Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 

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

 

- John 11:1–16 

 

Our recent readings have focused on Jesus' attendance at two festivals in Jerusalem; one was the fall Feast of Tabernacles, and the other in winter, the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah).  He has been disputing with the religious leaders, and performed the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel, the healing of a man blind from birth.  He has evaded arrest and stoning, and has been accused of blasphemy, for making Himself equal with God.  Yesterday we read that the religious leaders took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in our law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  In this chapter, we will read of the seventh and final "sign" given in John's Gospel, the resurrection of Lazarus.  We have been reading of Christ's disputing in the temple with the religious authorities, but this seventh and final sign will seal their decision to put Jesus to death.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  My study Bible tells us that Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which literally means "God helps."  

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  My study Bible comments that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha in order to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in the words of Christ.  The Son of God being glorified, it says, mustn't be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying.  This indicates rather that Christ will be glorified as a result of Lazarus' death (which occurred from a natural illness), and being raised from the dead.  

 

 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Christ delays His departure for Bethany so that Lazarus will be dead long enough that the corruption of his body sets in.  In this way, my study Bible explains, no one could doubt the miracle, and the might of the Lord would be clearly seen by all.  

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."   The disciples, warning Jesus, are referring to the events in Jerusalem covered in John 10:29-39.   During the Feast of Tabernacles, against the backdrop of celebrations of light (such as the giant lamps which illumined the whole city of Jerusalem on the last night of the festival) Jesus repeatedly spoke of Himself as the light of the world (see John 8:12; 9:5).  

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  Regarding Christ's comment that Lazarus sleeps, my study Bible asks us to compare it with Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.  It adds that Thomas's statement in the final verse here is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  Moreover, it also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24). 

Jesus begins the journey to the accomplishing of the final "sign" of His ministry, the raising of Lazarus.  We can take into consideration the powerful courage and character it shows about Christ at this time.  First of all, it's interesting that John more or less opens this chapter by introducing Mary as the one who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair.  This is an event which will be described in the chapter that follows this one, and so what we understand of this verse is that it makes clear that Mary was an important figure in the early Church, and known enough regarding this event of anointing Christ that the Gospel's first hearers would already be able to identify her (see John 12:1-8).  Then John identifies Lazarus as her brother, and emphasizes the closeness of this family to Christ by making explicit the message of the sisters to Jesus:  "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  There is a great bond of love between these sisters and brother and Jesus, and this chapter's events will make that very clear.  So while John goes out of his way to establish the love of Christ for this family, we can take a deeper understanding of Christ's boldness and courage in delaying His trip to Bethany, so that Lazarus will be dead for long enough that his body is corrupted when Jesus arrives.  We only have to consider what confidence in the word of God the Father Jesus has in order to do so, since He clearly knows what He is going to do, affirmed by His words telling the disciples that "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  All of this is deliberate, and yet done, at the same time, with those whom He deeply loves.  This shows a type of detachment and strength of character most thoroughly perfected in Christ, but also belonging to the saints and the faithful throughout the history of the Church.  There is an interesting understanding of the words "meek" or "gentle" as used by Jesus.  For example, when He says, "Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5), or "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).  If we wish to understand meek or gentle as Christ uses these concepts, we're to perceive that it means strength under control.  This is a deep facet of strength, a strength perfected in its necessary dispassion for difficult times or actions.  In this case, the final sign of the Gospel, which will be so stupendous it will decisively lead the religious leaders to plot to kill Jesus.  Jesus shows that great strength of character that allows Him to fully feel His love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, and yet remain dispassionate enough to delay His journey, and confident enough to follow the Father to this greatest and most unexpected of miraculous works.  At the same time, He knows it will be the thing that convinces the religious leaders that they must kill Jesus, so that they plot for His crucifixion.  All of these attributes of Jesus, taken together -- love, courage, dispassion, strength, absolute confidence and faith in God the Father -- combine to teach us something about the fullest acquisition of character we might aspire to.  That is, we seek to be "like Christ," and here He exemplifies all the ideals we might aspire to for ourselves, and might acquire through faith and grace working in us to fulfill this image and potential.  There is a deeper echo of the courage involved here in the unwitting prophecy spoken by Thomas, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  For this also portends not only for Christ but for His followers, for the nascent Church that will be left in the world after Christ's Ascension.  So let us consider these aspects of what today's passage reveals to us, because they all tell us poignant things about faith:  about where it leads, the choices one may have to make, the strength of character that goes into the image of Christ to which we not simply aspire, but which faith and grace will hopefully make in us.  Let us not forget that these are forged in relationships of love.

 

 

 

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

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

 

- John 11:1-16 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke to them in the temple, the religious leaders 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?"  They answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods'"?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  This is the beginning of chapter 11, the setting for Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus.  It is this sign which sealed the decision of the Jewish religious authorities to put Christ to death.  The raising of Lazarus traditionally celebrated in the Church on the day before Palm Sunday.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar" which means "God helps."  Mary and Martha and Lazarus are very close to Jesus; they are His friends and He loves them, as we will read repeatedly in this chapter, and as is apparent in other stories about them in the Gospels.  By the language here, we can see that they were clearly known within the early Church.  In the second verse here, John makes reference to Mary in an unusual way, for the story of her anointing of the Lord with fragrant oil, and wiping His feet with her hair, will occur in the next chapter (John 12:1-7).

Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Let us note that Jesus gives a similar response here as He did regarding the subject of the sixth, previous sign in John's Gospel, the healing of a man blind from birth.  There His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  Here Jesus proclaims Lazarus' sickness to be for the glory of God,  that the Son of God may be glorified through it.  My study Bible comments that this message is sent back to Mary and Martha to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in Christ's words.  It notes that the Son of God being glorified must not be understood to be the cause of Lazarus dying; it indicates rather that Christ will be glorified as a result of his death (which occurred from natural illness) and his being raised from the dead.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Christ delays so that Lazarus will be dead long enough that the corruption of his body will set in (11:39).  Therefore there will be doubt of this miracle, and the might and "glory" of the Lord will be seen by everyone, including those who come from Jerusalem to mourn with the sisters.

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  In our readings from the previous chapters, we read of Christ's disputes with the religious leaders and their various attempts to seize Him and to stone Him (see John 10:29-39; yesterday's reading, above).   Once again, John returns to the language of light; Christ walks by the light of God, following the will of the Father in all things (John 5:30; 8:12, 28, 50; 12:35-36).

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Jesus says that their friend Lazarus sleeps; compare to Acts 7:60, 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  My study Bible says that Thomas's statement is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  It adds that this also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24).  

 

In Monday's reading and commentary, we explored the themes opened up by Jesus' statement that a man blindness from birth was not due to any sins, but, as He responded to His disciples' question, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him."  It opened up issues of salvation for us to understand that Jesus would declare an obvious affliction to be an occasion for the manifestation of God's presence in the world.  In today's reading, as noted above, He makes a similar indication.  He declares to the disciples, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  The sixth sign in John's Gospel was the healing of the man blind from birth, and the disputes with the religious leaders following that healing have led already to their attempt to stone Christ.  But at this juncture, the affairs leading to Christ's seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, set the stage for something even greater than healing a man blind from birth.  The circumstances under which this seventh and final sign will occur literally involve life and death, with the power of immortality featured as God's manifestation even in this world.  Jesus begins to set the stage for this final miracle of the Gospel by delaying His journey to Bethany upon hearing of the illness of Lazarus.  He is making certain, as my study Bible noted, that the corruption of Lazarus' body will have begun by the time He arrives at the home of Lazarus and his sisters, for Lazarus will have been dead for four days.  In our commentary on the healing of the man blind from birth, we commented extensively regarding Jesus' statement that the affliction of blindness was, in that case, an occasion for the manifestation of the glory of God.  It tells us something quite important about what kind of a Savior Jesus is, and what method of salvation is offered to us through Christ.  The Law and Prophets came before Christ, and of course there were all kinds of systems of pagan morality and laws and ethics in the ancient world.  But Christ comes with an entirely different message and power; His is the power not simply to separate good from evil, or truth from lies, but rather to take even what has been corrupted by evil in this world and use it as occasion for the glory of the God of love, of truth and beauty and goodness.  As He previously manifested God's glory through the blindness healed in the sixth sign John gave us, so Christ steadfastly begins the journey with a decisive delay, in order to more fully manifest the power and glory of the immortal God even in this world, even in response to natural human death, which St. Paul calls "the last enemy" (1 Corinthians 15:26).   This final sign will be that of the power of immortality which is a quality belonging to God, the extremes of life and death, corruption and incorruption.  It will lead us to the Cross, and give us a preview of the fullness of what kind of Savior Christ really is, who comes into the world to turn death to life, sadness to joy, mourning into comfort (Matthew 5:4).  Let us consider our Savior, as we continue with Him on the journey to Bethany through John's 11th chapter.

He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

 

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.

 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities 

And bore our sicknesses."

- Matthew 8:1–17 

 

We have recently been reading through the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 - 7 of Matthew's Gospel).  Yesterday, we read Jesus' final words of the Sermon, in which He spoke about the final judgment:   "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."   As Jesus has just finished His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, He comes down from the mountain, and many follow Him.  In today's reading, His engagements with the people concern healing.  My study bible comments that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13; 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  Leprosy was a disease that was considered to be a direct punishment for sins.  As lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus touched the leper, expressing His compassion -- and at the same time establishing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  In that sense, we can understand this healing as an expression of divine authority in God's loving mercy.  To the clean, my study Bible says, nothing is unclean (compare Romans 14:14).

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."   A centurion (a Gentile) commanded 100 men in a Roman legion.  Jesus is the Savior of all, my study Bible says, and in Him ethnic distinctions are void.

 

 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   Many Greek scholars have read Jesus' remark, I will come, as a question:  "Shall I come?"  Whichever way it should be understood, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile, my study Bible says, and even to enter his house, which would make Christ unclean in the eyes of the Jews.

The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'God,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  This centurion expresses an unusual faith in Christ, as He calls Jesus, a Jew, Lord.  The statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof," is frequently quoted in liturgical texts, my study Bible says, as an ideal expression of humility. 

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  My study Bible notes that only twice in the Gospels is it said of Jesus that He marveled:  at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here, at the belief of this foreigner.

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  My study Bible comments that here Jesus nullifies any ideas of ethnic superiority.  The rejected sons of the kingdom are both the Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith; outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (see Enoch 103:8).   They are common expressions in Matthew (13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30), and they also occur in Luke (Luke 13:28). 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities/And bore our sicknesses."  My study Bible notes here that this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (where Peter is called Cephas) indicate that Peter was married.   Christ's healing miracles are quite diverse.  Here, Jesus heals by touch.  In verse 13, Jesus healed by a word ("Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you").  This healing of Peter's mother-in-law is immediate and complete, while others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  As the final quotation in today's reading indicates (Jesus quotes from Isaiah 53:4), all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.

All of today's reading involves healing, various healings performed by Christ just after we're given the Sermon on the Mount.  If we put the two together, we could say that, coming down from the mountain, Christ comes into the world, and as the Divine-human Jesus, embodies into action what He has preached as divine word.  Put in another way, the divine Word Himself comes into the world and embodies in action what He truly is in [His] Being.  So we have to look at what He does to understand Him more clearly, and to understand His message and teachings to us, and what they mean.  He first of all heals a leper by touch.  This is doubly magnificent as a healing, because, not only does He heal the dreaded leprosy, symbol of our own sin in the Old Testament and for His community, but He does so by touch, which is forbidden, as the law considered leprosy unclean.  For a Jew, this would mean bringing uncleanness into community without the express permission of a priest who would certify first that the leprosy was gone.  But Christ, the Word, is the giver of the Law, and as such He is the Lord.  However, His compassion is the expression of His teaching ("Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" - Matthew 7:12).  But the real spark that facilitates actual connection is the tremendous faith it must have taken for the leper to say to Christ, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  This seems like an extraordinary request, given the conditions of the time and the law.  The next extraordinary request comes from the centurion, a most unlikely person to approach Jesus.  As we can see, even Jesus marvels at the great faith of this centurion, when He says, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"   That is quite an extraordinary compliment indeed.  (And just imagine, making even Jesus marvel!)  But it is that extraordinary capacity for faith that gives the spark to connect the communion of Christ's power for healing human beings.  Faith becomes the key, even as Jesus marvels and points out to us that "many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Christ affirms the power of faith in the sight of God, when He tells the centurion, "as you have believed, so let it be done for you."   Finally, by touch, He heals Peter's mother-in-law so that she is restored to her place of honor in the household -- and beyond, He cast out spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, so that He clearly fulfills Isaiah's prophesy as compassionate healer and redeemer.  He is the One who enacts God's mercy with what He does, and by extension, He invites us to do the same, with whatever capacities we have.  The key to all of this, however, is clearly faith, and it is this demonstration of great faith at which Jesus marvels, and for which He extends His tremendous compassion and healing power.  This is a lesson that mustn't be lost on us today anymore than two thousand years ago in Galilee; it is the lesson spread to the known world by the apostles, and it has to be the lesson for us now.  Where is our faith?  What is the state of our faith?  Are we waiting for miracles first?  Or do we understand that it is faith that opens up the door for the connection with Christ, and prayer that works with God's power.  Sometimes we'll find that healing doesn't exactly look like what we expected or wanted, but Christ is there with His compassion to show us the way if we start with even a tiny seed  of faith.  He continues to carry us and bears our infirmities, as do the saints who hear our prayers.

I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you

 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

- Matthew 17:14-21

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

 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."   Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.   My study bible reminds us that in Scripture sickness is often connected to demonic activity.  This father shows humility by kneeling before Christ, but what he lacks is faith.  The verses further down give us the indication that the disciples also lacked faith.  But here in public, Jesus rebukes the man for putting the blame on the disciples when it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.   As my study bible notes, Jesus effectively defends His disciples in front of the multitudes but later rebukes them privately.  It teaches us that we should first correct people in private.  Jesus' love prevents Him from humiliating His disciples before the crowd, but they receive the truth from Him in private.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  According to St. John Chrysostom, Jesus' rebuke here is directed to the nine disciples who could not cast out the demon.  The "pillars" of faith -- Peter, James, and John (Galatians 2:9) -- were not included, as they had been on the mountain with Christ (see Saturday's reading, above).  This kind, my study bible tells us, refers to all powers of darkness, and not only those that cause a particular illness.  The banishment of demons, it says, requires faith, prayer, and fasting.  There is no healing nor victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Starting with the earliest teaching document of the Church, the Didache, it has been taught that both the person in need of healing and the person performing the healing must believe, pray, and fast.  The emphasis on faith here is doubled, as Jesus repeats metaphors He uses elsewhere:  the mustard seed and moving a mountain.

With growing awareness both of Jesus' divinity (especially through the experience of the Transfiguration, see Saturday's reading) and also of the suffering, crucifixion, death, and Resurrection to come, Jesus places an ever-greater emphasis on faith as the true foundation or rock of His Church.  The repetition of metaphors in the text (faith as a mustard seed and faith that moves a mountain) gives us a sense of something so crucial that it was echoed throughout His ministry.  This repetition bears noting, because it's not often that we hear Jesus repeating Himself in the texts of individual Gospels.  It teaches us, to my way of thinking, that the crucial aspect of faith is something so substantial and important that we must never lose sight of it.  It's what He wants to leave us with as we await His return.  It's what we have as bearers of His word, His truth, and His work in us, and it connects us to His very presence in our lives.  It is indeed the rock upon which He would build His Church, the way in which we worship, the strength against which the gates of Hades cannot prevail (16:18).  In this perspective, activities such as prayer and fasting become essential not simply as practice for the sake of belonging or tradition, but rather for the power they have to shore up our faith, to protect us within that bond of faith, and to give us strength within that faith.  These are not concepts nor practices simply designed to put us in line or to give us things to do that reflect identity in Christ.  They are practices that help us to maintain the strength and power and inclusion that we need via faith.  They include us in the bond of the rock of faith, so that we remain in His protection in that faith, and find our way through the difficulties we encounter -- including temptations and all the things of the world that will serve to draw us away from the path to which He calls us (7:13-14).  Particularly in times of uncertainty and fear, these practices help not simply to shore up faith, but to help us when faith is difficult or when we are confused.  Prayer is an act of communion with God.  Fasting is a kind of declaration that it is God we serve above all, and that we exchange our attachments in the world in order to find a deeper and truer communion with God.  We can fast in so many ways; abstinence in whatever form necessary is a way of fasting -- for example, from swearing, from habits of anger or whatever it is that takes us away from our peace which is centered in Christ.  Let us note as well the deeply personal and even private nature of these practices.  While each is appropriate in the context of community worship, each also has an aspect of the personal.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to go into our inner room and shut the door, and pray to our Father who sees in secret (6:6).  Sometimes we need to close the door to all the noise, and focus in on what is essential.  Prayer and fasting help us do that.   Consider the importance of faith, and that we need to all that we can to help ourselves to be centered in our connection and communion with Christ, so that we may come to ourselves when we're not sure where we're going.

I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

- Luke 4:38-44

Yesterday, we read that Jesus, upon leaving Nazareth, went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  The story of Peter's mother-in-law is in each of the Synoptic Gospels.  It tells us that Peter had a home and a family.  This house in Capernaum is often called Jesus' ministry's headquarters in Galilee.  This sense in which Jesus rebukes her fever can be interpreted as one of correction, true judgment, a fitting dispensation.  And what the text tells us -- and does so in other Gospels as well -- is that she is immediately restored to her proper place in the home, which is in fact one of honor and worth.  As Son and Logos, Jesus restores a proper and fitting order, so to speak.  Further as to "rebuke," my study bible has an interesting commentary from Cyril of Alexandria:  "That which was rebuked was some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it, for it is not reasonable to rebuke a thing without life and unconscious of the rebuke.  Nor is it astonishing for there to exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.    Peter's home seems to become a kind of hospital, a place of care for ailments and afflictions.  Christ heals here by touch.  The tie with the demonic, that which creates destructive disorder, dysfunction, ill harmony, chaos, a kind of imbalance, is clear.  It does not seem strange that this is tied with disease.  Once again, as in yesterday's reading, they know who He is, but He does not allow them to speak and identify Him publicly as Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.   Although He is now known for healing, Jesus' primary mission is to preach the kingdom.  Healings and signs testify to the truth of His message and to the identity of the Teacher (see 5:24).  My study bible adds also that this pattern holds true in the Church (Acts 4:29-30).

What is healing?  Can we separate what it is to be human into the components of mental, spiritual, physical, and consider that they are not inter-related somehow?  I think modern medicine would recognize that disease can be linked through all levels of life, with statistics correlating disease with stress levels, for example.  Even the interrelation of mental health with possible breakdown in genetic patterns is a subject for exploration.  Regardless of how modern (Western) science may view disease or not, Christ as Logos is the one who brings into the world a kind of divine order.  His entire mission is about setting things aright, deposing that which causes affliction, disease, ailment, dysfunction, and disorder on a cosmic scale, which ultimately afflicts individuals on the most personal level.  Christ's work of salvation is that which ultimately heals and restores to good order and true right-relatedness for all things.   Every restoration to health is a sign of the presence of the Kingdom.  That is the way that we must see His ministry.  Various forms of medicine support the concept of "balance" and harmony as integral to health, such as systems of acupuncture, for example.  But what we remember about Christ is that He's in the world as the "stronger man" to fix whatever it is that needs healing, and this extends to humankind's relationship with God.  Working from this cosmic level, we have a power in Christ that is at work in all things, from Creator to creature, and He takes particular care to tell His disciples the importance of "the least of these."   To indicate the kind of power we're talking about, which permeates all things and all places, we take the words from Revelation:  "Behold, I am making all things new."  In the Greek, as regular readers of this blog would recognize, the tenses read more literally, "I am always making all things new."  It is Christ whose work permeates into the "least of these" moments of our lives, to the absolute level of being, to the most intimate secret of the heart.  It is in His love and care we take refuge, and in Him we live and move and have our being.  This is the power we trust and know in our Lord, and His great superseding love that supports the abundant life He offers to the world.  As Logos, He wants what is truly good for all, even in the times we don't.

Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick

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

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

- John 11:1-16

Yesterday, we read that, at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), Jesus had declared to the leadership, "I and My Father are one."  Then the Pharisees took up stones again to stone Him -- the same who had done so at the previous festival (in autumn, the Feast of Tabernacles).  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?'  They 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 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 first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  We begin reading the story of Lazarus, whose resurrection by Jesus is the seventh and final sign of Christ's divinity in John's Gospel.  This stupendous miracle will be that which seals the religious authorities' decision to put Christ to death.   Bethany, says my study bible, is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar," which means, "God helps."  John's Gospel tells us about Mary (referring to an event described in the following chapter), and also of Christ's love for Lazarus and his sisters.

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."    This is the second time that Jesus has revealed to His disciples that what is thought of as a tragedy or affliction is meant for the glory of God.  He said the same of the blindness of the man who was blind from birth, whose healing was the sixth sign in the Gospel (see this reading).  This message, says my study bible, is sent back to the sisters Martha and Mary so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in Christ's words.  Christ will be glorified as a result of the death of Lazarus (resulting from a natural illness) and his being raised from the dead.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days int he place where He was. Jesus' delay is so that Lazarus will be dead long enough for corruption of his body to set in.  There will be no doubt of this miracle, and through it the power of the Lord will be seen by all.


Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days int he place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  Yesterday's reading, above, tells us that the religious leadership in Jerusalem has already sought twice to stone Him, and accused Him of blasphemy.  But Jesus knows where He is going and why.  Again, there is a reflection here of Jesus' earlier words at the sixth sign of this Gospel, when He healed the man blind from birth.  At that time, He said, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."    Jesus' words indicate the confidence of walking in the light of God, following God's will.

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."   On the use of the word sleep for death, see also Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:6.   Clearly this sign will be not only for all who are to come, but for the faith of His disciples as well.

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."  My study bible says that Thomas's statement is is an unwitting prophecy of his own future martyrdom.  It's also an illustration of the path that all believers must take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (see Luke 9:23-24; also 1 Corinthians 15:31).

It's interesting to follow the twists and turns of John's Gospel when it presents to us all the misunderstandings of Jesus' teaching and words.  When taken quite literally, people misunderstand.  Here, perhaps the disciples by now have begun to understand Jesus when He speaks, yet again, of walking in the day or in the light.  Perhaps they have a glimpse already of a medical tragedy that is meant so that God could be glorified through it, when He tells them that this is so about Lazarus.  But they haven't any idea what He is up to, and they can't understand at all what He means when He says that Lazarus sleeps.  When He explains to them clearly that He's talking about the death of Lazarus, Thomas says, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."   Thomas is perhaps thinking of some form of worldly glory; it reminds us of Peter (and the rest of the disciples) saying that they were ready to die with Christ as He went to His Passion, as reported in all four Gospels (see Matthew 26:35, Mark 14:31, John 13:37, Luke 22:33).  It is a common feature of John's Gospel to have people move from literal understanding to a greater understanding through Christ's teaching, and I think also we can consider that a part of the influence of the Holy Spirit in the growth of the Church.  This Gospel was written in the later part of the first century, and it seems to clearly reflect layers of meanings that would be given to the disciples, the gradual coming to an understanding of Christ's teachings and truth.  In addition, the disciple John is the one to whom Jesus' mother was entrusted.  In the tradition of the Church, as part of the long life he would subsequently lead, he would be in Ephesus in an early Christian community and with Mary the mother of Christ.  What we can infer from the history of such a trusted friend and beloved disciple is John's closeness to Christ and his inner circle; we can read in the Gospel Jesus' love for the family of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.   Perhaps the repeated illustration of Christ's speaking style is also a reflection of this type of intimate knowledge of Jesus.  John has also given us several Epistles and the Revelation, received during a period of exile on the island of Patmos.  Whether written by a disciple of John or the elderly John himself matters little in terms of the understanding conveyed here, the familiarity it gives us both with Christ and also of the layers of truth conveyed in His teachings and included in the life of the Church that was to come.  We are given depth and understanding -- and what it means to walk in the light while we have the light.  John is also the apostle who teaches us that our faith is all about love.  Let us be truly grateful.

Do you want to be made well?

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

- John 5:1-18

Yesterday, we read that after the two days Jesus departed from the town of the Samaritan woman and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Tradition teaches that this feast was the Jewish Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, a celebration of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.  Throughout the chapter, there are references to the Law of Moses which affirm this interpretation.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. My study bible says that this was a double--basin pool which has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area (near the Sheep Gate).  The water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs.  It was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before slaying them.  In the pool, commentators see a type of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for healing after an angel touched it.  The waters were special because they were an indirect way of participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple (the lambs were washed in the water).  But grace was limited only to the first person to enter.  In the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations and in direct participation in Christ's sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6), without the mediation of angels.  Therefore, says my study bible, baptism grants the healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body, with inexhaustible grace.

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who states that Jesus singled out this particular man who had waited thirty-eight years in order to teach us to have perseverance.  It is also a type of judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a shorter time.  Jesus' question, "Do you want to be made well?" is relevant for several reasons.  It makes a public display of his great faith -- even in a seemingly hopeless situation.  How could he ever be first into the water?  It draws attention away from the water and toward the need for a man to help us, which is fulfilled in Christ Himself, who became Man to heal all people.  Finally it focuses attention on the fact that not everyone who is ill, in one sense or another, actually truly wants healing.  Some really may prefer to remain infirm for various reasons.  There's a  hidden "benefit" in being able to complain, to avoid responsibility for various things in one's life, or to continue to receive the pity of others, for example. In many ways, becoming well is another kind of challenge in the change of life it may entail.

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  My study bible tells us that although the Law itself doesn't specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, it is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:27 and explicitly in rabbinical teachings.  That Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made clear by His command to "take up your bed and walk" and also the man's obedience to it.  We recall that in John's Gospel the term Jews is used to refer to the leadership and not the people.  (By the time this Gospel was written, persecution in the synagogues had become very fierce.  "Jews" is used as a sort of title of political party affiliation.  All people in this story are Jews.)   My study bible points to the malice of the leaders evident in the story.  Their sole focus is on the violation of the Sabbath, searching for the Man who gave the command to "Take up your bed" while completely ignoring the miraculous healing. 

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  We note the healed man was found by Jesus in the temple.  It shows he is a man of great faith, gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than leaving for someone's home or the marketplace, says my study bible.  There may be a general connection, a note tells us, between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), but it's not always direct; that is, one-to-one, for the innocent frequently suffer, and the guilty are often spared earthly suffering.  (See also Jesus' comment in John 9:1-3.)  However, sometimes our sins do lead directly to our own problems and suffering in this world.  Chrysostom comments that such is the case with this man.  But Christ's warning applies to all.  This man has been given a gift of great grace.  To fail to refrain from sin would be to repudiate  God's gift.  My study bible says that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  The great hope is to flee from sin altogether. 

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  The man witnesses that it is Jesus who healed him; his testimony is not given in malice.  Regardless of what the leadership's aims were, the man testifies to Jesus' goodness, that He made him well, and does not speak of the command to carry his bed.  Jesus' statement is clearly one of equality.  In Monday's reading, Jesus will continue His teaching on this subject.

We see the 'wondrous' events that we link with the Old Testament; the water that is stirred by the angel, the people awaiting God's grace by the Sheep Gate, the tie with the sacrificial lambs and the Christ who is to come.  As a sort of parallel to Simeon in the temple just after Christ's birth, the person in need in today's reading is an older man, who has been awaiting his salvation for thirty-eight years.  In a sense, he is all of Israel who has been awaiting this light, in a group perhaps with both Simeon and Anna (see again Luke 2:22-38).  Awaiting the New Covenant, for baptism for forgiveness of sins, for healing, for reconciliation, for the true Light of Israel.  And here is Jesus, the One who stands in for the Law and is both Lord of the Law and of the Sabbath, with a new command, "Take up your bed and walk."  This question, "Do you want to be made well?" comes in that context as one that is far more profound that merely asking this man if he wishes to be healed of his physical infirmity.  Indeed, one assumes his illness is a paralysis of some type, and paralysis has often been used as a metaphor for sin, in that with sin we are "stuck" in some type of behavior and unable to move forward, so to speak.  All of these elements -- of full healing and redemption, deliverance from sin, the forward movement into the journey of faith -- are present here as metaphor for all of Israel and the extension of this light into the rest of the world.  The man waiting for help and healing is in a metaphorical sense all of the world, stuck in sin, and clinging to a slim hope, in need of help and deliverance.  It reminds us that sin is a difficult problem, an affliction, one with multiple and terrible consequences of suffering, whether we look on an individual life mired in difficulties, or at the whole of the world.  Our help comes first of all from the Lord, without whom we can do nothing.  Christ's healing may even set us apart from others, but apart from Him there is no healing.  We look upon a world full of problems.  Let us remember on whom we rely for help to even begin to address them, and the value of the gift we've been given.  Sometimes that is hard to see.  But we must remember these men and women who awaited the Light and rejoiced to see it.