And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites

 

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 

 

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your  Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

 

- Matthew 6:1-6 

 

We are reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain  on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."  As we begin chapter 6 of St. Matthew's Gospel, here Jesus begins to present three most basic aspects of spiritual life.  In today's reading, He begins with charitable giving, and will also begin to speak about prayer; in subsequent verses He will also speak of fasting.  These three disciplines, my study Bible says, are related directly to God's righteousness.  The original meaning of "hypocrite," we're told, was "actor."  (The word means "below the mask" with the mask representing an attitude -- as in the masks that ancient actors wore onstage to delineate their character.)   Hypocrite, my study Bible tells us, are play-actors who practice piety for show, who desire to please other people rather than God.  They are those who may wear a mask of compassion but are inwardly heartless.  For such their reward is the applause or glory from men.  To sound a trumpet before oneself was a way of conveying a public message; ironically such public announcements in the Greek-speaking world were called evangelia, meaning "good news" -- a word translated as "gospels."

 

"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  My study Bible comments that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves.  It says that God will reward good deeds when they are based on pure motives of the heart.  Perhaps we should consider that the word translated as charitable is ἐλεημοσύνη/eleimosini, from the root word meaning "mercy" (ἔλεος/eleos).  So our charitable acts might be defined as the practice of merciful deeds, whatever form that takes.

 

 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your  Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."   We will add here the next verse (from tomorrow's reading), "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words."  My study Bible notes that the hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, which it describes as an intimate, personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and this vision.  Vain repetitions cannot establish such communion, because God does not need our "babble."  My study Bible adds, importantly, that to partake of this communion, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore, we pray always (Luke 18:1) and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Moreover, it's noted that Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se, but here teaches instead that words must express the desire for communion with God.  In the following reading for tomorrow, Jesus will give us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father).  It's not repetition itself that is condemned, but vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).  Additionally, true prayer is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Neither is it appearing to be pious in front of others.  My study Bible describes true prayer as first of all humble (go into your room); it is personal (pray to your Father); and it is sincere (do not use vain repetitions).

 

 So what are vain repetitions?  Perhaps they are repeated prayers like magical incantations, and we must distinguish between this kind of repetition and what prayer is and does.  In the Orthodox tradition (which those of other denominations are also using today) is the Jesus Prayer practice.  This itself is the repetition of a very short prayer (sometimes these are called "arrow prayers" in tradition).  The common form of this prayer today is "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  But it has historically taken on many forms and can be used in other forms, such as, "Lord have mercy," for example, which so often intersperses our worship services.  In the period of earliest monasticism, psalm verses were repeated, particularly, "Lord make haste to help me; Lord make speed to save me."  (For more on the Jesus Prayer practice see this site, or this one.)  The purpose of such repetition is a focus on prayer which draws us into the presence of God; in fact it is also sometimes called the practice of the presence of God.  In such prayer we draw our thoughts to God, even in the midst of tribulation or difficulty, and other thoughts that wander astray in our minds.  The very purpose of such short, repeated arrow prayers is to redirect our mind to God, and indeed, in the words of the Jesus Prayer, we find that we are inviting Christ in to whatever circumstances are in our lives, or in our hearts.  We simply continue to "recollect" ourselves by the repetition of the prayer, and orient ourselves to proper communion with God.  Again, in this Orthodox prayer tradition, we find writings which teach us of this practice of praying with "the mind in the heart."  That is, the prayer is meant to deepen within us through time and practice, reaching into the places of the heart, so that we are inviting Christ in with our arrow prayers, even to the places we might not always be aware of within ourselves.  This becomes a direct way to invite repentance, for as the prayer deepens, we also encounter our own resistance, and the places where God enters to change our perspective, and "change our minds" -- the literal meaning of repentance.  In this we return also to the depths of the laws of love behind the entire Sermon on the Mount.  As Jesus has just finished focusing on the Law and its deeper interpretation to cover even the things of the heart, such as anger and lust, so we enter into this theme of prayer in the heart.  Moreover, these developments of internal prayer are directly related to Christ's teachings against hypocrisy as well, for they invite us in to discover what we might even be masking from ourselves, so that we may invite Christ and God's grace in so that we are healed.  In this way, let us go forward and pay attention to what He teaches, in our prayers and charitable acts.

 

 

The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1–13 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His discourse to the religious leaders, giving them four witnesses to His identity as the Son:  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings how will you believe My words?"

 

  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  The lectionary skips over chapter 6 of John's Gospel, in which Jesus taught about Himself as the Bread of Life, giving an extensive foundation for the Eucharist.  It will return to chapter 6 after next week.  So these things is a reference to the many events in chapter 6 which further alienated Christ from the religious leaders, and even from many of His followers.  Once again, the term the Jews here, as is most often the case in John's Gospel, is a reference to the religious leadership and not to the people.  The author of this Gospel was also a Jew, as was Jesus, His disciples, and indeed all the people we read about, with exceptions which are usually clearly specified.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (called Sukkot in Hebrew) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  It is a commemoration of the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or tabernacles, sometimes referred to also as booths. Together with Passover and Pentecost, my study Bible explains, this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, it also included on the final day of the feast the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam (referenced in this chapter).  This water was mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as purification and in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Additionally on the final, eighth day, there was the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple, commemorating the pillar of light that led the Israelites, and illuminating the whole city of Jerusalem.  All of these will be reflected in Jesus' preaching and the events of this chapter, which will cover eight days during this festival.  It is now the final year of Christ's earthly life.  Throughout this festival, He will teach in the temple and attract a great deal of public attention, as we will see. 

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. Jesus' brothers could be any number of extended family or kin.  In Scripture, and still today across the Near and Middle East, "brother" is used this way.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  My study Bible explains that Christ Himself had no blood brothers, for Mary had only one Son: Jesus.  These "brothers" are either stepbrothers (sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or they are cousins.  As further evidence of this, we look to Jesus committing the care of His mother to John at the Cross (John 19:25-27).  In the context of the culture, had Mary had other children to care for her, this would have been unthinkable.  

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.   Not openly, my study Bible explains, means not with a grand, public entrance as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  We can see already the effects of Jesus' public appearance at the festival.  We see that right from His arrival, the religious leaders seek Him.  There are those who think He is good and others who believe that He deceives the people.  But no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders, among whom there are those who already sought to kill Him (verse 1, above).

 

 What a controversy Jesus stirs up!  It is now the final year of His life, but already His preaching and teaching -- even before He arrives at this festival -- has stirred an enormous amount of controversy and extreme opinions, from those who are devoted to Him as disciples to those who already seek to kill Him among the religious leaders.  From the text of this Gospel, we may deduce that such opinions run the gamut of interest and passionate debate.  Note that such discussion among the people must be done in a hidden or secret way, for fear of the religious authorities, adding to the atmosphere of controversy and danger.  This tells us something important about truth, related to what we read in the beginning of John's Gospel.  John 1:4-5 tells us about the Son, the Logos (or Word), "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  That darkness that neither understands nor can fully "take in" or overcome the light of truth and life also resists, and it does so voraciously.  If we think about this in these metaphoric terms, we know that light extinguishes darkness altogether, and makes it disappear.  So it is with those who resist or fight Christ's truth.  So identified with whatever darkness cannot stand in that light are they, that they must fight tooth and nail, even to the death, to extinguish the light for their perceived survival.  So much so, that they feel they must seek to kill Him because He poses a threat to their way of life.  We can see this with truth of different levels in our world, society, communities, and families.  Secrets that some wish to keep hidden, because they cover up things that are wrong, become a type of shibboleth -- depending upon how dearly we cling to lies we think are necessary for us.  There have been elements in my own life that the light of Christ has exposed to me, made necessary for me to identify, and change, and from which to distance myself.  Some of these have been very hard and painful processes, but in the end there is the necessary trade off for what Christ offers instead.  So it is with those who seek to kill Christ.  We also see the depth of controversy that inescapably surrounds Him, which include rumors, misunderstandings, and in the long dynamic of the Church and religious controversy, a host of heresies that continually come to light and must be addressed.  This is a process that began long ago in the earliest Church and continues now. Jesus says to His brothers, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil."  Sometimes, simply by bearing His light as best we can, we also give such testimony.  St. Paul compared discipleship with the struggles of an athlete competing for victory in a race.  Let us be prepared for our own race, our own good fight of faith.

 

 

 

 

 

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly

 

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  

"In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. 

Amen. 

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

 

- Matthew 6:1-16 

 

This week we have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in preparation for Lent, which begins next week.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let hi have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."  Today we begin chapter 6 of St. Matthew's Gospel.  In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents what my study Bible says are the three most basic aspects of spiritual living:  charitable giving; prayer; and fasting.  These three disciples relate directly to God's righteousness, the righteousness of the Kingdom.  The original meaning of "hypocrite" was "actor" (meaning "below the mask," as in the masks worn by actors in the ancient plays).  Hypocrites, my study Bible comments, are play-actors practicing piety for show; those who wish to please other people rather than God.  These are people who wear masks of compassion, but are inwardly heartless.  Their reward is the applause of other people and nothing more.  

"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  My study Bible says that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves.  God will reward good deeds when they're based upon pure motives of the heart.  

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."   The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, my study Bible says, which is an intimate and personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and this vision.  Vain repetitions don't establish such communion, as God doesn't need "babble."  To participate in this communion, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore we pray always (Luke 18:1), and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Christ isn't condemning the use of many words per se, my study Bible says, but rather is teaching that words must express the desire for communion with God.  In today's reading, He gives us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father).  It's not repetition itself that is condemned, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).   True prayer, then, is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Nor is it all about appearing pious before other people.  True prayer is first of all, humble (go into your room).  It is personal (pray to your Father), and also sincere (do not use vain repetitions).

 

 "In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  My study Bible explains that the Father-Son relationships within the Holy Trinity reveals our own potential relationship with God.  Christ, who is the Son of God, grants us this privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" (regardless of human gender) a Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ does the Father.  We should also take note that God is not our Father just because we were created by God.  This Fatherhood is for those who are in a saving and personal relationship with God, which is a communion that only comes by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  

"Give us this day our daily bread."  My study Bible explains to us that daily is a misleading translation of a Greek word ἐπιούσιος/epiousios which means literally "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  The expression daily bread is therefore something that's not just a request for bread for the present day, for earthly nourishment.  This is a plea regarding the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  This living, supersubstantial bread is nothing less than Christ Himself. 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  The request to be forgiven here is plural; it is therefore directing us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  Debts refers to spiritual debts.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  God does not tempt anyone to sin (James 1:13); rather, temptations are from the evil one. That is, from the devil.  My study Bible describes temptations as that which are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, it notes, but we pray that great temptations -- that is, tests which are beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13) -- should not come to us.  

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Christ here insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness, my study Bible comments.  Those who do not forgive are not forgiven.  This is a teaching which Jesus repeats in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which Jesus concludes with the same teaching. 

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."  To keep a sad countenance as a show of one's fasting is a kind of external display, but one which Jesus rejects as hypocrisy.  My study Bible comments that, for the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort.  Fasting, it says, is for spiritual growth and the glory of God, not done in order to be seen by others around us.  Also, we must keep in mind that fasting is not just about abstinence from food, but it's all about self-denial in any area of life in order to escape being controlled by our passions.  An Orthodox hymn sung on the eve of Great Lent declares, "Let us abstain from passions as we abstain from food."   St. John Chrysostom has written, "What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?"

 

There are several aspects of self-denial we might want to focus on as we enter into the Lenten period.  For the Orthodox family of Churches, Lent begins on Monday.  For Western Churches, it begins on Wednesday.   Lent has historically been a period of abstinence and resisting temptation, echoed and patterned after Christ's forty days in the wilderness fasting and resisting the temptations of the devil (see Matthew 4:1-11).  Traditionally Lent was a time of abstinence and withdrawal.  In a sense, fasting is a period in which we refrain from ostentatious meals and time spent in pursuit of ingredients and preparation.  We're given to a kind of period of rest in which we refrain from some normal activities in order to focus more fully on our relationship to God. Thus, we develop the practice of almsgiving at this time, and of more time in prayer and study of our faith.  We both abstain and withdraw.  It's a way to practice the discipline of saying "No" to temptations, and at the same time to become more contemplative in pursuit of our faith and participation in that personal relationship with God that prayer is all about, as my study Bible commented.  We might consider refraining from social media for a time, or even the use of our cell phones, in a modern example of how we might decide to make forms of self-denial for Lent that open up more room for God, clear a space in our lives to focus on faith.  Historical practices of fasting in the Church focus essentially on a vegan diet; that is, one that does not consume animal products.  As Lent in some way reflects our earliest ancestor's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, so this is a time in which we seek to draw closer to God, to pursue restoration of our communion with God, and to make a concerted effort against our own sin, resisting our own passions, for of such consisted our separation from God in the first place.  These practices of discipleship are all meant to help to restore communion with God, and they are given to us by Jesus Christ who is Himself "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), who made possible our communion with God and adoption as sons (read "heirs") of God.  To understand abstinence in this sense of shoring up faith, seeking to restore communion, and to do the true spiritual battle of resisting our own temptations, is to stand in good stead with Christ's teachings in today's reading.  All of these things are meant to draw us into closer communion with God, more true reliance upon Christ, and to illuminate the ways God would ask us to change, even the temptations we aren't quite aware of in ourselves.  For as disciples we are called to grow, and blessed with the grace of Christ and the Holy Spirit to help us to know that path to a deeper communion -- even union -- with God.  Let us put His teachings into practice, and see where and how, and even the surprising places, they lead us.   Let us also consider the "hidden" nature of the practices Jesus advises, that this is a period where we withdraw from showing off our faith.  He tells us to do our praying, almsgiving and fasting in secret, and seek the reward our Father who is in the secret place, and who sees in secret gives us.  For this, too, is an essential part of growing in that communion, and resisting temptation. 

 

 

 

 

 

If You do these things, show Yourself to the world

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's eucharistic teaching on the eating of His Body and Blood, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

 

  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  Today's reading begins an entire section, spanning approximately three chapters (John 7:1-10:21), which tells of Christ's visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, over a period of eight days.  This festival comes during the final year of Christ's earthly life.  During this time in Jerusalem, He taught in the temple and attracted a great deal of public attention.  My study Bible comments that some thought Him mad (John 7:20); others believed He was the Messiah (verses 31, 40); and still others (such as the Sadducees and the Pharisees) considered Him to be a threat (verses 32, 45-52).  The Jews who sought to kill Him are the religious leaders, and not the people in general.  We recall that the term "the Jews" as used in John's Gospel most often refers to the religious leaders; virtually all the people in the events spoken of in this section are Jews, including Jesus and the author of this Gospel.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival, which commemorates the time when Israel was wandering in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or "tabernacles."  Together with Passover and the Old Testament Pentecost (or the Feast of Weeks; see this reading), this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  My study Bible explains that it included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, it says, the final day of the feast included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar.  This was used both as a purification and in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock struck by Moses (Exodus 17:1-7).  It also included the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple (see 2 Maccabees 10:5-9).  Each of these events as backdrop for the actions and teachings of Christ at this festival will play an important role in understanding His ministry.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.   Christ's brothers are not children of Mary, the mother of Christ.  In Jewish usage (and even today across the Middle East), the term "brother" may be used to indicate a variety of relations.  In the Old Testament Scriptures, Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  The English word "brethren" still retains this sense of belonging to the same family or clan.  My study Bible explains that Christ Himself had no blood brothers; Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  The brothers spoken of here are either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or they are cousins.  When Christ commits His mother to the care of the disciple John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), we should understand that such an act would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.  

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible explains that not openly means not with a grand, public entrance, such as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  

John's Gospel begins to show us the disturbing signs of opposition to Christ's ministry.  And it is clearly notable that, while Christ proclaims He is sent from the Father, and that it is the Father who draws people to Him (indicating this is clearly the will of the Father), there is nonetheless a menacing opposition to what He is doing.  So threatening it is that He has declared (in yesterday's reading, above) that one of the twelve whom He has chosen, "is a devil," speaking of Judas Iscariot, who will eventually betray Him.  Jesus has also begun His final year of earthly life, which we understand because John's Gospel names the festivals at which He goes and participates in Jerusalem.  As we begin today's chapter (the beginning of a section spanning the next three chapters and events at the Feast of Tabernacles), we are given to understand that Jesus is already knowingly facing great opposition from the religious leaders in Jerusalem, who now in fact seek to kill Him.  It's an ominous beginning for this new chapter, and this final year of Christ's life.  His own brothers (His kinfolk, or extended family) also oppose Him to some extent; even they don't believe His message nor the claims of His identity.  In fact, they challenge Him to "show Himself," telling Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  This taunting challenge is, effectively a death sentence which sooner or later will manifest, given the hostility He faces in Jerusalem.  While Jesus declines to openly take up their challenge, He will, of course, face what is coming nonetheless, and go to the festival without fanfare.  Of course, nothing Jesus does can possibly go unnoticed, and everything He does only contributes to the controversies surrounding Him.  What He does is too great to be hidden.  Let us, for now, understand the deadly serious challenge He faces from men who, for the sake of their own power, will contrive to get rid of Him whatever way they can, the mocking of His own extended family, and the deep betrayal that is coming from within.  For all of these challenges face the human Jesus, who nonetheless will follow where His divine Father leads.  While He is both fully human and fully divine, we nonetheless must at the very least admire His courage, and be ever grateful for His love.  For He goes, not for Himself, but for us.

 

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary,  He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1-13 

 

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the religious authorities, who accuse Him of blasphemy for making Himself equal to the Father:  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.   The lectionary skips over chapter 6 of John's Gospel (to be read later in the Lenten period).  In chapter 6, there is the story of the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness.  When the people seek to make Him king, Jesus preaches prefiguring the Eucharist, referring to Himself as the bread of heaven, and the eating of his flesh and blood.  This dispute took place in the synagogue at Capernaum.  As a result Jesus lost many disciples.  The period of chapter 7, which we begin today, starts after these things take place.  In Jerusalem (which is located in Judea), the religious rulers plot against Him for His declaration of equality to the Father.  The term the Jews, we remember, is most often used as a political term in John's Gospel, and refers to the leaders of the people at the time, not to the Jewish people.  All the people in these stories are Jews, including Jesus and the attributed author of the Gospel, the disciple John.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The events that stretch over nearly three following chapters (John 7:1-10:21) speak of Christ's visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  The entire section covers eight days, the duration of the feast.  My study Bible comments that this festival took place during the final year of Christ earthly life.  As we will read, Jesus taught in the temple and attracted very much public attention.  Some thought He was made and other believed He was the Messiah.  Many in the religious leadership considered Him to be a threat.  Again we note that those who sought to kill Him are the religious leaders, and not the people in general.  The Feast of Tabernacles is succoth or Sukkot in Hebrew.  It is an eight-day autumn harvest festival which commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai.  At that time, the people lived in tents, or tabernacles.  My study Bible notes that together with Passover and Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks, which Jesus attended in chapter 5), this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included numerous sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, the final day also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, as purification and also in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Moreover, it included the stunning lighting of great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  Each of these events will figure as background to Jesus' teachings as we read.

 

 His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  Jesus' brothers are His relatives, and the term can indicate any number of relations.  My study Bible notes that Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14).  Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3), and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  According to our understanding, Christ had no blood brothers, as Mary had one Son, Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here are either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage) or cousins.  Indeed, even today in the Middle and Near East, the term "brother" is used to refer also to cousins and other relatives.  One revealing detail regarding the status of Jesus is His committing of His mother at the Cross to the care of His disciple John (John 19:25-27).  In the context of the culture would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her. 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary,  He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible tells us that not openly means not with a grand, public entrance, as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  Let us note the atmosphere at this feast, where Jesus is a center of controversy, but no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders, who are already known to plot against Him.

Jesus walks "quietly" and in an "unknown" way into the midst of the controversy that swirls around Him in Jerusalem.  Although He is the center of that controversy, He does not go into Jerusalem with a bold announcement of His presence.  He goes not openly, but as it were in secret.  His brothers give Him the worldly, and unbelieving, perspective:  "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  This is the perspective of that which wants proofs on demand, manipulation of images, and the grand triumphant show of spectacle.  But this is not what faith in Christ teaches.  Jesus says, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  Jesus again introduces us to this dichotomy of the worldly, and the faith-filled perspective.  He says to them that "your time is always ready."  But Christ's "time" is different.  His life is through obedience to the Father, and the right "time" for Him is the one that is produced through discernment, and by faith.  This is a type of illustration of what Christ implies when He says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  There is a particular way He must go in life, He is called for specific things and the right time to do them.  For the worldly, there is always the right time for an array of "broad" and "wide" options, with choices that look good or options for manipulation or simply a kind of thoughtless grasping at whatever might look good at the moment -- or maybe serves an agenda someone else puts in front of us, to follow the crowd.   But the way of faith, the way of discernment, is different.  There is a deeper perspective to acquire, and one that asks us for a point of view produced through an inner connection to something more than the obvious, or whatever particular thing attracts at the moment or seems like a good idea at the time.  Jesus speaks of a prayerful way of life, one in communion with something greater than ourselves, which offers goals that serve something bigger and grander, and might ask of us a sacrifice for something better that we can't immediately see in front of us.  When Jesus speaks of time in this manner, He is referring to the proper and good and fitting time for something to occur.  We note how careful He is, even distinguishing between the time to go up to Jerusalem with great fanfare and announcement of His presence, and the time to go as it were "in secret."  Although Jesus will be speaking out openly and teaching in the temple, and cause a great deal of controversy, and attracting much attention at this festival, there is still a great deal of difference between this "time" and the time that will come on Palm Sunday for what is called the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem with all of His disciples.  For now, let us consider what this means that Jesus makes such an explicit differentiation between the sense of time that is His, and the one that belongs to His unbelieving brothers.  Let us think for ourselves of times we discerned the presence of God in a particular choice, or a season of change we were only to realize later, or perhaps the proper time to sit and be quiet, to go to our inner room, and shut the door, and pray to our Father who is in the secret place and who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6), for this is also a time of great and important significance, even when no one else knows about it -- even if the worldly cannot discern its meaning or benefit.  For this is what we do when we have faith, we walk with the One in whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).  We are expected to have a dimension and meaning within our lives that isn't obvious to everyone, but that nonetheless makes a great deal of difference -- at times perhaps prompting us to speak out, to act decisively, to seize the day, and yet at other times teaching us to withdraw or to act "in secret" as Jesus does.   The Gospels give us many varied times of withdrawal or open teaching on Christ's part, including times when He withdraws altogether for prayer.  Let us consider discerning the use of our time, and following that depth of presence that helps us to know how to do so -- and even, like Jesus, when there are those who surround us who cannot understand.  

 

 

If You do these things, show Yourself to the world

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that many of Christ's disciples, after they heard His teachings concerning eating His flesh and drinking His blood, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.  

 

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  In chapter 6 we read of events that took place during the second Passover season recorded in John's Gospel, in which Jesus disputed with the religious leaders ("the Jews" is used in John's Gospel most often to denote specifically the religious leadership, and not the people in general).   For this reason He does not want to walk in Judea, the center of the religious establishment and the temple.  We are now beginning to read of events which took place during the final year of Christ's earthly life.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Booths) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  My study Bible explains that it commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or tabernacles.   Along with Passover and Pentecost, these formed the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included may sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, the final day of the feast also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as a purification and also in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Later on the images in this chapter will inform Christ's teachings on light and illumination, reflecting the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  See also 2 Maccabbees 10:5-9.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  His brothers speak in earthly or worldly terms (show Yourself to the world), but Christ's mission is one that testifies to the evil in the works of the world (see Matthew 16:2-24).  My study Bible explains also that in Jewish usage (and for that matter, today in the extended Middle East), the term brother can indicate any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz referred to his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  Jesus Himself had no blood brothers, as Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here were either stepbrothers; that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins.  We can understand this in the action of Christ at the Cross, in committing the care of His mother to John His disciple (John 19:25-27) -- for this would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.  

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible explains that not openly means not with a grand, public entrance as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  John's Gospel gives us the divisions of the people, adding that no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders. 

What does it mean that Christ testifies that the works of the world are evil?  Jesus says to His relatives, when they encourage Him to show Himself openly, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."   His "time" to which He refers is the time of His Passion, and we must understand this also in the context of testimony to the evil works of the world.  The Crucifixion itself, as plotted by the powerful leaders for their own reasons (Matthew 27:17-18), is an act which expresses this evil -- however, it is entered into voluntarily and knowingly by Christ, for it is the culmination of this testimony.  As it is Christ Himself, Incarnate God, the power which is also at work transforms and transfigures the Crucifixion itself, turning the Cross into a sign of Resurrection and God's power against evil.  As noted above, when St. Peter encourages Jesus to avoid the Cross, Jesus responds to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).  It is one example of how a worldly way of thinking does not correspond to God's thinking, and specifically to the mission of Jesus Christ and what He must do in His testimony.  In today's reading, Jesus' extended family, not understanding His mission, encourages Him to "show Yourself to the world."   They reason that "no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly," and that He should "go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing."  But we know that many of Christ's works, in their immediate context, were done by Christ in secret (Luke 8:54-56), or in far away places (such as His revelation of Himself to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4:1-42), with Christ frequently admonishing the beneficiary of His grace and healing to "tell no one."  The "world," by contrast, would clamor for publicity.  Somehow, as in the words of Christ's brethren, everything depends upon proofs, upon showing something to the world that would compel belief (Matthew 12:39).  But often in the Gospels, the deliberate stirring up of crowds is something which in itself is used with evil intent, and misleads leads the people (Mark 15:11).  Faith, however, comes from something more than this, as we have read taught by Jesus throughout chapter 6:  it is the working of Father, Son, and Spirit within us that draws us to know Christ, and works within the heart of human beings.  John's Gospel will continually teach us that even the very Incarnation of Christ tells us something about what it is to seek and know Christ.  His mission is at work in the world but not of it (John 17:14)  There is something more that we seek, a mystical component that feeds also soul and spirit, and that prompts us to wish to know His path for us, and to grow in faith. 

 

 

 

 

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. 

- John 7:1-13

Yesterday we read that many of Jesus' disciples, when they heard Him teach, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you," said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."   From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.   The next three chapters (7:1-10:21) concern Jesus' visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  This entire section will cover eight days.  The Jews who sought to kill Him refers to the religious leadership, and not to the people in general.  By now Jesus has stirred up enough controversy so that they accuse Him of blasphemy.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Succoth or Sukkot) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival, which commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai.  At that time they lived in impermanent dwellings:  tents, or tabernacles.  Together with Passover and Pentecost, this was one of the three most important festivals for the ancient Jews.  It included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, the final eighth day of the feast included drawing water from the pool of Siloam (which will figure prominently in chapter 9 of John's account of Jesus' time at this festival), which was mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar -- both as purification and in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).   Moreover, it included the lighting of great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  All of these significant events of the festival are reflected in Christ's preaching in the following passages.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.   Jesus' brothers are his relatives, either step-brothers from a first marriage of Joseph, or cousins (by custom also called "brothers").  It is one more sign of opposition and lack of faith in Jesus' ministry, even among those closest to Him.  In Jesus' ministry, He frequently points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of My Father (see Matthew 12:49-50).  Jesus' time is the hour of His glorification, His time of being "lifted up" on the Cross.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.   That Jesus goes up to the feast, not openly, but in secret means that He does not make a grand public entrance, such as on Palm Sunday (12:12-16), the "time" of His final open confrontation with the authorities leading to the Cross and His Resurrection.  Here, John gives us the controversy among the people concerning Jesus.  But all are afraid to speak openly about Him because of fear of the leaders.

This time in Jesus' ministry is a time of the building up of tension and controversy.  By now the leadership oppose Him enough to want to kill Him.  Many disciples have fallen away from Him because of the controversial teachings He has introduced (see yesterday's reading, above).  The controversy is enough so that Jesus goes to the Festival in Jerusalem not openly, but "in secret" -- that is, without fanfare or announcement.  It is autumn; the next Passover (in the following spring) will be the time of Holy Week, the final week of His earthly life.  We observe that at this point, even His own relations (His "brothers") do not believe in Him.  John's Gospel reveals all this truth to us.  This is not a story of a typical kind of victory.  Christ's victory will be one shared with all of us, on the Cross, and at Resurrection.  He does not come with a conquering army that displaces and forcibly imposes power.  His is a mission of the heart and of the soul, to those whom the Father has given to Him, He says (see Saturday's reading).  John's Gospel gives us the spiritual reality of this mission, which intersects with each of us as we live in this world.  As the Gospel teaches, there are many who reject His message -- and at the same time, there are those of His followers whose faith only deepens, such as Peter's (yesterday's reading, above).  As Jesus proceeds through the Feast of Tabernacles, we are called to hear and see in His ministry the echoes and reflections of Israel's past, as they wandered in the wilderness with Moses seeking the Promised Land.  Jesus' ministry and preaching in the following several chapters will give us insights and deepened meanings of all of these events within Jesus' mission and our understanding of His Person and work in the world.  John's Gospel -- as we've said in earlier readings -- gives us the meanings behind the works in Christ's ministry.  It deepens our understanding of Christ, His work and presence in the world, through the lens of Jewish spiritual history.  And, in so doing, gives us a sense of the future of His mission in the world, the time in which we now live.  Let us journey through the events of this autumn festival with Him, and follow His meanings and teachings for us.

The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil

 

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.   Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

- John 7:1-13

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was at the Feast of Weeks in Jerusalem.  He was speaking to the leadership, who attacked Him after He healed a paralytic and told him to "Take up your bed and walk," thus violating a Sabbath rule concerning the carrying of burdens.  Jesus said, "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in His own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.   The lectionary skips over chapter 6 (we'll return to it after this week).  In chapter 6,  there are quite a few events that engage great multitudes and thus give His ministry more publicity.  Here in chapter 7 through 10, we'll be reading the events of a visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, which covers eight days.  This festival occurs during the last year of His earthly life.  He teaches in the temple and attracts a great deal of public attention.  My study bible says, "Some thought Him mad (v. 20); others believed Him to be the Messiah (vv. 31, 40); and still others (such as the Sadducees and the Pharisees) considered Him to be a threat.  The Jews who sought to kill Him are the religious leaders and not the people in general."

 Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.   The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Succoth or Sukkot) is an eight-day festival at the time of the autumn harvest.  It commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and people lived in tents (or tabernacles), also sometimes called booths.  With Passover and Pentecost (the Jewish Pentecost was the festival Jesus was attending in our previous reading, from chapter 5), this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews, according to my study bible.  It included many sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  Later, the final day of the feast included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, as purification and remembrance of the water flowing from the rock Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  It also included the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  All of these things are alluded to in the reading ahead as we encounter Jesus' statements that reflect elements of these events.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.   In the Middle and Near East, the term "brothers" is still today used to designate cousins and other extended family.  Therefore, these "brothers" are members of Jesus' kin in Nazareth.  John's Gospel has already referenced Jesus' statement that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country, which is also quoted in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (see Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).  Here John gives us an illustration of this from Jesus' own life.

Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  That Jesus testifies to the evil works of the world is a repeated theme.  We know the motivations of the leadership ("I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you") and we've already been told about those from Galilee who believed because they saw the marvelous works done by Jesus at an earlier Passover festival, but whom Jesus would not entrust Himself to, because He knew what was in their hearts and understood the minds of all people (John 2:24).  In chapter 3, when we're told that Christ came to us because "God so loved the world," He also tells us that "the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."    Jesus' hour is the time of His open confrontation with the leadership, during Holy Week - and His Passion, death, and Resurrection.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  Jesus doesn't go up to the feast "openly" in the sense of the same kind of entrance He makes in Holy Week, on Palm Sunday.  We can see the division among the people concerning Jesus.  It's like a chorus, reflecting the people.  But even the people are afraid to speak "openly," because of the authority of the leadership and their hostility to Jesus.

We have a lot of themes about choices and decisions regarding the Light that's come into the world.  Why do people turn away?  Why are they divided?  What's in people's hearts and minds?  These are the things we think about in John's Gospel.  While it speaks of the greatest love of all, and the brilliant light given us as gift, it reminds us also about our own perceptions and reactions.  What motivations do we have?  Here we see even Jesus' extended family mocks Him, despite the great "signs" He's done, despite the obvious faith of His own mother, despite the disciples who follow Him.  And that tells us something very important.  Faith is not about proximity, it's not about what group we're from, nor even physical kinship.  This faith -- and thereby the love between God and ourselves -- depends upon things that are deeper than flesh and blood, deeper than the ties the world bestows upon us.  It goes into decisions made in the depths of the heart, at that place where creature and Creator meet.  It's a place that's so often mysterious in us that we can choose to ignore it if we wish.  But sometimes it calls out to us in ways we can't explain, no matter how much we may try to ignore it or hide from it.  It's in that mystery that the love of God lies within us, the depths of the heart.  Really, all we have to do is give it a little attention, or open up a little in prayer, to ask.  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you," Jesus says (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:10).  It just takes some genuine asking, seeking, and knocking.  The love of God really takes care of the rest if our own impulse is truly genuine.  But for this, there's a lot we put aside.  What gets in the way?  Here we see the envy of the leadership, and perhaps also of Jesus' "brothers."  This is one of the "evil" things people would rather not bring to the light, and so hide and stay in that place where light isn't allowed into the heart.   It might change too much, shake up one's world, rid oneself of a particular kind of self-centeredness we'd rather hang onto for all kinds of reasons we could give.  Whatever it is, think about this great and tremendous love of God, and the light of Christ.  What's worth more than that?  We're given a great picture in the Gospels, so much is at stake.  There are so many conflicting motivations, opinions, understandings.  Nothing is left out here.  But it comes down to what is in the heart, the deepest place within.  All we have to do is to ask, and seek, and knock.  How many of us try that?  And repeat?  God's love teaches us what we need to sweep away for its fullness.  It's a lifelong way to live.  All it takes is our attention, and everything comes from that.  Just like with anyone else we love.