And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd

 

 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  

 

So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  

 

When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.

 

Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

- Mark 6:30–46 

 

Yesterday we read that, on their first mission, the apostles cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known.  And he said, "John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him."  Others said, "It is Elijah."  And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets."  But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!"  For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.  Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."  Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him.  And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.  Then an opportune day came when  Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.  And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you."  He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom."  So she went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask?"  And she said, "The head of John the Baptist!"  Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."  And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.  Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought.  And he went and beheaded him in prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.  When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

 

  Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  This verse picks up where Tuesday's reading leaves off, with Jesus sending out the apostles on their first mission.  In between, we were given the story of the beheading of John the Baptist, so that we are aware why King Herod has now heard of Christ's ministry, and suspects John the Baptist has returned from the dead with such powers.

 

 And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  My study Bible explains that Christ gives rest to His disciples to show those engaged in preaching and teaching that they must not labor continuously, but must also take rest.  

 

So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  Let us note the main ailment of these people as understood by Jesus:  they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  What does the Good Shepherd do in His compassion for them?  He began to teach them many things, for this is their true need.

 

 When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Christ's miraculous feeding of five thousand men -- and more women and children -- is reported by all four evangelist.  This miracle shows Christ feeding a great multitude of His people as He, as Lord, fed the Israelites in the desert (Exodus 16).  My study Bible notes that the Church Fathers see in this feeding an image of the Eucharist, which is an idea made clear in John 6.  There is a spiritual interpretation given of the numbers:  that five loaves indicate the five books of the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), broken open in Christ and thereby feeding the universe.  The two fish represent the Gospel Book and the Epistle Book, the teaching of the fishermen.  The gathering of the leftovers by the apostles shows that the teachings which the faithful remain unable to grasp are nonetheless held in the consciousness of the Church.  Christ first looking up to heaven, then blessing and breaking the loaves and giving them to His disciples to distribute to the crowd all give the sense of the Eucharist.  In this light the twelve baskets of leftovers suggest the twelve apostles and their successors through whom the Eucharist will continue to be distributed throughout the world. 

 

 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.  Once again we observe another great turning point in Christ's ministry.  This feeding of the five thousand men (plus more women and children) prefigures the Eucharist.  Jesus' response is to depart to the mountain to pray.  Every juncture in His ministry is met with communion with the Father.

 

Hospitality forms the core of our faith in a number of ways.   We can start with Abraham at the trees of Mamre when the Lord appeared to him as three men whom Abraham entertains with his hospitality.  By taking in these strangers, we have a great unfolding of the spiritual life we're given as a model in the Bible, the building up of our understanding of faith.  See Genesis 18.  So important is this sense of hospitality encountered in this story that St. Paul also mentions it in the Letter to the Hebrews.  He writes, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels" (Hebrews 13:2).  From the earliest times of monasticism among the desert monks, the sense of hospitality cultivated was considered more important than even prayer.  A knock at the door meant that even prayer would be interrupted to answer to a stranger.  In today's reading, we're given a sense of Christ's movement to hospitality.  The first thing He does from compassion for these people who were "like sheep not having a shepherd" is to teach them many things.  This is the first thing with which they need to be filled.  In some sense, we are all like sheep who need Christ as the Shepherd, like His children who need to be taught what we are to be about, what's good for us, how we must grow.  For this is, indeed, salvation, and for this we come to Christ.  This feeding in the wilderness in today's reading serves to show us an image of hospitality -- and it is, indeed, a miraculous hospitality, and one that takes place in the wilderness.  It teaches us about the importance of relying upon God's "hospitality" when we feel depleted of resources, stranded in the middle of our own "nowhere," like sheep without a shepherd, or deeply in need of guidance and sustenance or structure.  As this miraculous feeding of the multitude gives us a prefiguring of the Eucharist, so we are also meant to see the Eucharist as the very act of hospitality, God feeding us with the spiritual food and drink that we need ("For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed" - John 6:55).  This is the center of our worship, the thing Christ taught us to do in remembrance of Him.  We learn of God's hospitality in Jesus' saying to the disciples, "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2).  And in the early Church and the development of Christian societies such as that of the Byzantines, the first hospitals and orphanages came from this understanding of hospitality as divine, as that which the Lord has taught us, even among strangers.  Often these days as in times past, entertaining others as a form of hospitality could be considered a way to impress, a social obligation, a kind of quid pro quo in relationships that are simply transactional in nature.  But this is not what the hospitality of God implies, for God cannot hope to receive from us anything equal to God's grace.  In short, God's hospitality shows us a form of love from which we learn and may consider how we live our own lives in welcoming the things of God, and even the Lord Himself into our own hearts.  The parable of the mustard seed teaches us about the great branches that grow the kingdom from faith, so that even "birds of the air" (a metaphor for angels) can rest in their shade.  In the Revelation we read, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).  At the Last Supper, Jesus taught, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me" (John 14:23-24).  Hospitality is at the core of our faith, a mutual love not based on transaction but on grace.  Even forgiveness can be seen as a form of hospitality when we "give up" the debts of others' sins against us and allow Christ to be the judge as well as our guide in how to respond and navigate our lives.  Let us consider the incredible power of Christ's multiplication of the loaves and the fish, and think about this infinite, inexplicable power of grace and what it might create in our lives.  

 

 

 

 

He was transfigured before them

 

Transfiguration of our Lord, 6th century, mosaic.  St. Catherine's Monastery (apse of the great basilica), Sinai, Egypt

 

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

 

- Matthew 17:1-13 

 

On Saturday we read that from the time of the confession of St. Peter (on behalf of all the disciples) that Jesus is the Christ, He began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!   You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to His works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."  

 

  Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves . . .  My study Bible comments here that a high mountain is often a place of divine revelation in Scripture (Matthew 5:1; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 19:3, 23; Isaiah 2:3; 2 Peter 1:18).  

 

. . . and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  The event described in today's reading is called the Transfiguration, after this word here (in Greek, Μεταμόρφωσης/Metamorphosis).  This is what is called a "theophany," meaning a manifestation of God.  This in particular is a manifestation of the divinity of Christ, through a display of what the Orthodox term His uncreated, divine energy.  My study Bible explains that because God is light (1 John 1:5), the bright cloud (verse 5), the shining of Jesus' face like the sun, and the whiteness of His garment, all demonstrate that Jesus is God.  

 

 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  My study Bible tells us that Moses represents the law and all those who have died, while Elijah represents the prophets, and as he did not experience death, all those who are alive in Christ.  Their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.  Additionally, my study Bible says that the presence of Moses and Elijah manifests the communion of the saints (Hebrews 12:1).  Both of them are immediately recognizable and they speak with the Lord.  St. Peter understands the presence of the Kingdom, and knowing that the Feast of Tabernacles was the feast of the coming kingdom, he suggests they build tabernacles (or tents) as was done at that feast, serving as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.

 

 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"   Here is the Holy Trinity manifest in this theophany, for Christ is transfigured in dazzling white (portrayed in icons as whiter than white, often blue to indicate its ineffable color), the Father speaks from heaven testifying to Christ's divine sonship, and the Spirit is present in the form of a dazzling cloud surrounding Christ's person and overshadowing the mountain.   This bright cloud recalls temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, as my study Bible puts it, the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.

 

 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.  After the experience of the communion of saints, of Moses and Elijah speaking with Christ, the disciples are now capable of understanding that Christ's words, "Elijah has come already" refers to John the Baptist.  My study Bible says that their eyes have been opened to the fact that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) refers to one coming "In the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), rather than to Elijah himself.  

 

The light of Christ is in some way more than light, more than the light we know.  Hence,  the blue tinge in the icon of the Transfiguration, above.  This icon is a mosaic from St. Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, Egypt, fittingly built atop the mountain by Emperor Justinian before 565 A.D.   That blue tint to the light signifies it is ineffable, meaning that it is not fully comprehensible to us, to human beings.  Like God, the light is considered to be God's uncreated light.  It is something that belongs to God; that is, to the One who "in the beginning" was already "with God" and "was God" (John 1:1).  This is not the light of the created natural world which comes from the sun, which we already know as dazzling and beautiful, but something beyond that.  This is the light of the Creator Himself.  This is the light of God.  The blue tint is a symbol of that light that rendered Christ's clothing "exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them" (Mark 9:3).  And it is in this light of divine origin, made manifest to an extent that the disciples are able to have a vision of God's glory, that Christ is transfigured before them.  This transfiguration is a change in appearance, but not a change in substance, for Christ's divinity is being made manifest for them to see.  This light is the light of Christ and has always been and belonged to Christ; it is the light He brings into the world even as incarnate human being.  But it is also, importantly, the light of Christ's grace that truly transfigures us.  By the grace of Baptism and all the sacraments of the Church, so we also may be transfigured, truly changed through the effects of grace and the power of the Lord, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and Christ's transfiguring mission of the Cross in our world and our lives.  So this is the true belonging that comes for us so that we may dwell within that Kingdom, just as St. Peter intuits in today's reading; this manifestation is all about the Kingdom dwelling among the just in the "tents" of those whose hearts make a place for the Lord (Revelation 3:20).  This ineffable light is the light of grace that helps us find solutions to problems that seem insoluble, that helps us to transform into those with discipline we did not have over ourselves once upon a time, that grows holiness even in the face of great evil.  When we seek to discount this ineffable reality, and "bargain" it down to something we think we can control, and solve, and define on our terms, then we miss out on the truth of God, which is so much bigger and greater than all of us.  Let us ponder this light, because it still leads us if we have faith.  It still has plans to reveal to us, visions of things we could not imagine, manifestations of that which is too far above ourselves to conceive.  In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul quotes from the prophet Isaiah, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4).  So it was true for the prophet, it was true for St. Paul, it remains true for us, and as they both affirm, it starts with love.  Let us never forget the adventure of faith, of the love of God, and the holiness Christ asks us to pursue, in this ineffable  light that comes to us through Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them

 

 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And may hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. 

 

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.   He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  

 

- Mark 6:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side (returning from healing the Gadarene demoniac), a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the  crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that  was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.  

 

  Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And may hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Christ's own country is Nazareth, the place where He was raised.  My study Bible comments that this double response of being both astonished and offended occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ (Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Christ's rejection in his own country is a foreshadowing of His rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  In Near and Middle Eastern usage, then and today, brother can be used as a term for any number of varied relations.  Jesus' brothers and sisters are either children by a previous marriage of St. Joseph, or other relatives such as cousins and extended family.  Mary had only one child, her Son, Jesus.  Christ's saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house," is so significant that it is found in all four Gospels (Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).

 

 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  My study Bible comments that Jesus could do no mighty work there, not because He lacked power, but because of the unbelief of all but a few in Nazareth.  While grace is always offered to all, it notes, only those who receive it in faith obtain its benefits.  Let us note here that in the Greek, the word translated here as mighty work is the same word translated as "power" in yesterday's reading, above.  In yesterday's reading, Christ's power went out of Him in response to the faith of the woman with the years-long bloodflow; here there is no faith to respond to.

 

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.   He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.   After choosing the twelve (in this reading), the time has come that He has prepared them to be sent out on their first apostolic mission (in the Greek, the word for apostle means "one sent out" while disciple means "learner").  Here, once again, we encounter the word power in English, but in the Greek of this particular verse, this word is more akin to "authority."  This kind of power that He has given them is a conference of strength that comes out of His substance, His identity as Lord.  So, in a sense, Christ has made them His ministers of a sort.  He has given them authority over the unclean spirits, to command them as He does.  My study Bible comments on anointing the sick with oil.  It notes that this not only has medicinal value but also sacramental value.  As God's healing power is bestowed through creation, it says (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15; 19:11-12), so oil is also a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).  

 

 Power plays a strong role yet again in today's reading.  We compare and contrast this with the role Christ's power played in yesterday's reading.  Yesterday, as noted above, we read that power went out from Jesus in response to the woman who touched His clothes from behind Him in a crowd.  But in today's reading, that holy power to do "mighty works" has no faith to which to respond in Christ's hometown of Nazareth.  The people there are too clouded by their own memories and assignments of identity to Christ in terms of His social position as One who grew up among them as one of them, and their perspectives on His own family and their place in the town.  Their sight is clouded by their own opinions, worldly experience and assumptions, and possibly prejudices.  They believe that they know what they know, and so they are both astonished and offended at Him.  But they cannot accept the Christ who now stands before them as He is revealed to be in His ministry.  So there is a lack of faith in Him.  But this shows us also how holy power works, for it often does so through the least likely and most unassuming in terms of our own expectations and worldly notions.  This is exemplified in God's words to St. Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (see 2 Corinthians 12:9).  This, too, is related to faith and prayer, for this was said to St. Paul after he had prayed three times for a certain affliction to be removed from him, and it was not.  Here is the paradoxical (to us) nature of holy power; in this case, God's strength would be perfected in the affliction itself, in the "weak" vessel of St. Paul, conveyed to the world even through that weakness and, according to human judgment, imperfection.  Yet there was no greater advocate for Christ than St. Paul in terms of his ministry's impact upon the founding of the Church, and so God's strength was made perfect.  This is one of the great paradoxes of our faith, the transcendent usurping power of God through all things, turning all things to the power to serve holiness and beauty.  If Christ is perhaps the "least likely" according to the judgment of His fellow townspeople of Nazareth, so we get a taste of how God works in the world.  For, as my study Bible notes above, so it would be at His Crucifixion.  The apostles themselves are sent out with authority -- Christ's authority which He has chosen to confer upon them.  They are hardly images of human perfection or even at this stage the disciples they would grow to be, yet Christ invest His power in them and places His own faith in them as carriers of His message and ministry, as ambassadors of the His Kingdom.  When the prophet Samuel was sent to anoint a new king of Israel, David seemed the least likely of all the possibilities.  But Samuel was told by the Lord of the one who seemed to look the part of a king, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (see the story at 1 Samuel 16:1-13).  So it is that Jesus sends out the apostles on their first mission, with instructions which in all ways proclaim that they are humble, yet they are invested with the authority conferred by God over the unclean spirits.  Their weapon is the gospel; their rebuke to shake the dust off their feet where they will not be heard.  St. Paul writes, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27).  Grace and power, and even authority, work through those whom God chooses, through things we least expect, through all things regardless of the views of the worldly-wise.  For this is how our faith works, and as it is yet still working.  

 

 

 

 

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

 

 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. 

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

- John 2:23—3:15 

 

Yesterday we read that the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.   And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

 

 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  How do we know that Christ's earthly ministry lasted three years?  It is in John's Gospel that Jesus is recorded attending three Passover feasts between His Baptism and His Passion.  The other two occurrences are at John 6:4 and 11:55.  Here John testifies to Christ as the "knower of hearts,"  an attribute of God (see also Acts 1:24, 15:8).

 

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."   My study Bible says that Nicodemus, this man of the Pharisees, believed that Jesus was from God, but here his faith is still week, as he was afraid of his peers and so therefore came to Jesus by night.  After this conversation, Nicodemus' faith will grow to the point of taking the brave step of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), and eventually making the bold public expression of faith in preparing and entombing the Lord's body, together with Joseph of Arimathea, another prominent member of the ruling Council (John 19:38-42).  According to some early sources, my study Bible adds, Nicodemus was baptized by Peter and consequently removed from the Sanhedrin, and forced to flee Jerusalem.  

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  My study Bible notes that the term in Greek translated as born again can also be translated as "born from above."  It clearly, therefore, refers to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  This heavenly birth is baptism, and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).  The new birth, my study Bible tells us, is just the beginning of our spiritual life.  The goal of this life is the entrance into the kingdom of God.  

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Here Nicodemus misunderstands, and so questions the possibility of a second physical birth.  Misunderstandings are frequent occurrences in John's Gospel (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  Jesus uses such opportunities to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal meaning.  

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."   Christ makes clear that to be "born again" (or "from above") is a reference to Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit given at chrismation; that is, to be born of water and the Spirit.  

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'"   To be adopted as a child of God is not a matter of the flesh, but a matter of the spirit.  My study Bible calls it a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is the action in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (see also Titus 3:4-7). 

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."   This is a play on words used by Jesus:  the Greek word πνευμα/pneuma means both wind and Spirit.  My study Bible comments that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  Similarly, the Spirit moves where He wills and He cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas.  This is yet another attribute of God.

 

 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes here, earthly things refer to grace and baptism given to human beings.  These are earthly, not in the sense of "unspiritual," but only in the sense that they happen on earth, and that they are given to creatures.  The heavenly things would concern the ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father, and they relate to Christ's eternal existence before all time and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.  It says that a person must first grasp the ways in which God works among human beings before one can begin to understand the things that would pertain to God Himself.  

 

 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  Jesus refers to the time during Israel's wandering when Moses lifted up an image of a serpent to cure the Israelites from deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  This miracle-working image, my study Bible notes, prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross.  As believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, it says, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them.  Just as the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of Christ's death becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself.  

There is a lot of what we might call "paradox" to contemplate in today's reading.  First of all there is the classic sort of misunderstanding that occurs when Nicodemus hears Christ's "earthly" descriptions of being "born again" or "born from above" in Baptism.  This is the way that we are introduced to this subject through Christ's teachings with Nicodemus in John's Gospel.  This paradox of earthly understanding and what we might call the sacramental understanding contained in the things of the Church and the ministry of Jesus Christ to us in the world becomes the foundation of our faith, and what we experience in our faith.  It is this paradox of spiritual things coming together with worldly things -- the spiritual reality of Christ permeating worldly things to be present to us -- in which we find the practice of our faith.  Thus, Christ uses worldly terms to describe what is a sacramental event, the "washing" of the Holy Spirit in Baptism.  When we are "born again" or "born from above" it is in this sacramental coming together of earthly elements and the Holy Spirit working through them.  This sort of paradox gives us a picture of so much that is a part of our faith, of the birth of Jesus Christ Himself through the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, so that as Son of Man He is both fully divine and fully human.  As He indicates in today's reading, He is that Son of Man who came down from heaven, so that He is both heavenly and earthly at the same time.  Moreover, Jesus gives us in today's reading a teaching about the final sign that will come in His ministry, His "lifting up" on the Cross.  So, just as Moses was directed by God to lift up the image of the snake for the people to focus on, to save them from the venom of the snakes biting them, so Jesus will also be the life-giving image on the Cross for all of us -- and through this instrument of dreaded death by Roman punishment, He will be the ultimate Liberator from death for all of us.  This paradoxical event is perhaps the greatest paradox for us of all, but it is the way our God comes into the world as one of us, interacting with all that we know, and transforming all of it, even with us in this world.  But just as Christ says in today's reading, it's important to remember that "the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes."  This power of the Holy Spirit is the power of God at work, as unpredictable to us as where the wind comes from and where it goes, for God works in ways we don't know and don't understand -- we cannot contain nor prescribe the way of God.   "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord (Isaiah 55:8).  As Jesus says, these things are "earthly things," for Nicodemus as a teacher of Israel surely must know of the working of the Holy Spirit through the events of the Old Testament, God finding ways to be present and active among God's people.  But these are sacramental things, where God comes to work with us, within us, and among us amidst the things of this world.  In our sacraments of the Church, earthly things become vehicles by which and through which God is active in the world -- such as in the sacrament of the Eucharist.  These are mysteries to us, but they are mysteries made for us here in this world, just as the Son of Man has come down from heaven for us as well.  Let us be grateful for the things He reveals, and the gifts of sacrament we are given.  

 

 

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 

 

- John 1:1–18 

 

Last week, we were reading Christ's Sermon on the Mount in preparation for Lent.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught:  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In 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."

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.   In the beginning recalls the creation story of Genesis, only John's Gospel is teaching us about the Creator.  Moreover, as Genesis spoke of the first creation, today's reading (referred to as the Prologue of St. John's Gospel) reveals the new creation in Christ, my study Bible says. Was the Word (in Greek, Λογος/Logos):  The Word is the eternal son of God. Note the syntax:  "was" is an indication of existence without a starting point; it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  My study Bible teaches that Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word," which are all attributes of Christ, the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  The Word -- who is the Son of God -- is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  He is God with the same divinity as the Father.  

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.   My study Bible says that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2), and not simply an instrument or servant used by the Father.  Will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  So, the heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made but is eternally begotten of the Father.  

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  My study Bible comments that only God has life in God's own Person.  So, therefore, the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men:  Here St. John introduces humankind as the receiver of the divine light.  By participating in the life of the Son, my study Bible reminds us, believers themselves become children of the light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2); the whole nation of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5); and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).  

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  Darkness, my study Bible explains, indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and they strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word which is translated as comprehend from the Greek (καταλαμβάνω/kagalamvano) means -- as does the English -- both to "understand" and "overcome."  So, therefore, darkness cannot overpower the light of Christ, and neither can it understand the way of love.  

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.   This John is John the Baptist, who would both bear witness and also lead his own disciples to Christ, not the author of this Gospel. 

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  My study Bible remarks that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him.  So, they can neither know nor recognize Him.  Those who accept Christ have His light.  An Orthodox hymn sun at the end of Liturgy, after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion, declares, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."

 

 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: . . .   Here, right also conveys the meaning of "authority" and is an indication of a gift from God.  This differs from what we consider, in political or even moral terms, an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7), and by grace inherit everything Christ is by nature.  My study Bible adds that to believe in His name means to believe and trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior. 

 

. . . who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.   To be adopted as a child of God is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as it was in the Old Testament, my study Bible says; nor are we children of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by a person's own decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God references a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is done and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:5-8); see Titus 3:4-7).  

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  The Word became flesh makes clear the way in which the Son and Word of God came to God's people; it points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature.  That is, as my study Bible explains it, in body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- all the things that pertain to humanity with the exception of sin.  As God and Human Being in one Person, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature.  Anything which would not have been assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  He dwelt among us:  This word translated as "dwelt" means literally "tented" or "tabernacled" in Greek.  In the Old Testament God's presence dwelt in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  Here, the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself as Human Being.  His glory refers both to His divine power shown by Christ's signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and to Christ's humble service to human beings, which was shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  The Son has no beginning, my study Bible says, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  He is called "only" begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery called "procession"; see John 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  Ths phrase is a qualifier upon both "the Word" and "His glory."  "Grace" is the uncreated energy of Christ which is given to us through His love and mercy.  "Truth" includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts. 

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  In saying we have all received of His fullness, my study Bible says, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human. As metal thrust into the fire takes on properties of fire (like heat and light) without ceasing to be metal, so human nature permeated by God can take on properties of the divine nature.  Grace for grace, my study Bible explains, is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace. 

No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  In saying that no one has seen God at any time, we understand this to mean that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God -- for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  Only another divine Person can see God, so therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God.  This revelation of God's energies, my study Bible explains, can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw God's glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41). 

 Today's reading consists of what is called the theological Prologue to John's Gospel, in which we're introduced to the reality of this Person, Jesus Christ, about whom the Gospel is written.  Indeed, all the Gospels are about Jesus Christ, but John's Gospel distinguishes itself in its theological, spiritual orientation to this question.  We're not given just the "facts" and "stories" of Jesus' life and ministry only, but a deeper theological orientation to just who Jesus is, how He came ito the world and why, and additionally we have Christ's words from the Last Supper as well.  While each Gospel is an inspired work unto itself, giving us the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom, John's Gospel adds its own inextricable dimension which illuminates deeper structures of identity, meanings to Christ's words, teachings, and miracles, and a way to understand the things of God in ways we wouldn't have otherwise.  Each is indispensable, but John's Gospel is perhaps quite distinctive in this sense.  In particular, this Prologue of today's reading starts by introducing us to Creator, as my study Bible says.  He was always present with God and He is God; He was present at the creation, and He was before the creation.  It is, indeed, from John's Gospel that we understand that "without Him nothing was made that was made"  John's Gos;el gives us theological insights and underpinnings to Christ's teachings, and a deep theology of the Eucharist and what that teaches us about our faith.  As we head into Lent, let us keep in mind that we are in a time for taking more time and giving more time to God, to ponder these mysteries John's Gospel touches upon and introduces to us.  Above all, we may try to consider what it means that this extraordinary Person, who was already in the beginning both God and with God (the Son and Word who was always together with the Father and the Spirit) is also the very humble, humane, gentle, and most deeply loving Master and Teacher to the disciples whom He lived and traveled with, and who equally knows each one of us deeply and intimately.  It is He who transcends all boundaries, dimensions, experiences, both in His divinity and in His humanity.  There is nothing that was spared Him of who we are and what we experience even in this world of darkness in which we struggle.  He has struggled with us to be our light and to show us the way.  Let us be those who cling to His light in the darkness, and do not give up that light for the darkness.  Let us bear witness to His light.

 

 

 

 

Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house

 

 Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, 'He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."  Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

 

- Luke 19:1-10 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.  Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

 

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  My study Bible comments that Jericho was notorious as a place of iniquity; it is commonly associated with sinful living.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is set along the road from Jerusalem toward Jericho, where he fell among thieves (Luke 10:30-37).  

 

Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  My study Bible also references our recent reading of the rich young ruler who sought out Jesus (see Monday's Daily Exegesis, in which Christ taught, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God").  My study Bible comments that this encounter between Christ and Zacchaeus demonstrates that grace can accomplish that which is "impossible with men."

And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, 'He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."  My study Bible tells us that there are many spiritual interpretations of this passage that express the universal significance of this encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus.  Theophylact views the crowd as symbolizing sins.  He writes:  "Crowded in by a multitude of passions and worldly affairs, he is not able to see Jesus."  According to St. Ambrose there are several parallels here:  Zacchaeus being short indicates his being short on faith and virtue; that Zacchaeus must climb a tree shows that no one attached to earthly matters can see Jesus; and finally, the Lord intending to pass that way shows that Christ will approach anyone willing to repent and believe.  

Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  It's important that we understand why it was that tax collectors were considered to be sinners.  They collaborated with the Roman authorities to collect taxes from fellow Jews, but frequently this was accompanied by extortion, as they could use the might of the occupying Roman state to collect more than was owed.  As Zacchaeus says here, he has taken by false accusation.  So here a repentant Zacchaeus makes an offering for restitution (as required in the Law), and beyond.  My study Bible notes that he uses the term give for his free and generous offering to the poor, and restore for what he owes those whom he had cheated, as that was not a gift but required by the Law (Exodus 22:1).  By doing both, my study Bible says, Zacchaeus not only fulfills the Law, but also shows his love of the gospel.  

 

And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  My study Bible says that the title son of Abraham indicates Zacchaeus had become like this patriarch of Israel:  he was counted righteous by his faith, he became generous toward the poor, and he was united to the people of God.  In early records of the Church, we're told that he went on to be a bishop of the Church.

Zacchaeus repents so deeply that he turns his whole life around.  He's not only a tax collector, but the chief tax collector.  And he's not just a chief tax collector in Israel, but he's the chief tax collector in this notorious region of Jericho, where apparently all kinds of crime goes on, and the place is known for such.  To be shunned as a sinner in this region must be something indeed -- and of all the people, it is short Zacchaeus, who's climbed a tree to see Him, whom Jesus chooses to give Him hospitality for the day.  There are several things which we can notice about this reading.  We can contrast Zacchaeus, a notorious sinner (the rich chief tax collector of Jericho!) with the rich young ruler in Monday's reading, who knew Jesus as "good Teacher," who had followed all the commandments since his youth, and who desired eternal life and came to seek it from Christ.  This, by all accounts, was a "good" person (Mark's Gospel tells us that Jesus loved him; see Mark 10:21), but he could not relinquish his great possessions to follow Christ.  But here in today's reading we have Zacchaeus, a great sinner, who comes not just to restitution in the Law but to repentance through the grace of Christ, and changes and transforms his entire life -- giving much more than he needs to in order to "make things right" with the poor.  How do we explain this?  It is certainly an illustration of how grace works.  Nothing is done simply by measure with grace, but rather abundantly.  In the Sermon on the Plain, found here in Luke's Gospel, Jesus expresses this spirit of abundance with grace, when He teaches, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38).  Perhaps we may assume that Zacchaeus, experiencing the grace of Christ when Christ invited himself to Zacchaeus' home, has come to understand this sense of abundance in God's grace; thereby giving has become something he understands in a different light than as chief tax collector in Jericho.  This spirit of abundance, in which justice is no longer measured with exactitude but in the spirit of grace, runs all throughout the Gospels, and it qualifies and characterizes the kingdom of God, the blessed life Christ preaches (such as in the Beatitudes).  Perhaps its greatest characterization is found in Christ's statement of Himself as the Good Shepherd, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10; see in context).  We might consider Zacchaeus' life as chief tax collector in this light, getting what he had through the coercion of a great empire and its material power (including occupying soldiers), and extorting the extra he could get through false accusations against his neighbors.  We should compare that to the graciousness of Christ, who openly sought out Zacchaeus, the one who was so eager to see Jesus he climbed a tree to glimpse Him as He passed by, and in front of all the people proclaimed that he had to come down so that Jesus could stay at his home that day.  In our faith tradition, the great sign of Christ is the cross, but in this context of today's reading, we might closely consider why this is so.  The most dreaded Roman instrument of punishment, of coercion, reserved for the worst of criminals, was the cross.  But simply because Christ lay on that Cross, the transforming power of grace at work rendered the Cross the symbol of hope and resurrection for us all.  The instrument of death was transfigured into the instrument of life, abundantly.  Jesus' visit to Zacchaeus' home is another encounter with grace, with the kingdom of God, and Zacchaeus' entire outlook on life seems to have been irreducibly changed, transformed.  Things no longer "add up" the way they used to, apparently, for him.  He becomes one who sees by the light of grace, and so to give half his goods to the poor, and to restore fourfold what he stole, is what he chooses in this new light of Christ, in the transfiguring power of Christ's illumination for his soul, his future.  In this way, Zacchaeus is able to be restored to his identity as a son of Abraham, and he who was lost is claimed for the kingdom of God.  It is a powerful thing to consider what an encounter with grace might do to our souls, to change our whole outlook on the meaning of life and how we live it.  But by far the best example is this outcome of experience, the spiritual fruit we observe in Zacchaeus.  How has your faith changed you?   Are there things you now see that you did not see before?  Is there a way in which the grace and love of God has been experienced by you or someone you know, and created a transformed person in its wake?  For now let us consider Zacchaeus, the short man, and chief tax collector, who humbles himself by running ahead and climbing a tree to see Christ, and is in turn restored not only to his place but claimed for the kingdom of God, and becomes a bishop in Christ's church.  May Christ find rest in our homes and our hearts as well.

 

 

 

Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little

 

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

 

- Luke 7:36–50 

 

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

 

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

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

 

 The question of sinfulness is central to the Bible.  In the beginning of Genesis, we have the problem of growing violence that stems from the first sin -- a kind of lawlessness that continues to expand and grow throughout the generations, until we reach the declaration of Lamech and his multiplication of vengeance:  "If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (Genesis 4:24).  Vengeance remains a problem.  When we read in the Law "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" (Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21) in the context of what has come before, we should understand it as actually limiting vengeance.  But then Jesus comes along with a depth of mercy that calls into question what justice and forgiveness mean to us as His disciples.  In both the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain (which we've just read in Luke 6:20-49), Jesus preaches against vengeance, and teaches us to do good ("But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you"; see Luke 6:27-36).  We might pause to wonder what the world would look like if this were built into a justice system, rather than teachings for those who would be Christ's disciples.  But, on the other hand, Jesus gives careful admonition about our own behaviors; we will reap what we sow.  Within the context of our lives and our communion with God, what we give we will realize for ourselves ("For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you"; see Luke 6:37-38).  In today's reading, we are given a taste of God's mercy in action, and we can see how it works hand in hand with our own capacity for love.  Jesus points out to the Pharisee how this woman has treated Him with more grace than the Pharisee has.  He teaches the Pharisee the parable of forgiveness, telling him, "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Finally, He tells the Pharisee, "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  Jesus seems to be placing the greatest of emphasis on this communion between God and those who love God, and our sins and the mercy that we may realize for ourselves come within this context.  He speaks of the love that is within that communion, and challenges us to consider its depth.  Think about the many sins forgiven this woman for she loved much.  As happens in other similar incidents reported in the Gospels, Jesus is defending to the Pharisee her exorbitant expression of love, and He is not ashamed of this, for it is justified in the sight of God whose very character is love, whose currency is mercy.  If we do not understand that our communion with God is the language of love, our communication must be lacking. In a world beset by violence, we still deeply need this union of love with our Creator, and our own sins must be struggled with and acknowledged in this context -- for it is there that the repairs begin.  It is there we are told to take responsibility for our own behaviors and the states of our own hearts.   It is there we learn responsibility and loyalty to the One upon whom rests all things, and especially our way in life, the path we need to true well-being.  This woman has clearly understood that about her life.  Do we believe that she will continue on in her old sinful path, or that her love for God will turn her life in a new direction?  That's the question we should ask ourselves, and come to understand and know as well.  For it is her faith that has saved her, and brought her peace.