciples in society.  Because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its capacity for giving flavor, salt had religious and sacrificial significance for the Jews and in the practices of the temple (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty, my study Bible explains.  As the salt of the earth, Christians are preservers of God's covenant, and give true flavor to the world.    God is the true and uncreated Light, my study Bible adds, In the Old Testament light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible adds that light is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself.  Faith relies on this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many parishes the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle being presented and the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."  When Jesus teaches, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven," He is expressing a truth that Christian virtues and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) have both a personal and a public function, for such virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  

Recently I listened to a distraught phone call to a radio psychologist from a mother who was very upset over the problems her daughter was having with "mean girls" in high school.  Although her daughter seemed to be the very responsible and mature one of the crowd (which included even her former best friend's mother), she was the one excluded by the others.  And although this young woman had gone on to make new friends, her former friend (and the friend's parents) continued to spread bad rumors about her in order to hurt her.  It wasn't ever clear to her why this friend had a problem with her in the first place.  Although to many of us the problems of high school age are far behind us, this kind of behavior is not unknown in all kinds of places -- and, as the radio psychologist pointed out, is always about power and how one views the use of power.  This would apply in particular to those who believe that by hurting another, they exercise power.  Into this seemingly trite scenario one might encounter in a TV movie come the words Jesus give us today:  "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  The young woman in the story might not be a follower of Christ (it wasn't the subject of the telephone call), but it was clear that she was a righteous young woman; she had done the right thing and tried to clear the air, being very honest, and seeking dialogue with the people who had hurt her.  She was also clearly forgiving.  But Jesus teaches us about righteousness, and about the virtuous life -- and also that when we live our lives this way, and when we are victimized by those who use power to hurt the nominally "meek" and virtuous, we should consider ourselves blessed, even when we encounter slander and falsehoods told about ourselves, because "so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  We might not all be prophets, but in following the teachings of Christ, we do enter into a kind of lineage of righteousness, and it is when we lose sight of the evil and cruelties of the world -- even that there are those who might despise us for our virtue -- that we lose track of the reality of the world and our place in it.  The Church, the Body of Christ, is meant to be a community of those who share such values and support one another in the practice of those virtues.  It is not simply a place where people gather because they agree on a belief statement or an abstract of certain truths.  It is meant to be a place for righteous relationships, in which we are supported in a particular way of life, and grow within that life and our participation -- through ritual and faith practices such as prayer and worship -- in the life of Christ, from whom we are meant to understand that God is love, and through whom that love has been revealed to us and lived in the life of the human Jesus.  There are many ways in which the world will present to us a cruel and merciless life as one that is advantageous, but abuse of power in all its forms is nothing new in this world.  What is "new" is that Christ calls us to the righteous life, despite persecution, and He assures us that such a life is, indeed, "blessed," because we are reviled and even hurt for His sake.  He calls us to be salt and to be light, and this is our never-ending mission, the "way" of Christ for life through this world and all that it offers, so that we are set apart for that which is truly blessed.   In so doing, He calls us "the light of the world."

 

 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

 

- Matthew 5:11-16 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus, seeing the multitudes, went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."   Those who suffer persecution for Christ walk the same road of the prophets, saints, and martyrs, my study Bible tells us.  To be exceedingly glad as written in the original Greek literally means to "leap exceedingly with joy."  (See Acts 5:40-41.)  Clearly the rejoicing and delight is meant to be proportional to the suffering endured for the love of Christ.

 

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  My study Bible tells us that salt and light illustrate the role of disciples in society.  Salt was an extremely important and precious commodity in the ancient world.  Because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, salt had both a religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone, my study Bible explains, meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth, Christians are the preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  Regarding light, it first comments that the true and uncreated Light is God.  In the Old Testament, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), the divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  Light is necessary for clear vision so that we see correctly, and also for life itself.  My study Bible declares that faith relies on this divine light, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36, 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  In many parishes, particularly in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Pascha (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle presented and the invitation to "come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

What does it mean to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven"?  How do we let our light shine?  This has become a common expression in the modern West, thanks likely to a popular song or two of recent decades.  Often, in a pop context, to let one's light shine reflects not a spiritual context, but some sort of context of talent or star quality.  It might even take on moral tones for many as well, with "good deeds" done before others as a way of expressing good character.  Mostly it seems used to reflect a sense of self which might otherwise be lost in the crowd, a way of being noticed for the fruits of one's abilities or perhaps even a stellar persona.  Of course, the songs themselves were meant to have a spiritual and Christian character, reflective of today's Gospel passage.  But in today's media-saturated world of self-generated selfies and stories, and following the popular culture of Hollywood "stars" and generated publicity and PR, the whole sense of the phrase has -- like so much else -- taken on the tone of popular myth and self-fulfillment, a particular understanding of destiny.  But if we think of Christ's phrase as simply encouraging us to gather praise or applause from peers or the world around us, then we've quite obviously missed the first part of this sermon, which exalted the blessedness of the virtues of the Kingdom, hidden from and even persecuted by the world.  In light of the rest of Christ's sermon (which will include later remarks which are extremely critical of those who do even good religious deeds in order to be seen by others) then we have to carefully consider what it means to let one's light so shine that others may see our good works and glorify God.  Jesus puts these remarks in the context of what He says earlier about being persecuted for righteousness' sake, or being denigrated by the world because of our love of Christ.  Clearly, what He telling us is that we should be fearless nevertheless in doing the things that are pleasing to Him, and this becomes the context of the salt together with the light.  The salt indicates covenant, loyalty, a life which is lived out of dedication to God the Holy Trinity, and particularly to Christ, the Incarnate Son.  There are times when we will "do good" -- that is, we will do the things we believe Christ asks of us -- and we will not receive approval from all for doing so.  Even an act of kindness or charity can sometimes, strange as it seems, be met with some sort of critical reception, a cost to be paid by those who reject such acts.  It is within this context that we are to let our light shine -- a light reflective of the light of Christ, of God -- and be unafraid and unashamed to do so nevertheless.  A kind word here for one that others might rather abuse, a protective action for someone who would otherwise be victimized, standing up to bullying or even a conspiracy to harm or defraud in some way:  all of these are examples of actions of doing good which might not be met with approval by those around ourselves, friends or even family who won't like that we are letting that light shine in the darkness they'd prefer.  We might even find ourselves seeking to help in ways others will insist are meant with evil ulterior motive, hence Jesus' warning about being "reviled."  There are times, in my experience, when even our acts of charity may be disparaged.  We're not meant to think that we live in a world that is pure light; that's not the picture the Gospels paint for us.  Indeed, we're told that the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it (comprehend meaning both to "take in" and to "understand"); see John 1:5, which in the original Greek has the same double meaning for "comprehend."  But nonetheless, we're given light so that we shine it; it is the gospel message and mission, and we need to understand that it is at once powerful, and also might spark powerful consequences.  This is why Christ also counsels prudence to His disciples when they're sent out on their first mission, and He tells them they are to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  To let one's light so shine is not a declaration of some sort of explosive self-expression in the sense of personal fame or glory, but rather an invitation to courage, prudence, strength, endurance, and especially a kind of integrity in fidelity to Him.  It may ask of us caution and wisdom, yet nevertheless be treated as a city on a hill, and is nevertheless the light of the world, and a lamp that gives light to all in the house.  Near the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ will caution His disciples not to cast our pearls before swine, indicating that letting one's light shine also demands discernment.  Jesus is encouraging His followers to be courageous and strong, and to endure in following His commandments, even exalting their times of persecution for His sake, telling the they should be "exceedingly glad."  Let us consider the power in that light, and the strength, joy, and character that is forged by carrying it into the world -- as well as the discernment it demands of us.  Our goal is not to glorify ourselves, but our Father in heaven.

 

Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

"Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."

- Matthew 7:22-27

In recent readings, we have been going through the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chs. 5 -- 7.  In our previous reading, Jesus taught:  "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"  Here's a warning that we are not going to be judged by good works, or even by phenomenal capacities for working wonders!  There is much more to God's judgment than being impressed by outer wonders that may impress other people, and there must be more to us than that.

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  It seems to me this is as stark a warning as possible regarding God's judgment of who we are.  My study bible tells us:  "Hearing the gospel alone is not enough, for salvation is based not on hearing alone, nor on faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ." 

In today's lectionary reading, the Epistle is from Ephesians 2.  St. Paul writes, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (4-10, NKJV).  I think it's important to remember the humility that is displayed here:  we were created for good works.  We are not saved by them.  Put together with today's Gospel reading, that means that our faith, appropriately manifested, is to create us as persons in God's image that is a pure gift to us -- persons who are capable of the good works that God has in mind for each of us.  Thereby, in the Judgment, there is none that "should boast."  It is a question of our faith creating in us the capacity to be the persons that God calls us to be.  To my way of thinking, those "good works" prepared beforehand in the eternal reality of God, of heaven and the Kingdom, may be each and every one unique to each creation of God, each of us as individuals -- and St. Paul will go on to teach how we are all different yet serving the same Body and Head, as Christ also indicated in His last appearance to Peter and John in the Book of John.  When Peter asks Jesus, "What about this man?" Jesus more or less tells Peter to stick to what he is supposed to do, and that it doesn't matter to Peter what Jesus tells others they are to do.  To my way of thinking, this is a clear affirmation of St Paul's words and the correct understanding of today's part of the Sermon on the Mount.  We are to do what He teaches, and that teaching assumes the most intimate dimensions for each one of us:  "good works" are those things that manifest not by the impression they make, or even what is praised as a miraculous gift -- rather, they are the things prepared for us beforehand, the "good works" we grow into via faith in Christ and His word, even as it may manifest to each of us to do the particular works God has in mind, just as we each are unique in creation, with particular talents or capabilities.  Even the capacity for silence is also a great gift in the manifestation of the image of Christ meant for one capable of silent prayer which may save many others, and bless a world.  Let us remember how much love is behind and contained in all of these teachings, that are meant for each one of us, even as unique creations of God.  Let us pursue with faith the person God creates us to be, not the image the world may tell us we are supposed to be.   When Jesus says, "I never knew you,"  He is talking about a personal experience, true encounter.  It's in that relationship that we find the works that may be "prepared beforehand" - in the eternity of Christ - for us to do.  It is His words that we must truly follow.

Is it not written in your law, "I said, 'You are gods'?"

Then the Jews 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.

- John 10:31-42

In yesterday's reading, we continued to read about the disputes in Jerusalem, between Jesus and the temple leadership. The leadership is divided about Jesus. Recent readings have been taking place at the autumn festival of the Feast of Tabernacles. Now the scene shifts three months ahead, to winter. It is the time of the Feast of Dedication, or Hannukah, the festival of lights. This is the commemoration of the rededication of the temple to the God of Israel, my study bible says, "after the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the temple in 167 B.C. The leaders of Israel's past are commemorated, many of whom were literal shepherds." Jesus has just given the illustration of Himself as the Good Shepherd. In yesterday's reading, He continued. At the Feast of Dedication, the leadership asks Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." He again referred to Himself as the Shepherd, and the sheep who are of His flock know Him. They know His voice. His works bear witness of Him, but they do not believe Him, because they are not of His flock. He said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

Then the Jews 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?" As He is condemned by the leadership for His teaching that "I and My Father are one," Jesus refers back to the "witness" to His identity, the good works or signs He has done. The emphasis on witnessing is important to understand in terms of the theology that Jesus teaches. It is as if He is saying to us that we are responsible for understanding the revelation of God in our midst, the signs of God or of God's grace and presence. The leadership fails to discern this; it is a kind of rejection of grace, of the evidence of the presence or shining forth of God in our world.

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'?" Jesus refers to the Scripture which tells of becoming "sons of God." In some sense, that is a sonship given by adoption, by the word of God. Jesus is referring to Psalm 82, verse 6, in which the Lord says, "I have said, 'You are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.'" Ironically, the psalm tells of the failure of the holy assembly of the God of Israel (those to whom the God's word has been given) to recognize this fact about themselves, to live up to it in righteousness and good judgment, and the resulting outcome -- that they will die like mere men, they will fall like any other ruler. Jesus compares the "gods" of the psalm to Himself, and to the witness of His good works to His Sonship. The Scripture calls them gods -- why is He therefore blaspheming?

"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. Again, Jesus refers to the "testimony" of His works, the signs of the Gospel. These good works are witness to the Father's presence with Him in all He does. But the time has come when the leadership wish to condemn Him. Jesus escapes.

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. Though the leadership condemns Him for blasphemy, Jesus continues to find many believers among the Jewish people. Here, those who were followers of John the Baptist now follow Jesus. This is another testimony offered in the Gospel, that of John the Baptist, whose testimony, it tells us, is true.

There is a lot in today's reading about witnessing and testimony. We also come to understand concepts of God's "showing forth" -- the presence of God the Father manifest in Jesus' good works. This is also testimony, a kind of witnessing to God's presence. John the Baptist also was a witness, a true witness in spirit, who came as a holy man, testifying to the One who was to come, and identifying Jesus as that one. When we think of witnessing and testimony, can we come to terms with what this means in our own lives in a spiritual sense? What "bears witness" in your life to the work of God, the work of the Spirit in the world -- the Gift for which Christ was sent into the world and which He left with us? Do you bear witness to that gift in your own life? Do you recognize that witness or showing of the presence of God? I would invite each reader to think about this today. If the presence of the word of God conveyed sonship on those in the assembly, what does its presence do in your life? How do you witness to that? What signs have been in your life (no doubt less spectacular than those of Jesus!) that bear witness to God's presence, to the grace we have been given? Faith itself can be a sign of grace, a depth of prayer, an extraordinary gift of understanding. How do you receive testimony of sonship? Jesus has also taught, "By their fruits you shall know them." His signs are the fruits of who He is, His identity. By what fruits do you recognize the work of the Spirit in your life? What testifies to sonship?

Our Father in heaven

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

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

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

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

- Matthew 6:1-16

We have been reading the passages from the Sermon on the Mount, in the Gospel of Matthew, since Monday. Beginning with the Beatitudes, Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5, has led us through the important topics of Jesus' teaching: the blessings of the spiritual life, or the Beatitudes; the teachings that His disciples are to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world; His expansion on righteousness regarding first the law against murder; His teachings on our own internal work regarding our thoughts and passions; and His teachings on justice and just behavior. Today, we venture into territory regarding prayer, charitable acts, and fasting - religious practice or spiritual discipline and good works.

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." In each of Jesus' important teachings today on spiritual discipline - regarding charitable works, prayer, and fasting - His greatest criticism comes to hypocrisy, or hypocrites. "Hypocrite" in the original Greek means "actor." What He is condemning is prayer or charity - any form of piety - for outward show. If all we care about is the opinion of others, then we are missing the point. It is our relationship to God that is essential here, and God's love teaches us how we must relate to others. It is the Father who sees in secret whose understanding of who we are counts. It is again the expression here of a divine economy, in which the blessings we give in secret will be returned to us through the Father.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." Again, a teaching against hypocrisy -- those who make a great show of their piety, who work for an audience, and not the power of the relationship that is in secret, with our "Father who is in the secret place." And again, there is emphasis on a divine economy: our "Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." My study bible says the teaching here is not against repetition per se, but against "vain repetition." The importance is that we do not babble, do not make prayers for their sound or impression, but that we cultivate a relationship - a personal and private relationship to Our Father in heaven. The teaching that God knows what we want in advance is so important: we're not really informing God about anything, nor are we making demands. We are cultivating relationship, "exchanging wishes" as the Greek word for prayer literally means. We are going to our Father with all we are, opening up ourselves for teaching and instruction, for love, and sharing all that we are as He shares Himself via grace with us.

"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." First, we address God, our Father who is in heaven. His name is for all that is holy, and covers all that comes to us in goodness and righteousness and mercy and grace. Our great desire is to expand that kingdom, that holiness - to manifest that kingdom amongst ourselves and within ourselves, in our world. This begins our prayer, that heaven and earth, and all that Our Father is and desires be made present to us in our world as well. We begin our prayer by setting ourselves in the right place, offering the right perspective.

"Give us this day our daily bread." The bread referred to in this prayer is not necessarily the bread we eat for food, nor a symbol of material needs. "Daily" is a rather misleading translation for a Greek word that appears nowhere else in literature, and seems to have been coined specifically for this prayer. The word in Greek means more closely "super-substantial;" that is, something that has a greater reality to it - literally, "above the essence." What this implies is not only what we need for each day in terms of our material sustenance, but that which we need which includes all that we are, our spiritual reality, what feeds our souls. In other words, this word is like the Eucharist itself - the bread of God's food for us. In a very true poetic sense, we pray to receive each day the food we need for our eternal and immortal life, for "the eternal day of the Kingdom of God," as my study bible puts it so aptly. We pray for the Bread of Life, which we need daily.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." I've heard it expressed recently that God's forgiveness for us is infinite - therefore we share in that forgiveness when we realize the capacity we have to forgive others. Moreover there is once again a teaching about the divine economy here: what we are willing to share with others will also be shared with us by God. My study bible notes that "by using the plural, Jesus directs each of us to pray for the Father's forgiveness of all, and for all of us to forgive one another." It adds that "debts refer to spiritual debts; when we sin, we 'owe' restitution to our offended neighbor and to God." We are to seek to practice the loving nature that we know belongs to God.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." This is a kind of poetic statement in itself: in the Greek, we pray that temptation not be "led into" us, and we ask to be taken or brought into God's presence, "snatched away" from the "evil one." This is about the essence of what is called spiritual battle - the prayer that all the temptations we wish to resist not be a part of ourselves, and that God's strength be with us always. More powerfully, that we be in the presence of God, delivered from the "evil one." ("Evil one" is a more precise translation than "evil.") The word for temptation is also a form of "test" or "trial." My study bible says, "Thus we pray that great temptations, tests beyond what we can bear, should not come our way."

"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." We return, in the economy of the prayer, to the kingdom of God, God's glory and power -- it is here we wish to dwell, to remain, and that which we wish to manifest in "on earth as it is in heaven." It is this power with which we wish to be allied for our true sustenance and support in life.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Moreover, finally, an important added emphasis and understanding of the real spiritual economy in which we dwell: we must share that which we wish for ourselves. It elevates us - human beings - to a stature worthy of a creation of God, made for independent thought and choice. We offer forgiveness as our Father in heaven offers us forgiveness. But we bear this responsibility; if we live in selfish expectation without our own growth in this love then we realize nothing of it.

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward." And finally, a teaching on fasting, another religious practice or spiritual discipline. And a repeated emphasis on the condemnation of hypocrisy, or "acting." Life, in the Christian discipline, is not only first and foremost for that relationship with the Father in heaven (rather than for outward show for the opinions or "praise of men") but it is also for joy. That is, it is for the joy of this relationship of love, whether we cultivate that relationship through fasting or other difficult disciplines. Furthermore, Jesus teaches us that we fast from much more than food, but from sin, from dwelling in thoughts which cultivate temptation and keep us from that relationship with our Father who is in the secret place.

A powerful reading is what we receive today, with many thoughts on the spiritual life, on how we pray -- and warnings about practicing as hypocrites, or "actors." Such is Jesus' contempt for hypocrites that He says, "They have their reward." So what does this all mean to you? How do you realize that relationship with your Father who is in the secret place? What do you do to cultivate that relationship and its strength for you? How do we live in this divine economy, of powerful realities that reward us on spiritual terms, for things not necessarily known or seen by others? It is a relationship of love in which we dwell, and cultivate and grow its blessings. Jesus began this Sermon with the Beatitudes, and today He teaches us more fully about the realization of the blessings He has taught.