One thing you lack

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 10:17–31 

 

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

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"    My study Bible notes that this man, unlike the Pharisees in yesterday's reading (above), does not come to test Jesus.  He comes to seek advice from one whom he considers no more than a Good Teacher.  Jesus' response doesn't deny that He is God, but it's designed to lead this rich young ruler to this knowledge.   

 

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

 

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

 

 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."    My study Bible comments that there have been various interpretations suggested for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  One suggestion is that the word wasn't "camel," but that there is an Aramaic word for "rope" that sounds alike.  Another is that the "eye of a needle" was actually the name for a city gate that was so small, a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, which thus symbolizes wealth.  In the Talmud there is the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Whatever the phrase refers to, according to my study Bible, it expresses the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  Note the word "attached" for therein lies the significance.  The disciples clearly understand this, for they ask, "Who then can be saved?"  But by God's grace, even what is impossible with men is possible with God.  

 

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

 

How do we approach today's lesson in this story of the rich young ruler who goes away disappointed in what Jesus is telling him?  (We know that he is rich from this story, which appears in the other Synoptic Gospels as well.  St. Luke tells us also that he is a ruler, meaning he belongs to one of the religious ruling classes in the temple, as well as young; see Luke 18:18-29.)  It's first of all very important to understand that when Jesus tells him, "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me," that Jesus is speaking out of love.  St. Mark has gone to particular lengths to tell us this plainly, that Jesus, looking at him, loved him before He spoke.  This is not a penalty, and it's not meant as sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice.  This particular sacrifice is meant out of the love Christ has for him, to save his soul, and so that he might become a disciple and find the eternal life with Christ that he seeks.  This wealthy young man has come to Christ in sincerity, asking Him explicitly, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" And Jesus gets very particular in responding, telling him exactly what he must do.  First of all, to follow the commandments known from the Old Testament Scriptures.  This the young man has done.  Jesus, loving him, then tells him there is another thing he must do:  "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  What does his wealth have to do with his capacity to follow Christ, to have treasure in heaven, take up the cross, and follow Christ?  In this case, we are given to understand, even through such great figures of the early Church as St. John Chrysostom, that this is particular advice for this particular young man and his own spiritual state, in the context of his own life and circumstances.  We know he's rich, and he's a ruler.  Jesus is in Judea, so he is likely from a powerful and well-known family.  Equally possible is that his wealth is inherited, and he belongs to what was understood as an aristocratic background within the Jewish community of the temple in Jerusalem.  So his identity as a person, we may assume, is bound up in his possessions.  But the real problem here is not those possessions; it is his attachment to them.  And we see that; we read in the story that even the prospect of eternal life, held out by Christ, cannot take the place of that wealth for this young man.  In our modern world, especially those of us in the West, but truly all of us connected to the world wide web, live in a context of consumerism.  We see objects before us that we would like, we read of delicious foods, we look at images of people we call stars who live in glamorous homes and with great wealth.  The images we choose to watch and look at on social media also form a part of the things which we consume.  And if identity was bound up in wealth and possessions for this young man, it is equally bound up and sold to us as consumers in the modern marketplace, which is now everywhere.  People may buy a type of sneaker because a famous person wears that shoe.  A priest in one of my local parishes once told me he was in the United States Air Force stationed in Iceland, when he realized the power of sales and the worldwide reach of social media.  At that time, the American basketball star Michael Jordan shaved his head.  All around him in Iceland, he immediately saw young men with shaved heads in response.  This is the power of the consumption of images and products with which we choose to identify ourselves; we seek images that convey something to others, and in the world of media in which we all live, such images are often sold to us as products.  Even in choosing a church, many people approach the problem in a kind of consumerist mindset; we decide what we want and don't want, what features we'll accept and not accept.  But Christ presents the opposite.  He presents sacrifice.  Perhaps the ancient world, before the type of development existing in our world today, understood sacrifice better than popular culture does now.  But sacrifice remains essential to our formation as Christians.  We learn to do without the things that tempt us, that harm us spiritually because -- like this rich young ruler -- we become too dependent upon them even if they harm our souls because of this attachment.  We place them before God, before what is actually better for us.  The whole notion of holiness, of what is sacred, comes from the context of being set apart from the world, consecrated for God's purposes.  There are things we need to keep away from in life because they jeopardize our relationship with God, and through God our relationship with the rest of the world.  Addictions of all kinds (including to shopping or gambling, for example) come to mind.  Toxic relationships that take us away from the things God wants us to focus on also are things we might have to sacrifice, just as my study Bible points out above.  In fasting, we learn what we can do without, that we can make disciplined choices to seek God first before other things we might think we simply can't live without.  We learn to resist temptation, and the delusion that tells us we need a particular thing outside the purposes of God in order to be whole.  Fasting teaches us to focus on an internal life, and be filled from the depth of consecration to God, first, and then all things can be added to us (Matthew 6:33).  We learn to refrain from acting out, to master our impulses, for strength under control is the true gentleness and meekness Christ describes, what we need to understand as grace and gracious behavior.  Here is where patience and humility are things we cultivate in order to better follow Christ and expand the true feeding of our souls and our communities.  The disciples recognize where Jesus has led them, saying that they have left all behind for His sake, and He promises a hundredfold of return of what they have left behind.  So it is with us, but that life as an exchange means we have to be willing to grow, to learn His discipline, to find His life that He has in store for us.  Temptation may sometimes seem as if all of this is simply impossible, a too-difficult struggle.  But, as Jesus says, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  There will always be new ways God calls us forward.  Let us look to that call for the better things of life He offers, and the freedom to be found in His teachings. 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 

'Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.'

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

- Luke 8:1–15 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus 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 the 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."

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  My study Bible notes that these women were faithful to Christ to the end (Luke 23:49, 55), and were the first to receive and proclaim the news of Christ's Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  In the Scriptures, it continues, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness.  So this indicates that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing.

 

 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Here Jesus gives His first parable, to a great multitude which had gathered from every city.  In all the Synoptic Gospels, the parable of the Sower is the first told by Jesus (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20).  

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that  'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.  My study Bible comments that as the sower in this parable, Christ fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 55:10-13.  It says that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment faith is professed -- a view never held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.    Jesus tells the disciples, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that  'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"  (See Isaiah 6:9.)  My study Bible explains that mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined.  It says that a person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom comments, "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was  a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will."  Doing so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."

 

 What stories do we know which tell us about our faith?  Jesus gives us stories in the form of parables.  These are memorable illustrations of the ways of the Kingdom, how the Kingdom works, and who Christ is.  As mentioned above, in all the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus begins His preaching in parables with the parable of the Sower, given in today's reading.  We also have Jesus' explanation for the parable.  Clearly, He is the Sower, and the seeds He sows are the gospel message.  Where will they fall?  If we think carefully about this parable (and about Jesus' words explaining it to His disciples), we'll come to see that we might fall anywhere on the spectrum of the ground He describes, at any time -- or at various periods of our lives.  Each of us knows seasons of the kinds of temptations and struggles Jesus describes.  First of all He describes the work of the adversary, the devil, reminding us that there are spiritual foes at work in the world, seeking to snatch away the word.  We all deal with temptations of various kinds; some we may harbor and nurture, others we do our best to refuse.  And then there are the times we may be choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life -- always with us and seemingly an integral part of our world.  Perhaps the demand for such is exacerbated and accelerated through modern technologies and means of communication, drowning out the word of God.  We need to seek out Christ's word, keeping it with us, energizing and enlivening it within ourselves to counter all of these effects.  But then there is the good ground, and one presumes that those who seek out that good word know that effect of the good ground within them and seek to nurture it.  Moreover we should note that, in Jesus' words, not only does this ask of us a noble and good heart, but we must also keep that word, and bear fruit with patience.  That "with patience" is important, for sometimes the fruits of our faith take time, and sometimes living the word takes patience with all the things in life that seek to get in the way.  Note that patience also implies that our effort is steady, over time.  As my study Bible noted, faith is not a one-time-only confession, but a life of lived effort.  Our path is for our lives, and for that we need the patience to understand the sustained nature of the faith Jesus speaks about.  But there is joy in the heart by living with this word, and the grace we're given helps and sustains.  My study Bible says that parables are word-pictures, given to us in images from daily life, meant to communicate the deep things of God.  It says that parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Note in today's parable how Christ the Sower sows the word of God in the earth.  We need spiritual eyes and ears to hear and understand, but His word is here and present, seemingly awaiting us.  When life seems to be filled with piled up urgencies and needs, news of the day, and all manner of distraction, let's remember that His word is always awaiting us, and the depth of our hearts.

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

- Matthew 19:23-30 

 

Yesterday we read that little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on the and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on the and departed from there.  Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  My study Bible notes that there have been various interpretations offered for the impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Perhaps, for example, the word was not "camel," but rather "rope" (a word that sounds alike in Aramaic).  Another has been suggested that the "eye of a needle" was the name of a city gate through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, which symbolizes wealth.  Even the Talmud has an expression, "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  But whatever this phrase refers to, it shows the impossibility of salvation for those attached to riches.  The astonished disciples ask, "Who then can be saved?" reflecting this understanding.  But by God's grace, even the things that are impossible to human beings can come to be.

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."   On a similar passage in Luke's Gospel (Luke 22:30), my study Bible cites the commentary of St. Ambrose of Milan:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  It notes that the apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but rather by the witness of their own lives.  Since God's kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ, my study Bible notes, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (Matthew 16:19; John 20:23).  

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  Here my study Bible notes that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandoning children.  It notes the commentary of St. John Chrysostom here, in which St. Chrysostom comments that this refers to keeping faith under persecution -- even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Additionally, believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but rather in a spiritual sense; that is, the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

St. Ambrose's statement regarding judgment is an important one to take a closer look at.  It's quite simple and short, but it teaches us something very profound.  He comments, "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  There are two elements of this kind of judgment here; that is, the type of judgment which the disciples are being groomed to understand and to use.  This is the kind of judgment that can only come through participation in the life of Christ, and with the help of the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible elaborates that the apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but rather by the witness of their own lives.  So let us take this together with St. Ambrose's comment, as quoted by my study Bible.  The first part of St. Ambrose's comment speaks of learning discernment, spiritual judgment concerning faith.  This truly depends upon what is often referred to as spiritual experience, for which the Orthodox Church venerates what are called spiritual elders.  That is, those with spiritual maturity gained through deep experience in the struggle for faith.  As my study Bible notes, this is not "earthly judgment" but spiritual judgment.  It is not judging according to appearances and all that is contained in appearance, but by the hard-learned lessons of spirit and soul, in the heart of faith.  St. Ambrose then mentions rebuking error with virtue, and this also is rooted in spiritual struggle, the spiritual struggle also known as "unseen warfare."  To rebuke error with virtue involves an awareness that the true judgment is not our own, but rather God's judgment.  And so, keeping that in mind, to live through virtue, through the works that are the fruit of the Spirit, the product of the spiritual life, is in itself to appeal to that judgment.  The witness to God's interior work within us will be those fruits of virtue that in themselves act as a kind of judgment, a witness against all that stands against the kingdom of heaven.  In the lives of the saints, we see this played out.  A martyr is a witness (quite literally, for this word μάρτυς/martyr means "witness" in the Greek of the New Testament), simply through the exercise of faith even to the point of death.  Such an act of supreme virtue is itself testimony against those (which may include the spiritual forces of evil) who hate the truth of Christ, and oppose the exercise of faith.  To rebuke error with virtue is in itself the judgment of the saints, the witness of their lives, as my study Bible puts it.  And so we should seek to do likewise.  For through this struggle for faith, even the capacity to sacrifice in order to more fully live our faith and this life of virtue suggested here, we root the kingdom of heaven more truly in this world.  It does not take an act of earthly warfare or earthly judgment to wage spiritual struggle, the "unseen warfare" of spiritual battle.  It takes living virtue, for in so doing, error is rebuked through the true judgment that lives in Christ and which is always present spiritually for all of us, whether we realize it or not.  In order to truly take this in, one must accept that there is the spiritual dimension to life, the Holy Spirit who is "everywhere present" according to an Orthodox prayer.  When we witness by living virtue, by following our faith even to the point of sacrifice (small or great), we witness to the Judge who is always with us, who told us in a recent reading, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  Therefore, to practice virtue, to work the works of God by living our faith and through prayerful lives, we witness and thereby bring judgment into the world.  In living our faith, we gain spiritual experience and therefore discernment, and we build God's kingdom in this world.  So let us pause and imagine what a great responsibility this is, and how much God shares with us by allowing us to participate in Christ's life through living our faith, to participate in the life of the Kingdom.  For, as indicated in yesterday's reading (see above), Christ asks us for "treasures in heaven."  In this way, we build His kingdom in our world.  This understanding of how judgment works illuminates another aspect of Jesus' statement, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

 

 

Therefore hear the parable of the sower

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receive it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18–23 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the parable of the Sower:   On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed,lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receive it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."   Here Christ explains to the disciples the parable of the Sower.  It is a story about how we receive the word of the kingdom.  A lack of comprehension makes us vulnerable to the wicked one, so that we lose the value of the teachings.  This is an indication of what we observed from Christ's teachings in yesterday's reading, a need to make an effort to grasp the teachings.  Then Christ moves on to the next stage in the possible progress of discipleship:  one who immediately receive the word with joy, but endures only for a while -- when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, he stumbles and falls away.  This teaches us about the depth of the heart that needs to be involved in receiving the word.  Joy is a beautiful thing, but love is a deeper communion that calls us to a more rooted place within ourselves.  The one who received seed among the thorns is illustrative of how we can be distracted: by the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches.   We should recall here Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, in which He taught against worry and anxiety (see this reading).  His example in this parable strikes us as warning against how our lives and life purpose can be carried away by such distractions, we are "choked" by these thorns of preoccupation and cares through an unbalanced focus on outward worldly concerns which leaves no room for the life which Christ offers.  In our present world of great distractions and preoccupations, an intensely materialist popular focus, and endless demands magnified by media of all types, this becomes an extensive concern, and one we must take quite seriously.  As popular forms of media give such a great focus to our own image in the eyes of others, such concerns become ever more magnified.  See St. John's Gospel passage regarding those religious leaders who valued the "praise of men" above the praise of God.  Although they believed in Christ, their fear of ostracism ruled their choices (see John 12:42-43).  In a modern context, we might consider how this is related to fear of "being cancelled."  Note that for Christ the problem is ultimately whether or not we live this life He teaches, and bear spiritual fruit.  Those who are choked by the thorns He describes as becoming unfruitful.  Finally, Jesus teaches, "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."   Note the process here:  we are called to truly hear and to understand -- and in the living of what we hear and understand we bear spiritual fruit.  This is the description of a lifelong process.  That is, not a one time-assent or belief, but of fully living out His word and teachings, seeking to grasp them and understand them, and then living them throughout our lives, with a clear promise of potential for spiritual fruits He as one would describe the multiplied produce of an agricultural crop at harvest:  a hundredfold, or sixty, or thirty.  Jesus does not ask us to compete with one another for that final count, but He does ask us to make the effort, to be a good disciple, as best we are able.  

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

- Matthew 19:23-30 

 

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

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."   My study Bible reminds us that there have been various interpretations suggested for the impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some have said the word (in Aramaic) was not camel, but "rope" which sounds similar in that language.  Others have suggested that the eye of a needle was the name for a city gate through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of its baggage, which symbolizes wealth.  In the Talmud there is the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Wherever the phrase is from, it shows the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  My study Bible says that this is clearly evidenced by the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?"  Yet by God's grace, even the impossible for human beings can come to pass.

 

 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  My study Bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan (commenting on Luke 22:30):  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  My study Bible adds that the apostles will judge not with earthly judgment, but by the witness of their own lives.  Since God's kingdom begins with Christ's Resurrection, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth.  

 

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study Bible comments here that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it says, this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly, but a spiritual sense:  we have the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of fellowship and worship.

In yesterday's reading Jesus encountered the rich young ruler who wanted to know what he must do to attain eternal life (see above).  Jesus taught him that he must sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him.  The young man went away dejected, for he had great possessions.  Today's reading is the continuance of that story, and we're given the responses of the apostles.  Their astonished response is, "Who then can be saved?" and we should all be right there with them.  For to understand that "hard saying" of Jesus is also to approach some of His other "hard sayings," such as when He uses metaphors of amputation to speak about cutting away our impulses to sin, even though they may feel as integral to us as parts of our bodies (see this reading, in which Jesus speaks of amputating a hand or eye or foot if it causes offense).  For the rich young man in yesterday's reading, his great possessions -- although perhaps considered to be great blessings -- formed a stumbling block to his attaining of eternal life, his capacity to truly follow and to love Christ.  These apostles understand this perfectly well, as is evidenced in their response.  For all of us are called upon to give up what is precious -- even what is seemingly an inseparable part of ourselves -- if it gets in the way and forms a stumbling block to the depth of faith that Christ calls us toward.  These disciples "get it," and so should we.  Our faith is not necessarily simple or without its difficulties and struggles.  Sometimes we're called upon to separate ourselves from our deepest attachments, so that Christ Himself may take the place of the things we think are indispensable, and so that our faith grows that much deeper into that place of deep attachment.  We are called upon to rely on God.  But, as Jesus indicates to the disciples, we are also given much to find in place of the things we leave behind -- and each of us may be quite surprised to find how that new thing fills us up once we do.  Devotion has a strange way of sufficing for itself, of giving us meaning and purpose and dedication, and providing us with rewards of the heart that are surprising.  How else could a persecuting, "fire-breathing" Saul turn into St. Paul?  How can we explain it?  Jesus gives us the answers to such questions, both in His teaching about what we might have to leave behind to get to the kingdom of heaven, and also in His powerful teaching that "with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."   The reference to the apostles sitting on twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel is intriguing in this context, because it indeed implies the great things that await those who enter into this Kingdom and enter into that eternal life sought by the rich young man.  "But," Jesus cautions, once more emphasizing the necessary humility, "many who are first will be last, and the last first."  Let us follow, with the help of God.

 

 

 

 

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18–23 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus taught the crowds the parable of the Sower, the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to the, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophesy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their  eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  

 

  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  Today's passage is self-explanatory.  In some sense it is one of those rare occasions in which Jesus Himself teaches us the meaning of His own words.  This is very important, because it is consistent in the reporting this first parable all the Synoptic Gospels (see also Mark and Luke). 

One thing seems to be certain regarding the importance of this parable, and also the reporting of Jesus' explanation for it:  He is encouraging us to be persistent in our faith.  This parable, and Jesus' explanation, seems to be telling us that we may very well be in for a bumpy ride on our road of faith.  There will be things that can easily get in the way of the Christ's word and its work in us.  Looking at this parable in the past, and especially Christ's explanation, it has seemed that each one of these stages Christ describes of the word being sown could be a part of one's own individual journey of faith at any time.  Sometimes our own lack of understanding brings frustration, and so we might be tempted to dismiss altogether the faith, as we're called to persist in something we might find hard to understand.  There may be other times when a particularly difficult time shows up in our lives, or possibly we find hostility in others to us because of our faith.  That's a great temptation to follow the crowd, and not that word that got planted in our heart.  And then there is the seed that falls among the thorns.  How many of us have been, at times, so consumed with the cares of our lives that we don't find time for our spiritual practice or for prayer?  All kinds of issues can crop up that take our time, our concern, our anxieties and stresses -- and wind up crowding out and choking the word within us.  Those times when we worry about paying bills, caring for children or spouse or another loved one, or maybe even just keeping up with the Joneses and all the demands the world might seem to make upon us.  It gets hard, at times, to remember the one thing that is needed (Luke 10:38-42).  But it seems to me that when I do take the trouble to make that time -- which I don't think I have -- a space seems to open up for prayer and make room for itself.  Prayer and calling upon God, reading the Scriptures, attending or reading a service, or otherwise taking time to pursue my faith seems to actually fulfill Christ's promise in that it makes the rest of the things that stress seem to go easier.  Taking time for the word strengthens me to cope with stresses, putting things in order, and giving me a fresh wind -- often supplying a new angle, a different and needed perspective on a problem.  So let us think today about all of these aspects that Christ says may crowd out the word within us, tempt us to leave it by the wayside or forego its call to us, and find the way to produce the spiritual fruits He asks for.  For it is this word, growing in us, that produces the fruits that are needful, that make our lives renewed with a quality which we can't find otherwise:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

 

 

 

 

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow"

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes who had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of demons:  "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."   

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  My study Bible comments on today's reading that in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5; Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14).  This is because such activity was part of daily life for the people.  Here, Jesus reveals Himself as the promised Messiah.  He is the sower in the earth, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

In today's reading, Jesus introduces parables into His ministry.  He begins with this key parable to all the rest of them, the parable of the Sower.  Above, we note that my study Bible explains the Sower is Christ Himself.  He sows His word.  In our following readings, Jesus Himself will be explaining the parable to His disciples.  But let's consider the setting.  As He goes and preaches by the sea, we're told, great multitudes were gathered together to Him.  So much so, that He got into a boat and sat to speak to them.  His position of sitting while the crowds listen standing on the shore is significant, for this is a position of a teacher.  But the great question is, why in parables?  And why now?  Certainly yesterday's reading holds one clue for us.  He spoke to the Pharisees and the scribes about an unclean spirit cast out of a person, an unclean spirit who can't find rest in the "dry places" he goes to afterward.  So he returns to the person who's like a house empty, swept, and put in order -- but takes seven spirits more wicked than himself.  If we understand Christ's teaching, He's telling the Pharisees (and us) that it's of no use merely to meet the basic standards of "clean" life, if we are not actively pursuing a deeper faith with God.  We want an indwelling of the Holy Spirit, an active and deepening journey of faith in which we pursue God for such depth and closeness.  We want to draw near to God with our hearts, not just our lips, so to speak.  So today, as these great multitudes now come to Him, Jesus effectively challenges the crowds.  They're going to have to make an effort to discern what He's talking about.  He's not going to simply feed people with mysteries and meanings and revelations if they're not committed to such a gift in the first place.  They have to have ears to hear.  That is, God wants us to have spiritual ears to hear with, to deeply desire what is offered so that we cultivate this kind of perception, as best we can.  My study Bible describes parables as stories in word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  They give us seemingly simple pictures of daily life, but represent and communicate the deep things of God.  It notes, "Parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9)."  The images in parables give us stories, as Christ understood human beings to need stories.  They reveal truth through a responsive heart that will ponder past the "entrance" and into the reality of God's Kingdom.  They are things that we can chew on, think about through the periods of our lives, and experience as revelatory from a number of angles as we do.  So let us be drawn in.  Everybody loves a story, and these stories come from Christ so that we might be drawn in to listen to Him, and reap a harvest of the Kingdom.  

With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible

 

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

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

 

- Mark 10:17-31 

 

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

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God."  In contrast to the Pharisees and others who come to test Him, this man is looking for advice from one whom he considers to be simply a good Teacher.  My study Bible comments that Jesus' response does not deny that He is God, but is designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  

 

"You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"   And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."   See Exodus 20:12–16; Deuteronomy 5:16–20 for these commandments cited by Jesus.  My study Bible comments that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  This man had an earnest desire for eternal life and sensed that he still lacked something.  Therefore, he continues to press Jesus for the answer.

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  My study Bible explains that to be perfect (Matthew 19:21), one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  Nothing is gained unless this sacrifice is given freely.  It notes that the specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  As wealth had such a grip on this rich man, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. John Chrysostom suggests that giving away possessions is actually the least of the instructions Christ gives here.  To follow Him in all things, my study Bible says, is a fare greater and more difficult calling.  

 

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

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

 

One would presume that this was a rich young man (Matthew's Gospel tells us that he was young) because his wealth was inherited, or due to family position within the society.  He might have been among the wealthy landowning class of Jerusalem at that time, many of whom were members of the Sadducees, and held high positions within the ruling Council and the Temple.  But, be that as it may, it seems safe to assume that with such possessions also went family and social structure.  In short, in such an economy, especially as compared to our own, great possessions did not come easily outside of social position and inherited wealth.  We live in a world where in recent memory a robust economy and certain economic structures can give a promise of upward mobility, of wealth through hard work, and acquired education or specialized business skills.  But Jesus did not live in such a world.  Nonetheless, even in our time of economic fluctuation, possessions and family structure still seem to go hand in hand.  Let us note that when the disciples speak of what they have left behind to follow Jesus, those possessions such as homes also include leaving family behind.  So, this young man's great attachment to his possessions, we can assume, is something other than a kind of selfishness or greed.  It is about how difficult it is to give up what we think we have, and how attached we become to the things we own that define us and give us a sense of who we are.   While in Christ's time societies were far more stratified than in modern economies, we still tend to associate identity and status with possessions, perhaps even more so than at any other time in the past.  So let us give deep consideration to what Christ teaches here.   So many problems seem to hinge on an inability to let go of attachments of one sort or another, and here Jesus is offering an alternative:  "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  If one follows modern programs dealing with addiction and a host of other problems, one is familiar with what is called the Twelve Steps.  Such a program hinges on reliance on a higher power, and stems originally from programs with a Christian orientation.  We still suffer from similar maladies today, as human beings, that Jesus addresses in the Gospels.   Not least of such problems are attachments:  things upon which we rely which are impermanent, which can disappoint, but more importantly, which can get in the way of a deepening reliance upon God.  It is this deepening reliance upon God which is where our faith leads us and teaches us to go, for this is the substance of the gospel of the Kingdom which Jesus preaches.  While we may not all be in the circumstances of this rich young man whom Jesus loved, we may all face similar struggles of attachment and the need for growth, especially the kind of growth that feeds our souls and psyches, a reconciliation with God and with our circumstances.  We all have choices to make, and Christ is here to teach us what those choices come down to, and what we might rely on.  Let us remember His love and His teaching, for it all still applies, even in new and modern circumstances.  For even with persecutions, God's love remains the worthy exchange for what ails us.

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on the rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'" 

 

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

 

- Luke 8:1-15 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus 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."

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.   My study Bible comments that these women were faithful to Christ to the end (Luke 23:49, 55), and were the first to receive and proclaim the news of His Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  In the Scriptures, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness, indicating that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing.  

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on the rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  This is the seminal parable of the Sower; it is the foundation for the rest of the parables, and begins Jesus' teaching in parables also in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13).   One significance to this beginning of speaking in parables is that the multitudes are great enough now so that all kinds of people come to hear Him from curiosity, even those who will not become His disciples.  "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  is a call to those whose hearts are ready to receive His word hidden in the parable for themselves. 

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that  'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"  My study Bible explains that mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined.  A person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom writes, "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes, but because it was a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will."  To do so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."   My study Bible comments that, as the sower in the parable, Christ fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 55:10-13.  It notes that while come might teach that a person is permanently saved at the moment one professes faith -- a view which was never held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Christ is clear, that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.  

When we look at the prophecy found in Isaiah 55:10-13, we read that "My word . . . that goes forth from My mouth . . . shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."  Jesus as the Sower is sowing seeds with His word, hoping to plant them within us, within the crowds -- not necessarily so that He sees and immediately reaps all the fruit from those seeds, but rather confident that as the seed goes out, so it shall find good ground, and begin to grow its own harvest.  When we read this parable, it should be informing us that this process will continue as long as there are human beings to hear the word, and others to carry it out to the world, for it is still at work among us, and still going out to prosper and to flourish.  We note that Jesus isn't saying that everybody will be a fruitful recipient of His word.  He wants "those who have ears to hear."   That is, those who are pulled in to the compelling gravity of the mysteries of the kingdom of God -- that intangible secret hidden in plain sight, found in the Church and in the testimonies of the faithful, of those who discern that love and know they need it, and return it to Christ.  Note also how fruitfulness, once it's begun, doesn't really have a limit, but the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.  Note that the words used here are that we bear fruit "with patience."  This is not simply an overnight process, but one of a lifetime's work and discipleship.  We need to be patient with God and patient with ourselves; these seeds -- Christ's word -- are the gift that keeps on giving, keeps asking us for new growth, for more weeding out of what gets in the way, removal of the stones that prevent roots from growing deep, pulling out the thorns that choke the harvest with their cares, riches and pleasures of life which crowd out the focus of the heart where the word takes root and bears fruit.  I find that each one of places upon which the seed could fall which Christ describes can stand in for something we go through in life, but the good ground also depends on our work for it, our cultivation of receptivity and willingness in discipleship.  Time goes on, and the word continually goes out, and this will not stop until the job is complete, which Jesus has indicated will be the end of the age.  We don't know when that will be, for it is not up to us -- but what we should take to heart every day is the work of His word going out, its great harvest in us and among us, and our part in that.  When we seem to lose our way, or are choked with cares and worries, when the world baffles us, we take up this job and know what we are to be about.