And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them

 

 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

 

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him. 

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 

- Luke 9:1-17 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the disciples returned from the country of the Gadarenes (back across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum), the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.  

 

  Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Here the twelve disciples are called to become apostles.  "Apostle" is from a Greek word (ἀπόστολος/apostolos) which means "one sent out."   Disciples and apostles are titles used interchangeably for the twelve.  Disciple (Greek μαθητής/mathetes) means "learner," or "student."  My study Bible asks us to note that Jesus gave them power and authority to cast out demons and to cure diseases, while He does the same by His own power.  Note His instructions and how they emphasize a humility that contrasts with the power and authority He gives to them:  they are to take very little with them, their clothing must be humble and simple, they are not to "trade up" for better accommodations once they are welcomed in one place.  A place that will not receive them receives this response directed by Christ:  "Shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

 

 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  This is the same Herod to whom Pilate would send Jesus during His trial (Luke 23:7).  He is Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee.  He is the son of Herod the Great, the one who slew the innocent infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  For an account of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, see Mark 6:14-28.

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." This commission ("You give them something to eat") is a type of preparation for the apostolic ministry which the disciples will perform after the Resurrection, my study Bible comments.   It notes that they will feed the world with the word of God and with the Eucharist.

 

And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.  Of the five loaves and two fish, my study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that Christ is the same Creator "of both the earth and the sea, who in the beginning brought fruit from the earth and life out of the water."  Moreover, Christ looked up to heaven "not as receiving power from elsewhere, but as honoring the Father who begot Him."  That Christ blessed and broke the bread teaches us "not to touch any meal until we have given thanks to Him who gives us food."  My study Bible comments further that this blessing also presents a clear eucharistic image and directs us to pursue spiritual food greater than that which is earthly (see John 6:26-27).

 

When Jesus sends out the disciples on their first apostolic mission, He tells them, "And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  To our minds at the present time, this might not sound so much like the Jesus of popular imagination.  He is the same one who told us, "Love your enemies" (see Matthew 5:43-48).  How do we reconcile the Jesus who preached those words with the Jesus who teaches His apostles to "shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them?"  Apparently, to love your enemies, then, doesn't mean it is simply fine for the gospel message to be rejected.  We observe that there is no type of retribution or punishment involved here, at least not in a conventional sense.  There is only their testimony which is made against those who don't wish to receive them (symbolically made in shaking the very dust from their feet).  We may observe that, in the Acts of the Apostles, when Paul and Barnabas were persecuted and expelled from one region, they did this very thing -- and "the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit" (see Acts 13:50-52).  We might wonder, why testimony?  In St. Matthew's version of this event there is far more talk in Christ's instructions to indicate consequences to rejection of Christ's Kingdom.  He says to them:  "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" (Matthew 10:11-15).  An unworthy household will not retain the peace with which its greeted, and rejection results in the terrible consequences in the day of judgment.  So testimony, as inconsequential on worldly terms as shaking the dust off one's feet seems to be, has an effect.  It will have an effect on the day of judgment; and unworthiness has a spiritual consequence regarding the blessing of Christ's peace. In Deuteronomy 32, we read the song of Moses.  God says, "Vengeance is Mine" (Deuteronomy 32).  St. Paul reminds us of the same, in the Letter to the Hebrews, when he also speaks of the consequences to the rejection of grace (see Hebrews 10:26-31).  A rejection, rebuke, and testimony -- all while remembering the gospel message and carrying it to all, even the command to love our enemies.  For love does not dismiss truth or reality; quite the contrary.  Just as Jesus teaches the disciples as they go out on their first mission, these instructions for their conduct convey the qualities of love:  "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (see 1 Corinthians 13).  They are to be humble; they offer peace; and they also rejoice in the truth, including that of testimony.  Jesus' powerful love is a strength that comes from confidence in God, and we are to bear that into the world.  A rebuke, a testimony, remains an act of love, for lies have no place in love.  In that love, Christ's strength is on display, and we are to take confidence in all that He teaches, even when others do not receive nor believe.  Our job is to witness, and to live as He teaches.

 

 

 

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

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

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

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

'Seeing they may not see, 

And hearing they may not understand.'

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

 

- Luke 8:1–15 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him.  And he went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

 

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

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."  Jesus begins speaking in parables here in Luke's Gospel.  As in the Gospel of Matthew, He begins with the parable of the Sower.  Note that regarding this "new" mode of preaching in parables, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9.   On today's entire passage, my study bible comments that, as the sower in the parable, Christ fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 55:10-13.  It says that while some suggest that a person is permanently saved from the moment there is a profession of faith -- and this is a view that was never held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear from the parable that some may believe for a while and then fall away.  When Jesus speaks of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, He isn't speaking about obscure intellectual concepts, but rather the presence of the kingdom of God which cannot be defined.  My study bible says that a person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom teaches, "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, God does not overthrow their free will."  To do so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."

With this step in His ministry, where Christ has preached extensively throughout Galilee, and now there are greater crowds which are gathered to Him (a great multitude), He begins to teach in parables.  Jesus says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" bringing to mind Isaiah's language regarding a particular capacity to hear the words of the prophet, the call of the Lord.  As my study bible suggests, there is a kind of talent (if we can put it that way) or capacity which lies within each of us, but it may be dormant due to lack of use or lack of care.  The parables are designed to provoke a response from those whose capacity for hearing is not shut out or stopped up, for those in the crowds who really desire what Christ offers.  Of course, in the Gospel, we reach Christ's private explanation to His disciples.  Perhaps what is most striking about Jesus' explanations -- regarding those by the wayside who hear, but then the devil snatches the word out of their hearts, or those on the rock who  receive the word with joy, but have no root and so fall away in a time of temptation, or the ones falling among thorns are those choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and so bring no fruit to maturity --  is just that all of these things can be part of the struggle with faith at any time.  That is, these different failings of faith can be part of the journey at any time -- they may come to trip us up.  They are not, as they might appear, three separate groups of people, but rather different times of hearing the word, different possibilities that come up.  We can at any time find ourselves choked with the cares of the world.  Or possibly there is the evil one at work who desires that we might not be saved.  We might spend too much time obsessing about riches or pleasures to heed what Christ would sow in the heart, or our own shallowness renders us unrooted and easily swayed off course.  But to bear good spiritual fruit, He is clear, takes a consistent sort of rootedness, and, we can infer, a way to constantly make certain that our soil is in good shape -- healthy and weeded, properly watered, nurtured with all that it needs, with stones plucked out and possibly new topsoil when necessary, and all the things we can understand about what it takes to make things grow and to produce good fruit.  Each of these things can be clear metaphors for different times of our lives, and there is good reason why so many of Christ's parables focus on common themes of farming that were known to all people.  Anyone with a garden who has tried to coax good growth can also understand -- even that there are times to prune back what hasn't worked, so our "tree" has more energy it can devote to flowers and fruitfulness.  There are any number of ways that Christ would offer to us through this parable to understand a picture of what it means to be on our own journey of faith, cultivating our garden, growing whatever it is that He has given us to grow and to tend.  But it all takes focus, purpose, care, and a steady devotion to the things we really need to pursue.  It requires a constant state of attention, and nurturing as well through the Word and the influence of the Spirit, the tending of the heart.  Let us note in this context the passage on the faithful women, who travel with His ministry from Galilee, "nurturing" through their own means this growth, and will stay steady, faithful, supportive throughout -- and play such a vitally important role in the Resurrection.  They give us an important picture of the journey of faith:  of constant support, vigilance, and simply staying by rooted where they are supposed to be, indispensable to the fullness of Easter.  Let us pay attention, and be like them, the ones who hear the good news.

For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two,  and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and his his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and bought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent on the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

- Matthew 25:14-30

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave a parable about His Second Coming:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two,  and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and his his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and bought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent on the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"  My study bible tells us that this parable illustrates the use of gifts which are given by God.  We are all endowed with some capacities and gifts of various measure and type.   A talent, in the ancient world, was a great sum of money; it was a weight measure of gold or silver.  One talent of gold, by one modern measurement, would be equivalent to about $1.25 million.  One talent of silver, in modern equivalence, is estimated as being worth $7.5 billion in today's U.S. currency.  But here in the parable, it represents the goodness which God has bestowed on each person.  The amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  God does not show partiality in the ultimate reward, because all are invited to share in the same joy.  By the same token, the wicked and lazy servant could therefore not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent.  Idleness in this deep sense of neglect is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness, as my study bible puts it.    Burying the talent in the ground is an illustration of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits.  The bankers are other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him to use his talents wisely, those who expertise is in the "investment" that God has made in us.  Since help was available to him in the Church, the man hasn't an excuse.

How do we use our talents?  In the parable, it seems like the Master has invested His own gifts in His servants.  He trusts them to be profitable with the investment, to use His investments in them with prudence and wisdom, delivering a return and multiplying the gift.  And this is where we are.  Our lives are not at all static.  They are meant to have direction, one way and another.  They are meant for some sort of action, a choice.  We don't live in the world to merely exist.  We are here and equipped with talents, investments in ourselves by our Creator.  We're given wisdom, commandments, direction.  We are meant to take action.   We don't sit in one place.  We will always be confronted with choices that ask us which direction we choose to go.  How does God call you?  So much depends on what it is we think about, what we dwell upon, how we nurture ourselves upon His word, and most especially in prayer -- that is, in communication with the Master while He is away and before He returns.  Let this guidance be the principle by which we live; it will reap a harvest of returns in the sense in which the Master desires them. 

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

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

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" and He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent." And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

- Luke 4:38-44

In yesterday's reading, Luke's Gospel told us of Jesus' preaching in Capernaum. As He spoke, a man possessed with a demon asked, "What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?" Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of the man. All were amazed at His authority -- not only in His preaching, but also over the unclean spirit.

Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house. But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. Simon (Peter)'s house becomes their "headquarters" in Capernaum. My study bible points out that the Gospels let us know Peter was married and had a family. In many of the stories in the Gospels, it's not just one individual but whole families who choose conversion and baptism. The entire community is impacted through relationship -- even though we have already seen that in Nazareth, His hometown, Jesus is rejected. In the Gospel of John, this includes "brothers" of Jesus. In this case, Simon's mother-in-law is ill. In yesterday's reading, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and here he rebukes a fever. We see the parallel of healing: whatever needs to be addressed for full health is met in Christ with a reconciliation that dispels what needs rebuking. She is once again restored to her place, upright, "she arose and served them," doing the work she wishes to do.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!" and He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. Here in the verses following the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, we see the linking of physical, mental and spiritual health. Jesus' healing touch applies to all -- but again, there is something going on behind the scenes of our familiar worldly lives. The demons know who He is, and He does not allow them to speak. Faith for we human beings must take a different journey, and it is not the time He chooses for this revelation of His identity. In addition, theirs is not a confession of faith, but of fear.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent." And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. The crowds follow Him wherever He goes, although He seeks a deserted place -- most likely to pray. This is a repeated story in the Gospels; the crowds follow Him even as He seeks time alone in prayer. But the whole passage quoted here gives us a sense that Jesus is on a journey, and He must be moving on. He has things to do. Not only has He moved on from His very active and busy ministry (in today's reading, of healing), into a place where He can rest in prayer with the Father, but He also must move on to other cities. He has a job to do. He cannot remain in one place -- He doesn't respond to every single request simply because people ask it of Him. He must go to all the cities of Galilee and preach. My study bible notes that "Jesus' primary purpose was to preach the kingdom of God ... the miracles testifying to the power of the gospel message which He preached." And His ministry is not merely active in good works, but He returns to His relationship to the Father, in which He rests and prays, as if this is His real food and drink.

What do we make of Jesus' healing ministry? The ailments He heals are diverse, and they take many forms. Some are gradual, some require the assistance of others, some immediate. Some with a touch, others even by secretly touching the hem of His garment. But healings are always complete; they don't neglect any part of the person. Just as this Gospel passage teaches us there is more than meets the eye to what is going on in this world, so there is more than meets the eye to our whole person that may need healing. "Reconciliation" in Christ's touch takes in our whole selves, and the whole of the cosmic reality in which we are fashioned and that holds the world into which we are born. What do you feel needs healing in you? There is no part that must be neglected -- it is the whole self, and the whole world, which Christ seeks to reconcile to the Father, to restore to our places in full health. "For God so loved the world" -- that takes in so much, we must not forget. And we, like Him, are also on a journey, and cannot remain "in one place" with a set of demands that lock us into that place. Where does God's healing lead you today? And do you also "get away" to take the alone time you need for prayer?