He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled

 

After these things Jesus and His disciples came to the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

 

- John 3:22-36 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come into the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 

After these things Jesus and His disciples came to the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. My study Bible points out that in John 4:2 we're told that Jesus did not baptize, but His disciples.  

Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled."  John the Baptist, my study Bible tells us, is called the friend (or "best man"), while Christ Himself is the bridegroom.  Regarding the term the Jews in John's Gospel, we must remember that John the Baptist, Jesus, and their disciples were all Jews, and this included the author of the Gospel.  This term is not used to designate a whole people, but in John's Gospel is usually meant to designate the "party" of the antagonistic religious leaders; in this sense it is more akin to a political term in its usage.  Moreover, there are clear exceptions in John's Gospel within the leadership as well, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

"He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true."   My study Bible comments here that John expresses a humility that serves as an example for all believers.  He renounces all earthly glory and reputation for the sake of Christ.  As John allows Christ to increase in him, John himself finds true glory.  Moreover, my study Bible adds, this statement indicates the end of the old covenant.  As the law vanishes, the grace of Jesus Christ abounds.  John's declaration is also revealed in the liturgical calendar:  John's birth is celebrated at a time when the sun begins to decrease in the sky (June 24), while Christ's birth is celebrated when the sun begins to increase.

"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  John echoes Christ's teaching in verse 18.  My study Bible asks us to note the absence of the word "alone" in this statement of faith.  St. John Chrysostom's comment is cited here:  "We do not from this assert that faith alone is sufficient for salvation; the directions for living that are given in many places in the Gospels show this."  See also James 2:14-24. 

 

 We begin to observe repeated themes in John's Gospel.  First of all, let us consider John's statement:  "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease."  This is yet again an affirmation of John's extreme humility, which my study Bible noted, above, and which has served throughout the centuries as an example particularly for those in monastic vocations.  But notably it is yet another expression of the identity that we find in Christ, for John's identity is clearly stated by him as his place in history in relationship to Christ.  This also has served for inspiration for those who would be devoted in service to Christ, and in their faith.  John the Baptist declares that he is the "friend of the bridegroom," and although John himself was highly revered in his own lifetime, popularly considered to be a holy man by the people, and had many disciples of his own, he would lead his disciples to Christ with his recognition of Christ as bridegroom, and himself as the friend.   John teaches us how we find ourselves in our faith, "face to face" with Christ, and serves as an example for the faithful.  In the ultimate expression of what this means for him and for us, John declares that his joy is fulfilled.  Moreover, John's humility and holiness allows him the insight into who Christ is:  "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."   This is a statement which reflects John's knowledge of Jesus as Son, as sent, and as authority as designated by the Father.  And he adds, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  Here, as my study Bible pointed out, is a statement of faith akin to Christ's own teaching about faith in Himself.  As friend to the bridegroom, John is also in a position to advise others, those who would follow, regarding faith in the Son.  So, in these several ways, we find that identity through humility in relationship to Christ defines, builds, and teaches not only about ourselves and our place in the story of salvation, but also gives us direction and purpose in service.  When John (echoing Jesus) says that the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand [my emphasis], it seems to me we are meant to take this quite literally, as applying to all of creation, and everything in the world.  Therefore it is a statement of Christ's authority, especially as supplanting the one whom Jesus has called "the prince" or "ruler" of this world (see John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11).  And this notion is united to us in Baptism itself, because it is in being baptized that we first renounce that "ruler" and are reborn into a life of faith in Christ, recognizing Christ as authority over all, and the One sent to give us that life abundantly, to give us the words of God, and the grace of the Spirit, which John says is not given by measure.   In all these things, we are to recognize ourselves as beneficiaries of Baptism, as followers of Christ, as those led by this last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, John the Baptist.  Let us consider how these words echo for us day by day, as we may daily consider how our baptism works in us and in our lives, regenerating and building identity, fulfilling joy, and casting out what is not supporting that abundant and holy life.

I am "the voice of one crying in the wilderness"

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD,"'

as the prophet Isaiah said."  Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

- John 1:19-28

Yesterday we read what is called the Prologue in John's Gospel:  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.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  In yesterday's reading, John's Gospel began with its Prologue, which starts as does the book of Genesis, with "In the beginning."   This sets up a parallel to the creation story of Genesis, but this creation regards Christ the Son and His identity as Son.  The Gospel continues today with the "beginning" of Christ's ministry as the incarnate Jesus, and this ministry starts with John the Baptist, also called Forerunner in the Church.  In another parallel with the Genesis story of creation, we are given seven days, the beginning of Christ's ministry.  Today's reading takes place on the first day.  These days each have parallels to the Genesis text.  On this first day (the whole of today's reading) John the Baptist bears witness to the Light -- the Christ -- in the presence of the Jews.  It parallels the creation of light on the first day in Genesis 1:3-5.  Here in these verses, John is first asked by the authorities about himself, as his own fame and the popularity of his ministry was widespread.  He himself is indeed a prophet, but he is not the Prophet, another term here used for the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). 

Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD,"'as the prophet Isaiah said." John quotes from the Septuagint version of Isaiah 40:3. 

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.  John's baptism is one in preparation for the Lord, the Christ, who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.   John's baptism is one of repentance, a traditional call for the prophets.  But it does not grant remission of sins once and for all.  He is a figure of the Law in the sense that he could denounce sin but could not remit ("put away") sin.  Both John and the Law point to the One who can remit sin.  John expresses himself with the same words, but with more vivid imagery regarding the baptism of Christ in Luke 3:16-17.

Let us look at John the Baptist's words about Christ:  "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."   At this point, John the Baptist is so widely known as a holy man, and has such a powerful ministry, that the religious leadership from Jerusalem comes to ask him if he is the Christ.  But John answers in this way.  He is known and understood as one who exemplifies humility, and remains from the earliest times of monasticism to today, a model for the virtue of humility prized above all in monastic life.   We will read more of his humility, but the Baptist also exemplifies this humility in his radical poverty, in a life completely dedicated to the service of God.  Matthew writes, "Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey" (an image which is reminiscent of Elijah the prophet), in Matthew 3:4.  But John the Baptist is most powerfully known for these words in today's reading which I've quoted above, when he expresses his identity in the light of Christ, in preparation for whom he practices baptism and spreads the word of His coming.  Christ is "preferred before me" and "whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These are the words of one who is calling himself insufficiently worthy even to be a slave to the Christ.  They are a clear statement of humility.  But they are also more than that.  What we might say in modern language is that John truly knows and accepts who he is.  He knows his role in life, and it is precisely in these terms of relationship to the Christ that he finds that role.  Later on in John's Gospel, in accepting his death, the Baptist will say of Jesus the Christ, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (3:30), another statement understood to exemplify humility.  But more than that, just before that statement, the Baptist declares that his real joy is in being the friend of the Bridegroom.  John says, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled" (3:29).  It is a great lesson not simply on humility as virtue, but rather on its entire purpose, and that is that John identifies himself completely in relation to his own role in the salvation plan of God, and that means in relationship to Christ.  It is his great joy to be the friend of the Bridegroom, for he truly knows who he is.  And there we come to our own lives.  We're given every conceivable image to follow in life, especially through social media.  That applies to popular movements of the moment we're assured we really "should" take part in and serve.  It applies to the image of the moment in popular culture, or cultivated by vast publicity machines making stars of people in varied professions -- or even politicians -- overnight.  But none of these things is in the heart of prayer where we really find out who we are.  None of these things helps us to understand humility as the key to finding the true measure of the soul, and the joy of fulfilling that role.  Just like John the Baptist, our true goal of finding ourselves lies in relationship to God, to our part in this great salvation plan, to the place we're in as designated by the Bridegroom.  It's the part we play in this wedding party.  None of the rest is substantial because none of the rest touches the soul.  It little matters how much people "love" who we are at the moment, or who anybody else tells us we are or must be.  This is the heart and the soul of our life, and it is where fulfillment is in terms of true knowing and worth.  All the rest is "added unto us" (Matthew 6:33).  The world will often conspire to tell us that the opposite is true, but we might find that we know ourselves at the Cross, in the one place worthy of the sacrifice asked of us.  Do you know who you are?

I have finished the work which You have given Me to do

 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."

- John 17:1-8

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  "Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him."  With these words, Jesus begins what is frequently called the High Priestly Prayer, as it contained the basic elements of prayer which a priest offers to God when a sacrifice is about to be made.  My study bible says that these elements include:  glorification, remembrance of God's works, intercession on behalf of others, and a declaration of the offering itself -- which is Christ Himself (Glorify Your Son, verse 1).   Christ's words bear witness to His divinity and to His filial relationship with the Father.  The hour has come signifies that Christ is Lord over time, as has repeatedly been indicated throughout John's Gospel in several ways.   Glorify, my study bible explains, refers to the redemption of all creation that will be accomplished through the Cross and Resurrection -- the purpose for which Christ was sent into the world.  In this redemption, Father and Son are glorified.  In the Eastern Church, the Cross -- a sign of death -- is glorified as "life-giving" and the "weapon of peace."

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."  My study bible says that the knowledge of the only true God is far more than intellectual understanding.  It is participation in God's divine life and in communion with God.  Therefore, my study bible explains, eternal life is an ongoing, loving knowledge of God in Christ and the Holy Spirit.

"I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.  And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."  My study bible notes that Christ's work can never be separated from who He is.  It claims that this verse is a statement each believer can make at the end of life, no matter how long or how short that life may be:  that our true work cannot be separated from who we are.  Christ is ready to go to that end that is the culmination and fulfillment of all "work" that is His, the glorification of Himself and the Father, revealed through the Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection.

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world.  They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.  Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You.  For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."  The men whom You have given Me are the apostles.  My study bible explains that they are the ones through whom God's word comes to us.  This handing down of God's word to successive generations is called apostolic tradition.  It cites Isaiah's prophesy that in the days of the Messiah, the knowledge of the Name of God would be revealed (Isaiah 52:6).  Your name:   In the times of the Old Testament, the phrase "the Name" was a reverent substitute for God's actual Name "Yahweh," which was too sacred to pronounce, as my study bible tells us.  It says that the fuller revelation of the Name was given to those who believe in Christ, as Christ manifested the Name not simply by declaring the Father, but by being the very presence of God and sharing the Name with Him.

Jesus says of His manifestation of the presence of the Father ("Your name") to the apostles:  "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me."   We note how Jesus connects the words which You have given Me with the thread of the presence of God, and faith in Christ.  As Christ is Logos, the Word, so the words of the Father as given through Christ come to us in order to reveal the Father in Christ, and Christ's divinity.  The "living word" is therefore both the Person of Christ and also the Gospel message, given from the Father through the Son who was sent to us, and who manifested the life of the Father in the world for us.  And this is His work.  As my study bible points out, Christ's work and identity are inseparable from one another.  As faithful, we are to understand ourselves and the work of the holy in a similar light.  We dwell in the place where both our work in life and our identity as persons come together in faith.  That is to say, if we grow in our faith so we also grow in the true work which manifests, builds, and grows our identity in Christ.  Just as saints are dynamic individuals characterized by their love of Christ, so we each may grow in unique ways through this love, culminating as do the saints, in outstanding ways that are expressions of the Spirit at work in the world.  We carry His word, given from the Father, expressed through Christ, and made living and present through the Spirit -- and thus we grow to become "more ourselves."  This is the work of the faithful, as stated by Jesus in chapter 6 of John's Gospel:  "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (6:29).   In yesterday's reading, so central to this time of Lent into which we enter, we read the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (see above).  Let us note that the Pharisee did many good works, and he was satisfied with his life.  The work of God, the work of Christ and that of the saints, is not simply doing "good works" (especially done to be seen by others).  It is not nominally thinking up ways to do good.  The work of God is faith, active and ongoing, holding fast to the words we've been given and living those words through the love of God, a participation which requires dialogue in prayer.  What makes a person saintly is not a list of good deeds, but rather sharing deeply and growing in that love of the Father, Son, and Spirit and shared with us and for us.  It is, as Jesus said, faith.   And faith is a living, growing, dynamic instrument within ourselves, a way that we become even more truly "ourselves" through time as we grow in that faith and live it and enter more deeply into it and the places it takes us.  This faith, this work of God, cannot be defined only by external signs or rules or public opinion.  As Jesus says to Nicodemus, "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" (John 3:8).  Saints may be found in places no one ever heard of and no one would suspect.  Our deepest hearts are called to come to God and be given to God's work, and thereby we find ourselves and become more deeply ourselves.  This is the work of God, the work of the saints, and the work of Christ who manifests the Father -- and whose deepest revelation is yet to come in His Passion, death, and Resurrection, the events we celebrate as Easter.   Let us consider this unlikeliest image He calls glorification -- death on a cross -- and think about how little we may know of ourselves until we, too, walk in that faith and thus the work of God.

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

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods" '?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many people came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about His Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:31-42

Yesterday we read that by the end of Christ's time at the Feast of Tabernacles, there was a division again among the leadership because of His sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."

Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods" '?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Once again the leadership (this is the meaning of the term the Jews in John's Gospel) take up stones to put Him to death for blasphemy.  Jesus emphasizes once more that the works He does bear witness to Him.  Even if they don't believe His words about Himself, they should believe the works they have seen and know about as testimony.  You are gods is a quotation from Psalm 82:6.  My study bible explains that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and can rightly be called gods.  St. John Chrysostom expresses what He's saying this way: "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"

Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily, and according to His own will (10:17-18), they are unable to arrest Him until He is ready and it is "His hour" (7:30, 8:20; see Luke 4:28-30).

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many people came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about His Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.   Faith comes also through those with whom Christ has relationship, like John the Baptist whose work as prophet is through the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus' works express His identity.  Once again, we are confronted with the reality of who Jesus really is, and that His works bear witness to that identity.  Surely we are asked to follow.  When we think of His works, we think of healing, "making whole" as it is so often phrased in the Gospels.  For which of these do they condemn Him?  How do these works tell us about Christ?  Surely, "making whole" is something we pray for when we pray to Him.  We pray for ourselves, for our friends and loved ones, for our communities, and for our world.   To be "made whole" is to be restored to the true condition of our creation.   Our Creator, therefore, is the help we need to become "whole" -- for real healing.  This can go in all directions.  In the Gospels, the works that Christ does in terms of restoring wholeness vary greatly, and happen in all kinds of conditions and even through varied methods.  For example, in the events for which the leadership is angry with Him -- healings which have taken place during various festivals in Jerusalem -- we've read of Christ healing the paralytic by simply telling him to take up his bed and walk (see this reading, in which, interestingly, Jesus speaks of "working").  Unfortunately, for this the leadership condemn Him, as He told the man to carry his bed on a Sabbath.  And then we read more recently of Christ's healing of a man blind from birth, this time by the method of using His own spittle and the soil, to make mud put on the man's eyes (see this reading, in which once again, Jesus spoke of working the works of God).  But making whole comes in other forms as well as physical healing.  Jesus heals those who are clearly "out of their minds" or who have various diseases and illnesses.   In another sign given only to the disciples, Jesus walks on the water (see this reading).  He tells them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Let us consider the great sign apart from its miraculous properties, and in the framework of the fear of the disciples crossing a stormy sea; His action and work of comfort to them, telling them not to be afraid, is also a form of making whole, of healing, and one which we all need to hear.  Faith is a difficult struggle that involves facing our own fears and growing in our dependency upon God.  Yet, this is the way to wholeness, to be made whole, restored to the condition of our creation.  In all ways, then, we observe that Jesus' work is to "make whole."  Whether we are in need of this restoration (and who is not?) or we can help to offer such restoration to others, to "make whole" is a sign of God's work in the world.  When we pray for others, we do the same.  When we pray for the world, so we offer the world back to God in order for God to return it to us in right relation, understanding that its true nature is to be filled with the presence of God.  Our lives and faith are sacramental, and it is in the nature of sacrament that "making whole" happens.  In today's reading, John the Baptist works through faith as prophet and holy man to bring others to the faith as well.  In this he also shares in the work of restoration and wholeness.  If faith is truly a journey, then it is one to wholeness, to fullness, to the restoration in the sight of Creator on all levels.  Which way does this work in your life today?  In which ways do you need this work?  How does the world know you as His follower in such work of restoring to wholeness?

He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is out father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father." 

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

- John 8:33-47

Events in our current readings take place at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  Yesterday we read that on the last and great day of the feast, Jesus said to them to the crowds and leadership again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews  [meaning the leaders] said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.  Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  And he who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is out father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."    To be a child of Abraham, according to my study bible, it is not enough to be simply related by blood; rather, Abraham's true children share his faith and his virtue (Luke 3:8).  St. John Chrysostom teaches that Christ wanted to detach them from racial pride and instead to teach them no longer to place their hope of salvation simply in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature.  Instead Christ seeks for all to come to faith by their own free will.  Their idea that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ. 

Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  When Jesus states here that He proceeded forth and came from God, He's not speaking of Himself as Son coming eternally from the Father, but rather as being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.

"Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."   Just as Jesus has already expressed the idea that being a child of Abraham is based on sharing Abraham's attributes, here likewise He suggests that those who reject Christ share the attributes of the devil -- this would in particular mean a hatred for truth, my study bible says -- and thus are rightly called the devil's children.

Jesus identifies attributes shared between certain figures and those who also embody those attributes, constituting a kind of kinship that renders them described as "children" of those figures.   This works for good and for bad.  Those who are truly children of Abraham are those who share the attributes of Abraham, and in particular his most praiseworthy character traits of faith and virtue.  Perhaps Abraham is most notable for his obedience to God, which led him from his home toward a new and different land to call home.   In that light, it's important to understand Abraham as a figure that embodies the subsequent spiritual history of Israel, those who would wander following Moses, for which this particular festival being celebrated (The Feast of Tabernacles) serves as commemoration.   Abraham is also renowned for his hospitality to strangers (Genesis 18:1-15), a custom which remains essential to life in the deserts of Sinai and surrounding regions.  We should note that hospitality would remain for the earliest Christian monks of the desert, until today, a virtue second perhaps only to humility.  When we share these attributes, then, in Jesus' way of thinking we become "children" of such figures.  Linked indelibly to this understanding is Christ's revelation of the Father through His own actions and ministry, His sharing of the will of the Father as Son and through obedience as human being.  When we do likewise, we are also children of God the Father.  But to reject truth with hostility, Jesus says, is to share the traits of a different father, of the devil.  And here we need to pause and think.  We need to ask ourselves what serious notions Jesus introduces here for us, how powerful indeed it is to reject the truths that He teaches.  A facile understanding of Jesus' teachings here will bring us all kinds of discord, dissension, misunderstanding, and pain.  We have to see into the depths Jesus presents us with.  This is not a simple rejection He is speaking about, nor is this a threat of retaliation or retribution He presents.  Rather, at the depths from which Jesus introduces concepts of life to us, to the depths that are within us which are capable of recognizing love -- and essentially, we are still talking about condemnation for healing a man on the Sabbath -- these are the profound things reflected in His words.  It's not something we can take lightly nor symbolically; it is about a rejection of the truths we need for the abundance of life He shares and offers, and moreover there is a determination within that rejection to murder Christ and prevent others from following as well.  Christ gives us a relatedness to God within the practice and action of God's love, and those who reject the relationship as well as the truth that comes with it create hostility to truth itself.   If we think about this deeply, we may find ourselves confronted with such choices daily, hidden behind the things we encounter every day.  Do we find a legalism that contents us with its seeming clarity, but when taken to its limits will overlook the practice of mercy and acts of goodness?  Do you think of circumstances in which it is good to overlook the "errors" of another in order to perceive the good fruits they produce?  What about those who help and encourage others who may need it at the expense of social appearance?  These are all small choices we may find every day in our own lives, but they ask us to think about whose child we are and whose attributes we wish to share. The truth has to be the essential thing we guard and keep within our hearts, living it within the fidelity that we have to God. Everything starts with relationship and love, and life and works proceed from there.  What is He telling you about what you love? 

But who do you say that I am?

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Then he said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.   But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

On Saturday we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study bible says that as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  There is a clear contrast here between those who are disciples and have faith in Jesus, and those who do not and do not know Him.  The question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the ultimate question in Scripture and all theology.  How this question is answered defines the universe, my study bible tells us.  But Scripture (as well as other aspects of the Church, such as its tradition and the ongoing work of God in the world) also defines the answer to this question, and leaves open so much more to be answered.  Christ (Hebrew Messiah) means "Anointed One."  This declaration by Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God reveals that Jesus is not just another anointed king of prophet, but rather the long-awaited Savior.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Given the different ideas of the crowds, as well as the growing awareness of the rulers in power, Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden.  This way He will avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings about His mission and His identity.  Only after His Passion and Resurrection can his identity as Messiah be understood, and all must come in light of the full completion of His ministry and saving mission.

 Then he said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."   My study bible suggests that we note two things.  First, each person must take up his or her own cross.  Every person's burden in this world is different, each to his or her own.  Each person has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of those around oneself.  We note also that the cross is to be taken up daily.  Commitment to following Christ isn't a one-time event, it's a full-time reality.  It is the continual practice, says my study bible, of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world. 

 “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."    In the verses immediately following, the story of the Transfiguration takes place (9:28-36).   This reference is to those who will witness the Transfiguration among them, as well as those in every generation who experience the presence of God’s Kingdom.

 There is an emphasis in today’s text about the essential need for Jesus’ ministry to evolve in a particular way, and that need has to do with why, from the beginning, the emphasis on right understanding was essential to the Church.  There is nothing missing or haphazard or done mistakenly or by accident in this ministry.  Everything has to unfold in a particular way so that Jesus is revealed to us in a particular way.  At the time, there were so many expectations of what the Messiah would bring, what the Messsiah would do.  But Jesus introduces something so extraordinary that no one could really have predicted what this event would bring.  The Incarnation is the greatest story ever told precisely because of what all the meanings of this Christ, or Messiah, bring to each one of us.  Its impact on the early Church set a course for struggles of meaning and understanding that would be fulfilled in the early Councils of the Church.  Jesus’ question to Peter, “But who do you say that I am?” becomes the most central question of all.  What does it man that God becomes a human being?  The multiplicity and infinitude of meanings and impact on us in this conception of Christ’s identity have the fullness of teaching us who we can be.  As Christ comes into the world to re-unite a separated God and humankind, He himself is God and human.  He makes it possible for us to understand that human beings are made for communion with God.  Not only that, but through Him we know that we are capable of becoming like God.  The true direction of all the practices of the Church is this unification, this road of becoming like Him.  We may manifest the fruits of the Spirit.  We may grow in this likeness.  The whole purpose of a devoted prayer practice is simply this.  And this is the way that you build the Kingdom in the world, for “the kingdom of heaven is within you" (17:21).  Without our understanding of who Christ is, then we wouldn’t have any idea what we’re capable of becoming, nor the great grace and honor that are given to human beings.  His words are simple and true; all we have to do is “Follow Him,” take up our crosses daily, and move into the direction He gives us, learning from Him, for “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).  Everything depends on who we say He is, because how we find the deepest meanings in our own lives come from that understanding.

This joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease

 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

- John 3:22-36

In yesterday's reading, we were told about 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 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.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.   Here we're told that both John the Baptist and Jesus' ministries continue side-by-side.  In John 4:2 we're told that it is not Jesus Himself who baptizes, but His disciples do.  The Baptist continues to be an important figure both the Gospel and to the ministry of Jesus.

Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled."   John explains his role in salvation history.  He calls himself the friend (or "best man") of the bridegroom (who is Christ).  The bride is the Church, or the people of God.  Once again, as we noted in an earlier reading, John's identity is given in relationship to Jesus, to the Bridegroom.  This is the Baptist's role in the coming of the Messiah, and all things are in relationship to Christ, the Anointed One, from whom we take our most profound and true identity.  John the Baptist is witness, herald, and friend to the wedding of Christ and His people, and thus his joy . . . is fulfilled.

"He must increase, but I must decrease."  John's humility is perhaps his most distinguishing personal characteristic, and one that serves true identity in Christ and in the salvation plan for the world.  He serves the purposes of God.  All earthly glory and reputation is given for the sake of Christ.  John finds true glory by serving the truth of Christ.  It is also a statement of the old covenant, personified in the Baptist.  My study bible says, "As the law vanishes, the grace of Jesus Christ abounds."   Traditionally, John the Baptist's birth is celebrated in the Church on June 24th, at a time when the sun begins to decrease in the sky, while Jesus' birth is celebrated when the sun begins to increase.

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."   Here John the Baptist echoes the teachings of Christ Himself, as given in yesterday's reading to Nicodemus.  We note again the witness of John the Baptist to the fullness of the Spirit that rests upon Christ (see also John 1:33).  And again, the rejection of Christ is a turning away of all that is offered.  My study bible points out the absence of the word "alone" in the statement of faith.  St. John Chrysostom writes, "We do not from this assert that faith alone is sufficient for salvation; the directions for living that are given in many places in the Gospels show this."  See James 2:14-24.

Identity comes to fullness in Christ.  Such is the state of faith that it conveys the depths of who we are, and in this understanding do faith and works go hand in hand.  How can we separate what we do from who we are?  John states that Christ "must increase, but I must decrease."  This is what faith must work in each of us as we continue along the journey of faith in Christ.  John is friend and "best man" to the Bridegroom Christ, but later in the Gospel, Jesus will call His disciples friends (see John 15:15-17).  By extension, that includes all who learn from Him, who bear the fruit of faith, who love one another as He loved us.  In this identity is John's joy full, just as Jesus shares of the fullness of His joy in His command to love as he loved (see John 15:9-12).  One cannot separate true joy from purpose and identity, and the fullness of finding the place where love brings faith and works together.  Christ does not separate any of these things.  In effect, the fullness of His joy that remains in us is the fullness of true selfhood; there can be no greater gift offered to human beings and to the world than this.  And of this profundity we can never exhaust the gift.  We go forward in faith to find an increasing abundance, that joy of which both John and Jesus speak.  In this sense, it is life itself on offer, and life in abundance.   That is truly grace for grace.

I am "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Make straight the way of the Lord'"

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
"Make straight the way of the Lord,"'
as the prophet Isaiah said."

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

- John 1:19-28

In yesterday's reading, we read the Prologue to John's Gospel, teaching us about the identity of Christ:  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.

Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am  'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  After the theological prologue, John's Gospel begins with "the beginning" of Jesus' ministry.  As the Gospel echoed Genesis with "In the beginning," so now it starts to give us seven days.  This first begins with the important and essential question that will also be asked about Jesus, "Who are you?"  John denies that he is the Messiah, nor is he Elijah (although Jesus will say he is Elijah returned in spirit), nor the Prophet (the Messiah) prophesied by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15).   He gives Isaiah's cry as response, he is the herald of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3).

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.  John's baptism reflects his call for repentance, which he makes as part of the tradition of the prophets before him.  His practice of baptism prefigures and prepares people for the baptism to come.  My study bible says that, as the last in the lineage of Old Testament prophets, John is a figure of the Law.  He could denounce sin but not remit it.   But both John and the Law direct us to the One who can do so.

Identity is the central question of the Gospels.  Here the leadership sends its representatives to ask John, "Who are you?"  John, we know, was a towering figure during his lifetime and ministry, widely revered as a holy man.  It makes sense that the leadership should send to ask him, "Who are you?"  What we find with John's answer is something very important in theological terms.  Identity is given in relationship to Christ.  John is called the Forerunner.  He's the one whose identity is in preparing people for the Messiah, for Christ.  But this theological understanding of John's character and identity isn't only for John.  It's for all of us.  It's a very profound work of faith to continue on the journey to Christ as a way to identity, to find who we are.  Prayer helps us to find the things that truly define us, and to discard the things that don't.  Jesus' teachings will extend to identity.  When He teaches, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," He is giving us a clue about identity and how it works.  When Jesus speaks figuratively of cutting off or removing a hand or eye or foot that offends (see for example Matthew 18:8-9), He's speaking of shaping identity in relation to God and the true life in abundance He offers.  The "hand" or "eye" or "foot" that offends refers to sinful behavior, whether it be envious, or lustful where it shouldn't be, or abusive, for example.  Casting those things away from us means reshaping our own identity in relationship to God:  if we treasure them, they remain who we are, they define us.  Grace works in us to help us to define and reshape identity through a lifetime of faith, through the work of learning of "our better natures," so to speak.  Prayer helps us to find insight on new and better choices, helping to find what we treasure and what we need to discard.  Life is a process of growth in relationship to Christ if we choose to live that way, and that is what identity is all about.  For many, that is the fullness of what it means to be a Christian.   It is what it really means to be heirs or children by adoption and grace.  God's reality is a personal reality, not a sterile intellectual one.  In the saints, we can see examples of people who, through relationship to God, became supreme personas, entirely unique in their distinction, shaping the world and touching those around them with grace.  There is no such thing as a "cookie cutter" saint, because the depth of identity grows as we grow in relationship to Christ.   John the Baptist defines himself in his role as herald or forerunner.  In prayer, in relationship and participation in His life, one may find what Christ gives also to shape and identify our true place in Him, our real heart of hearts.