Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

 

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  

"Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen,

My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

I will put My Spirit upon Him,

And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.

He will not quarrel nor cry out,

Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 

 A bruised reed He will not break, 

And smoking flax He will not quench,

Till He sends forth justice to victory;

And in His name Gentiles will trust." 

 

- Matthew 12:15-21 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.  

 

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.   That Jesus knew it is a reference to the final verse in yesterday's reading (above), in which we were told that the Pharisees have now begun to plot against Him, how they might destroy Him.   

 

Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.

He will not quarrel nor cry out,  nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust."  St. Matthew quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4.  My comments that Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah.  It states that the reasons for this secrecy include, first of all, the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders (as noted above regarding the plotting of the Pharisees against Him.  Additionally, there is the people's misunderstanding and widespread expectation of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader.  Finally, our Lord wishes to evoke genuine faith, which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  In this quotation from the Old Testament, we can read that the prophet Isaiah had foreseen the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost ("in His name Gentiles will trust").  

 

 The prophet Isaiah writes, "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him . . .."  The beautiful poetry of this prophesy teaches us so much about Jesus.  The first word to describe Him here is Servant, teaching us all about Christ and His mission.  We know from His ministry that in all things He serves the Father, bowing His human will with His divine identity in obedience to the Father's will.  As His faithful, we also understand Him not simply as a Servant to God but also to all of humankind and to all of creation, for His mission and ministry in the world gave us Resurrection, and we know that He gave His human life "for the life of the world" (John 6:51).  His entire ministry, His teachings, His healings, His exorcism, His sharing His power with His own servants (see this reading) -- all testify to His life as a Servant of the world in every way, and He continues to serve us as Lord, in the mysteries of the Church and in all we depend upon as those who put our faith in Him.  Christ is called My Beloved, and we know He is the beloved Son.  If we look to the divine revelation, or theophany, manifest at Christ's Baptism, we see these words of Isaiah echoed in the voice of the Father:  "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).   These words of God the Father are repeated at the Transfiguration, also a theophany (Matthew 17:5).  Of course, we are all familiar with the Spirit "descending like a dove and alighting upon" Christ at His Baptism (Matthew 3:16-17).  That God declares through Isaiah, "I will put My Spirit upon Him" is a declaration of anointing.  It is a sign of Christ being at once our great High Priest and King (our King of kings and Lord of lords), and Messiah.  Isaiah foresaw these truths, and in Christ's life they are manifested, and they continue to manifest in the Church, as we each may be anointed with the Spirit of God to live our lives in imitation of Him, to be transformed into His image for us.  Let us consider how deep and how true this reality goes for us.  As we have recently read, and we read from this portion of Isaiah's prophesy, this great Savior is One who is also "meek and lowly of heart"; He does not need to prove who He is, but He lives who He is, and shows us by every manifestation this reality, even in His humility and courage and love for us.

 

 

 

In My Father's house are many mansions

 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me. 

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

- John 14:1-14

On Saturday, we read that when Judas had gone out from the Passover Supper to betray Him, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.  If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.  Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer.  You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come,' so now I say to you.  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."  Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."   My study bible comments that many mansions is a word-picture.  It illustrates for us an abundance of living accommodations around a central courtyard.  "Mansions" also speaks of the multitude of blessings, it adds, that await those who enter the Kingdom of God. 

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."  My study bible comments on Jesus' teaching here that the way we reach the Father is forever established in the Person and work of the Son.  The Son is the truth because HE is the unique revelation of the Father.  It says that Christ is the life who became Man so that we might have life, and as He is our life, not even death can hinder us from coming to Him.  It is only in Christ that we can come to know the Father -- because Christ is the Person who is truth, and He is life.

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  Jesus says that he who has seen Me has seen the Father.  My study bible comments that this means that our own response to Christ will determine our relationship to the Father.  In other words, if we reject Christ, then we will not find the Father.  If we believe in Christ and follow Him, then we ourselves will become "children of God," who live eternally in the love of the Father (1:12).   Although human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), the incarnate Son is Himself the precise image of the Father (Colossians 1:15).  Christ does not declare Himself to be the Father; He is not the Father.  Instead, He is declaring here that He and the Father are one in essence, and undivided in nature.  At the same time, they are distinct Persons in the Trinity.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."   My study bible comments that Jesus' remarks citing greater works that will be done indicates that Christ's working through human beings after Pentecost is greater than His performing sings and wonders directly.  These works, which are testified to in the Book of Acts, include spreading the gospel throughout the world, miraculous healings, and raising the dead. 

"And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."  My study bible says that to pray in Christ's name doesn't just mean that we attach the phrase "in Jesus' name we pray" at the end of prayers.  But to pray in Christ's name means to pray in accordance with His will.  My study bible uses the example of an emissary of a king.  Such an emissary or representative can only be said to be speaking in the name of the a king if he is indeed saying what the king would want him to say.  So it's the same with the name of Christ:  to pray in His name is to pray in accordance with what He wants.  My study bible adds that the purpose here is not to get God to do our will, but rather for us to learn to pray properly, according to God's will (Matthew 6:10). 

Jesus speaks of how those who have seen Him have seen the Father.  Over and over again, and particularly in His disputes with the leadership in Jerusalem, Jesus has emphasized His union with the Father.  He is, for us, the revelation of the Father to the world.  Through Christ, we know that God is love (1 John 4:8).  Surely the Psalms and the Old Testament Scriptures also testify to a loving and merciful God.  But Christ embodies in human form the reality of the Father for us, His Person -- although, He is not the Father.  Through His living actions, His choices, and especially His words, He reveals to us the Father.  How does this happen?  Here in today's reading, Jesus tells us Himself:  "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works."   Through what He says and what He does, Christ reveals the Father.  He is in intimate communion with the Father, and lives His human life -- meets all its challenges and demands, makes every decision, and does every work -- in accordance with the will of the Father, within that communion.  Jesus goes on to promise that we also, through faith, may in fact do the same.  In today's reading, He asks Philip, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?"   In chapter 6, Jesus taught, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (6:56).   In other words, as He teaches here that He abides in the Father, so He also offers us to abide in Him.  The entire substance of His Farewell Discourse can in some sense be summed up in this theme, and particularly when we get into the verses in the next chapter.  But here is the promise, not only that we have indeed seen the Father:  we have Christ's words and His works which are given to do by the Father.  But also there is the command that extends this promise, that we may abide in Him.  We may also ask in His name, as my study bible explains, by living in accordance with His will, and do even greater works also by abiding in Him and living according to His word, so that God is glorified and revealed even through us as His disciples.  Let us consider the communion into which we are invited as we allow His words to sink down into us, and their implications for our own lives.  This is His Farewell Discourse given to the disciples, and by extension to all of us who come and seek to dwell in His house with Him, and abide in Him as well.

Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

- Mark 9:30-41

On Saturday we read that when He came to the disciples (from the Mount of the Transfiguration together with Peter, John, and James), He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  For the second time in Mark's Gospel, Jesus predicts to His disciples what is going to happen to Him - His death and Resurrection.  My study bible notes that this shows them that He is going to His Passion freely, and not being taken against His will.   Again, after a dispute (He returned from the Transfiguration to find His disciples disputing with some scribes in Saturday's reading, above), Jesus withdraws, not wanting anyone to know He was passing through Galilee. 

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."   Perhaps because they believe that Jesus' warnings indicate that the manifestation of the Kingdom is near, the disciples dispute (out of His hearing) who among them would be the greatest in the Kingdom, a concern for worldly position rather than a focus on the dire news Jesus has given them.  My study bible calls it a selfish interest in worldly power.  Jesus points to a little child as the model of true discipleship, emphasizing the virtues that are required for greatness in His kingdom.  My study bible names among those virtues humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.   Greatness, in this picture, is the capacity for service, humility, and love without regard for position -- and the capacity to see Christ and the Father in those of the least worldly standing who are received in His name. 

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."   One patristic commentator (Theophylact) suggests that John's comment is a regret, expressed after hearing Jesus' teaching on receiving even "little children" in His name.  On the other hand, St. Ambrose comments that John expects full obedience to accompany these blessings.  But either way, Jesus' response teaches that none of those acting in good faith are excluded, even if not currently numbered among the disciples, my study bible tells us.  Theophylact writes, in a commentary on this story in Luke, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples."   (On those using Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23; Acts 19:13-16). 

It's interesting to think about Jesus' statements here.  First He once again warns the disciples that He will be killed, and on the third day He will rise.  They can't truly take in this news, but somehow they understand its significance -- so much so, that they enter into dispute among themselves about who would hold the greatest position among them.  It's as if the sin of pride, a focus on competition, takes immediate precedence among them.  Even in the midst of bad news, it follows here that humility becomes the foundation for what will come next.  Everything they do must be done in His name, and all received in His name must be received as if receiving Christ Himself, and the Father.  In this sense, while they hear news of His death to come, there is an expansion of His living ministry in the ways in which they will receive those who are to come after His death.  "His name" will expand in even the least who are received, His presence assured in them.  In the teaching that comes afterward, they learn that His name expands to include even those not among their own immediate flock who act in good faith.  This holds true even to the extent that "whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."   The name of Christ, and our faith in the reality of His presence, assures an expansion of His work in the world, His ministry.  Sincere faith works as a network, spreading among us, and in the work of the Holy Spirit.   We note how faith is expressed through mercy, working on behalf of others ("casting out demons," working "a miracle"), extending even a cup of water in His name or to those who belong to Christ.  Through faith we are a part of something that extends without barrier, save where that faith does not exist.  Through faith God's kingdom is within us and among us.   It is in the work of the Holy Spirit, likened to the wind by Jesus, which blows where it wishes, and we cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes (John 3:5-8).   In Jesus' description here, the smallest gesture, done in His name and for one who belongs to Him, becomes a manifestation of grace, of blessing.  In this teaching, then, there is no limit placed on this Kingdom, save the capacity for faith.  Wherever there is the love of Christ, there He is among us and within us.  We carry His name, we extend it to others, we receive Him in even the least of these.  These are the assurances we need to know about His presence, His family among which we may number ourselves and within which we dwell.  Like the true neighbor in the story of the Good Samaritan, let us note that such a life requires only our own initiative, we need wait for no one to invite us in; the door is opened to those who can respond with love and faith in His word.

Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desire to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

- Mark 9:30-41

Yesterday, we read that when came to the disciples (having come from the mountain of the Transfiguration with James, John, and Peter), He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.   Once again a secret is revealed to the disciples, but in a hidden way (He did not anyone to know He was passing through Galilee).  Not only is He Messiah, but they must understand He will be betrayed, killed, and He will rise on the third day.  This is the second time He predicts His Passion and Resurrection for the disciples; they will understand He goes freely.

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.   The disciples seem to understand, given the confession and recognition that He is Messiah, that the message of the Kingdom is imminent.  They just don't seem to understand how that Kingdom will be manifest, and how they will play their roles in the Kingdom.  Who would be the greatest is a question of who the "great men" will be in a worldly kingdom, who will have prestige, authority, and power.  They kept silent when Jesus asked what they were disputing; clearly there is some embarrassment over having disputed this question.

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."    Jesus teaches them about greatness in His kingdom.  They must first of all recognize their duties.  They must see even a little child they receive -- indicating all those who come in the faith of "childlike humility and simplicity" (in the words of my study bible), that is, all those who are poor in spirit -- as if they were receiving not only Christ Himself, but also even the Father.   This is the first lesson they must realize in their places as those who would be great in His kingdom.

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  It's important to understand these statements in context.  Jesus has shown them a little child -- symbolizing all the "little ones" who will come to them in His name, and in order to teach how they must receive them.  Here John's remark about someone who does not follow them who was casting out demons in Christ's name is meant as a question:  Does His teaching include even those who are not a part of their group?  Theophylact has commented that John's remark is voiced as regret:  his conscience is pricked by what Christ has said about the "little ones."  On the other hand, my study bible notes St. Ambrose, who sees John as expecting full obedience.  But in both cases, Jesus' response expresses that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they aren't numbered among the disciples.  My study bible quotes Theopylact as saying, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples."

It is intriguing to consider Jesus' words in today's reading.  He tells His disciples, "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  This is a statement about a communion between people, between all those who have faith in Him.  We see a kind of reciprocal action:  there are those who will give even a cup of water in the name of Christ.  Because they who receive belong to Christ -- the giver will by no means lose his reward.  There is reciprocal action here in the sense that each party plays a role in that communion, and thereby through each there is a blessing received.  Christ prompts us to charitable action; at the same time we see in the heart of any believer that we give a gift to Christ Himself.  (Please note that this recognition does not eliminate our understanding that we are also to love to our enemies and to pray for them.)  There are many in the world today who suffer for the love of Christ, even who are persecuted in His name.  We can look around the world at those who would target specifically those who are Christian, who profess faith in Christ.  What is our responsibility in recognizing the suffering of these people?  I think first of all we must see the mystical connection that Christ makes between those who have faith in Him.  This is not a complicated question.  It is a question of recognizing the love of Christ at work in each heart that embraces Him.  It is faith that makes the connection, faith that has to shape our identity as part of His Kingdom.  It is really a question of how we are to relate to one another in this Kingdom.  Who are the least of these?  Do we stand by and do nothing to help?  Are our concerns not also with His Kingdom wherever it may take root?  It is important that we recognize God's love in the love of Christ, important that we see it is in loving Christ that the Kingdom roots itself in the world.   This is where we meet, where blessings are given and received.  There is no question, in Christ's words, that a denial of such reception is also a denial not only of Himself, but of the Father.  This opens up a multitude of questions we can ask of ourselves.  How do we live our faith and understand that the "little ones" may be found anywhere in the world?  Can we recognize their need?  Can we recognize their suffering?  Do we lose them in the general need of the world, or is it a tragedy for those who seek to bear this Kingdom to be lost to the world?  Do we overlook them to be "fair"?  Does that not mean we overlook Him?  How do we receive them?

Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

- John 2:13-25

In yesterday's reading, we read about the wedding in Cana. Jesus, His mother, and His disciples were there. When they ran out of wine at the wedding, Jesus' mother said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus asked what this had to do with Him or her. "My hour has not yet come," He told her. His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." At the wedding were six large waterpots of stone, for ritual purification. Jesus told the servants to fill them to the brim with water. Then He told them to draw some out and take it to the master of the feast. The master of the feast told the bridegroom, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. Then Jesus, His mother, brothers and disciples went for a short time to Capernaum.

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In John's Gospel, we will read about three different Passover feasts Jesus attends during His ministry. Scholars believe this three year span is historically accurate. My study bible points out that "Jesus performs His miracles during the major Jewish feasts, demonstrating that the Old Law is fulfilled in Jesus Himself." As a devout Jew, He worships at Jerusalem during the feasts.

And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. In the other Gospels, this incident takes place during Holy Week, just before His Passion. But John places it at the beginning of Jesus' ministry. St. John Chrysostom believed that there were actually two such cleansings of the temple, at the beginning and at the end of Jesus' ministry. My study bible notes that, "by transferring this incident from Holy Week (where it is related in the synoptic Gospels) to the beginning of Jesus' ministry, John emphasizes that Jesus' ministry is not, like that of the prophets, merely to renew faith under the Old Covenant. Rather, He is instituting a new kind of worship altogether." Jesus' public ministry is startling in this context, opening, in a sense, with a violent act. He's shaking things up. Confrontation with the established order is necessary from the beginning.

And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." Here is the fulfillment of a prophecy about Him. Jesus is stating quite clearly something powerful and unavoidable: the gifts of God to us don't have a price-tag to put upon them. They're not exploitable. They're not merchandise, commodities. They are given by grace and through God's love. God's truth is not for sale. My study bible says, "By this cleansing, Jesus vigorously protects the purity of worship against commercialism. Likewise, He zealously desires His Church to be a holy, pure house of prayer."

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?" But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said. Here we begin the refrain of the leadership: "Show us a sign." Jesus' ministry already has signs (such as in yesterday's reading of the wedding at Cana), and will have many more. But the authorities demand proofs of His identity and authority; they will show their lack of capacity for faith. In Matthew's Gospel, we've just read that false witnesses will arise against Jesus for making this statement. He was also mocked while being crucified for the same.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. John's Gospel tells us that after all, there are many people who believed in His name after seeing the signs He did. But He doesn't trust Himself to them; He understands what they are about. And this is clearly the problem with a reliance on signs. Faith is the real key to understanding who He is and what His authority is. My study bible says, "In His divine foreknowledge Jesus knew many were misreading His signs."

There are a lot of elements to consider in today's reading. There's first of all the violent explosion upon the consciousness of all at the temple of this cleansing by Jesus. It makes a great impact, startles and shakes things up. He's not the usual preacher! He acts with authority and command of Messiah. He challenges things in a profound way. Furthermore He makes a bold pronouncement (quoting Scripture) against commodifying what is holy: "Do not make my Father's house a house of merchandise!" God's holy things are only "bought and sold" by those who think like thieves, who cannot understand the power of true faith which is of the heart and soul. He makes a bold prediction of the greatest sign of all, His Resurrection, and yet it will be misused, misunderstood and misinterpreted by those without faith in Him. So this statement is like His preaching in parables: it's for those with ears to hear, hearts that can receive it. In one of the endless ironies of the Gospels, the sign the leadership demands is one they cannot read. And yet, there's still more: there are those here who believe in His name because of His many signs (what they are, we're not told -- John will report seven in all), and yet Jesus in turn does not trust them, does not commit Himself to them, because He knows all men and what is in their hearts. Jesus has no need of testimony about anyone: He has the knowledge already and the gift of absolute discernment. So we have to think again about relationship in this context. How would you know Christ and understand His authority? How do we resist the powerful human impulse to commodify everything, to turn everything into something to exploit, put a price on? For that we truly do need eyes to see, the right spiritual eyes. We need to find a value that's not in money, but of the heart. And that's where we need the eyes to see with faith. Otherwise, we'll never get it, we'll miss it. How does Jesus' faith challenge you and shake you up? What things do you treasure so much that they can't have a price put on them? What's worth selling all for and cherishing in your heart above everything else? What comes first? Jesus challenges the temple authorities, He shakes up the established order. What is He challenging them to see and to know? Ultimately, they will all seek to judge the One who is truly the Judge, and in whom all things are reconciled. How does His faith shake up your life? What does He teach you to love?

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 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."

- John 3:16-21

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught Nicodemus about baptism, and about being reborn again with water and the Spirit in order to enter the heavenly spiritual realm. He said, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." As they spoke, Jesus told Nicodemus that no one knows of the deeper mysteries of heavenly things except He who has come from above. He added, "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." In today's reading, Jesus continues His teaching to 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." The power and beauty of this statement permeates through the many layers of meaning in the teachings to Nicodemus. First, there is the sense in which we cannot enter into a heavenly kingdom unless we first are a part of that realm or that currency; we must be reborn in Spirit in order to do so. There must be something in ourselves that can live in a such a realm. And further, He will be "lifted up" as a sign to defeat that which is against that heavenly kingdom, and active in the world, and keeps human beings from being able to find the entrance to the kingdom for themselves. Finally, the "lifting up" is a true sign of eternal life in this kingdom, and done "so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." It all comes full circle with this statement above: the love of God is absolute and the beginning of all. It is so powerful and so overwhelming of all other things that God has sent His Son in order that we may have eternal life, and rest in Him and His kingdom. The spiritual reality of this mission is so that we may live with Him, in eternal reality.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." The full meaning and purpose of this mission is for salvation, for all of us to fully live - to have life as an eternal gift and reality for ourselves. It is so He may keep us all with Him, and lose none.

"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." A complex and difficult saying, but in some sense clear in the understanding of what has come before. Unless we become "like" that kingdom, how do we dwell in it? And how will we dwell in that spiritual reality if we have rejected it already? How do we become a part of its eternal life? The "name" here is very important, because it gives us a sense of belonging to a kingdom, the same way that any king or emperor or earthly kingdom of power may stamp its "name" on something and claim it as a part of its reality. If that "name" is rejected, how then does one belong to that kingdom, or how can one live as a part of it? Faith, or trust, is a sign of our acceptance of that authority.

"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." My study bible says here: "A profound insight: Goodness and a pure heart welcome the light, whereas evil deeds and malice resist the light and seek to hide in the darkness." I think the phrases here touch on an even deeper reality, that of the experiential nature of real faith and its power working in us. There is a kind of recognition that happens within ourselves that sparks faith. It depends upon what we love. If the "plank in our own eye" is so great that we are stuck in love for that, and it becomes an obstacle to spiritual sight, then we have in effect rejected the good. If we continue to act against what is good, then this is what we have embraced, put first, in our choices. It depends upon what our treasure is, where our heart is.

What we learn from today's lesson is manifold: we are a part of kingdom if we are reborn in Spirit, like meets like. But it depends also upon our choice: what do we love? Can we see the act of love in Christ's great sacrifice, and understand the sign of God's love as He is lifted up? Can we know who we are in this kingdom, in Christ, and find our way toward Him through love and trust? Or do we reject it all, and remain outside of it? Whatever way you look at today's reading, one thing is clear: He wants us with Him, in an eternal embrace and in love and trust. Which do you choose? What obstacles stand in your way?