Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

- Matthew 25:31–46 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been teaching the disciples about the end times and the destruction of the temple, beginning with this reading from Thursday last week.    Yesterday we read that Jesus gave the disciples the parable of the Talents, giving us all the understanding of how we are to conduct ourselves as faithful until He returns:  "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 had 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 hid 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 brought 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 in 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.  Therefore 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.'"

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats."  Today's reading gives us what my study Bible calls the majestic climax of Christ's discourse on end times.  What He teaches in today's reading isn't simply a parable, it notes, but a prophecy of the universal judgment that will indeed come.  As the Cross is now near Christ, Jesus raises His hearers to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat and the whole world gathered around Him.  And not only the world as we think of it in our daily physical sense, but the whole of the cosmos, the created order, for the holy angels are with Him as well.  We should bear in mind that the angels are also witnesses as well, for they have been with us from the foundation of the world (verse 34; see also Matthew 13:35).

 

"And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  My study Bible explains that Christ uses sheep to illustrate the righteous, because they follow His voice and they are gentle and productive.  It says that goats indicate the unrighteous, as they don't follow the shepherd and they walk along cliffs, which represent sin.  

 

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: . . . "  Inherit, my study Bible teaches us, is a term used with regard to sons and daughters rather than strangers or servants, for the righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  

 

". . . for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "  My study Bible comments that the standard of judgment set down here is uncalculated mercy toward others.  The works that are produced by faith are emphasized, for saving faith always produces righteous works.  What we do reflects our true inner state.  The least, it says, refers to all the poor and needy.  But we are to understand that the needs described here include both physical and spiritual needs.  Therefore, the hungry or thirsty are not only those who need food and drink, but also those who hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel.  

 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "   My study Bible notes that the fact that Jesus says the fire was prepared for the devil shows that God did not create hell for human beings.  Rather, people choose this torment by their coldness of heart.  

 

When the Lord, the Son of Man, addresses the sheep in this parable of judgment upon His return, that is,  the righteous, telling them of their acts of mercy, they ask, "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"   Jesus says that the King will answer them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."  The wording of this response invites us to ask, who are the Lord's "brethren?"  This is an important question, for although Christ who is the Judge knows the righteous from the unrighteous, we cannot distinguish this clearly.  We cannot make the judgment that He does, for only He knows the thoughts of all people, their hearts (Matthew 9:4; Acts 1:24).  This is an important distinction, because we only see partially, but in this parable it is made clear that what is at hand is all that is and was and even, indeed, what will be.  Only One with this perspective is able to judge.  So when Jesus speaks of His brethren, we must consider the righteous, and Jesus' perspective.  According to patristic commentary, "the righteous will be clothed with the leaves of eternal life and adorned with the fruit of glory. In this way they will be separated by the heavenly shepherd and Lord. The earthly shepherd separates animals by their type of body, whereas Christ separates people by their type of soul."  And so, the state of the soul is seen by the Lord, and this He illustrates as the gentle sheep rather than the capricious goats. St. Chrysostom notes that it is the very mercy shown by those whom Jesus calls sheep that sets the standard by which judgment happens, indicating how we also play a role in this grand plan of salvation "from the foundation of the world."  Lest we take the parable too literally, we should understand the depths of its meanings in that, first and foremost, in the mission of Christ's disciples the stranger is clothed and welcomed with Christ and in Christ, and thus becomes "brethren."  St. Paul also speaks of this unification of strangers in Christ as those who put on "tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering" and "love," indicating what it means to do all "in the name of Christ" (see Colossians 3:12-17). Elsewhere, He writes, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).  Indeed, we may go directly to Christ's parable of the Good Samaritan, which is the answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?"  For He teaches there that the neighbor is one who acts as a neighbor (Luke 10:25-37).  Among patristic commentary, there is a great deal of emphasis placed upon the spiritual aspect of Christ's words, in that we also feed, clothe, liberate, and assist those in spiritual prisons with the wisdom and love of God, the truth of Christ that frees, and the comfort of His love which we first receive and then share with others.  See 1 John 4:7-19.  Let us put on the clothing of Christ, even the full armor of God, as St. Paul teaches, for this is how we will know and be known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer to Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?   Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  

 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

- Matthew 25:31-46 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been prophesying to the disciples about the end of the age, and His return, at which time judgment will happen.  In yesterday's reading, He gave the following parable:  "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 had received the five talents went ad 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 hid 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 brought 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 in 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.  Therefore 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."

 

  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory."  Here begins what my study Bible calls the majestic climax of Christ's discourse.  It notes this is not simply a parable, but a prophesy of the universal judgment that is to come.  As the Cross is now near to Jesus, He is raising the hearer (His disciples and those who will follow) to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat with the whole world before Him.  My study Bible declares that the standard of judgment shown here is uncalculated mercy toward others.  Those works which are produced by faith are emphasized here -- for, my study Bible says, saving faith always produces righteous works.  What we do is a reflection of our true inner state.  

 

"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  My study Bible informs us that Christ uses sheep in order to show the righteous, for they follow His voice and are gentle and productive.  Goats illustrate the unrighteous, in the sense that they do not follow the shepherd and they walk along cliffs, which represent sin.

 

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'"  Inherit, my study Bible tells us, is a term that is used with regard to sons and daughters rather than strangers or servants.  The righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  

"Then the righteous will answer to Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?   Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"  My study Bible comments that to see Christ in everyone is the fulfillment of the great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).   Additionally, we should consider the least as all those who are poor and needy.  These needs here are not limited to physical needs, but also include spiritual ones.  

 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  My study Bible says that as Jesus says the fire was prepared for the devil, it shows that God did not create hell for human beings.  But people choose this torment by their own coldness of heart.  Those who are hungry or thirsty, it also notes, are not simply ones who need food and drink -- but also those who hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel.

 

 An interesting observation we can make here is the correlation between  the choosing of coldness of heart and aligning ourselves with spiritual forces of evil; that is, the devil and his angels, those for whom the everlasting fire was prepared.  Indeed, what does coldness of heart do in this sense?  It neglects to help those in need, it neglects to give love, it neglects compassion.  It neglects to hear the call of those who are harmed or hurt by bad behavior, and neglects to notice those harmed by bad policies or practices many will support because it is encouraged within a social community.  Coldness of heart renders one incapable of considering a "neighbor" to be one who is made of the same stuff one is, created as a human being by God.  It will teach us to neglect to make "neighbors" through our actions, like the Good Samaritan of the parable in Luke 10:25-37.  Coldness of heart renders one capable of thinking of fellow human beings only insofar as they are of use to oneself, and discarding them on the basis of lack of usefulness when that doesn't prove to be the case.  Coldness of heart does not recognize other bonds besides what has usefulness.  It therefore damages relationships, unaware and unconcerned about the consequences.  Coldness of heart renders arrogance, a sense in which all that matters is one's own desire and interest,  a selfish perspective.  This kind of self-centeredness caters to cruelty; for why recognize the pain of others when it is inconvenient to oneself?  In short, such coldness of heart is irresponsible, damaging relations with abuse.  Moreover, it's the foundation of the types of hypocrisy condemned by Christ in His indictment of the practices of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23.   This coldness of heart is described by Jesus when He says of the scribes and Pharisees that "they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers" (Matthew 23:4).  Coldness of heart declares, "I don't care," and it is an indication of the kind of laziness illustrated in yesterday's parable (above) by the one his master called his "wicked and lazy servant."  That is, one who doesn't care enough to invest wisely, and according to the instructions of the Lord, whatever resources and life we're given by God.  To be lazy and wicked is to take the easy way out and through things, to want something for nothing, to play the game of entitlements that is borne of arrogance and a sense of superiority, that does not hear the call of Christ and respond to it.  In his conclusion to his first inaugural address, President Abraham Lincoln of the United States used the phrase, "the better angels of our nature" to evoke that which calls us to remember our bonds to others, our union or community.  He said, "Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."  President Lincoln may have been speaking about the looming United States Civil War which would in fact begin in earnest the following month.  But his own understanding of "the better angels of our nature" comes clearly through the gospel message of Jesus Christ, and what it is to prefer such "better angels" to alliance with that which is cold-hearted and neglectful.  Passions, which are seemingly hot or warm, are in fact agents and enablers of this ruthless coldness.   Thus, we have the historical emphasis in the Church teaching discipleship on these terms of self-awareness and self-mastery.  The lack of such is one more example of what it is to be truly lazy and unaware of what it is we are doing.  In Christ's teaching of judgment, the sheep and the goats resemble the difference between those who are paying attention, and those who are not.  The sheep are those who both hear and do the commandments of Christ.  In chapter 12, Jesus teaches, "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (see Matthew 12:46-50).   Let us find the way to hearts that hear and do, who know the voice of the Shepherd.

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

- Matthew 25:31-46 

In our present cycle of readings, we have been reading through Jesus' discourse on the end times (beginning with the reading last Saturday).  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught:  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants ad 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 had 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 hid 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 brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained give 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 in 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.  Therefore 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.'"

 

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory."  My study Bible has several notes on today's passage.  Overall, today's reading is what my study Bible calls the majestic climax of Christ's discourse.  The subject of today's reading is not simply a parable, but rather a prophecy of the universal judgment which will indeed come.  Since the Cross is now close to Jesus (He is in Jerusalem, and it is the final week of His earthly life), He raises those who listen to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man on His judgment seat with the whole world before Him.  Note the irony:  that it is He who will soon face an unjust judgment and unjust punishment.  But Christ's standard of judgment is uncalculated mercy toward others, as my study Bible notes.  The works which are produced by faith are given the emphasis here, for saving faith always produces righteous works.  What we do reflects our true inner state, as Christ has taught (Matthew 12:33, 15:18-20).  

"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  My study Bible tells us that Christ uses sheep to illustrate the righteous, for they follow His voice and are gentle and productive.  Goats indicate the unrighteous, for they do not follow the shepherd, and they walk along cliffs, which are representative of sin.

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'"  To inherit is a term used with regard to sons and daughter as opposed to strangers or servants; in this way Christ is indicating that the righteous become children of God by adoption, and therefore heirs (Galatians 4:4-7).  

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"  The least, my study Bible explains, refers to all the poor and needy.  But poor and needy comes in many forms, not only material; these needs described here are both physical and spiritual, and we can also think of the many forms that implies.  Therefore the hungry and the thirsty are not only those who need food and drink, but also those who hunger and thirst for the hope of the gospel, and all the support, guidance, help, communion, and treasure therein.  To se Christ in everyone is the fulfillment of what He called the second great commandment to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39).

 

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  My study Bible notes that Christ says the fire was prepared for the devil.  It says that this shows that God did not create hell for human beings; rather, people choose to separate from God through their coldness of heart.

So Jesus places compassionate behavior at the center of His judgment.  It's important to understand that compassion is a genuine movement of the heart.  It's not enough to be charitable in an impersonal or even political sense.  If we look at the anointing of Christ by a women identified as Mary of Bethany in John's Gospel, we can see who was really concerned about the bottom line in a "rationalist" way, and that was Judas, who criticized her for her "waste" of an expensive ointment or perfume of the ancient world in oil form (John 12:1-7).  It was Mary's depth of  compassion for Christ that informed the loving act of anointing that she did, the gift of great love in that jar of fragrant oil that became an anointing for His burial.  It is she that Jesus praises and favors, and Judas who receives the correction, although Judas is the one voicing an apparently feigned concern for the poor.  It is Judas who scolds and criticizes that Mary has forgotten the poor in her extravagant act.  But it is Mary who acts from love and compassion, and not Judas.  This should be a great lesson to us about the emphasis on the heart, for acts of charity such as Jesus describes do not come from coldness and calculation.  We can just look around ourselves, and as Mary understood what was happening in the life of Christ, and what was coming at Jerusalem, we can respond with our own compassion to the need that we see.  As my study Bible comments, to be "poor and needy" comes in many forms.  So many people just need an encouraging word, even if their circumstances are truly materially poor and needy.  There is no measure of what hope can do to help a person get up in the morning and keep trying, the difference it can make to feeling defeated and utterly depressed, or to look forward to something in life that might get better.  Many years ago, I volunteered in a food pantry to which the poor came from all parts of my city.  I sat at a table processing forms, and so I was available for people to talk to.  Many poured out their hardship, whatever was on their minds:  their fear, their overwhelming problems, the hardship and obstacles they were encountering.  I could not solve their problems, but aside from trying to piece together where help might come from, I listened and God gave me a word of hope for each one, of encouragement where there wasn't any.  I found the beauty in those people and the goodness in them as they struggled, so God gave me a great gift in simply being there and listening.  To have trouble is one thing, but to have trouble and feel entirely alone is another.  Sometimes we will find that, besides the material help people need, just the time and attention that gives people the respect and concern due their personal humanity is really more powerful than the rest.  It does more to feed their soul to meet a challenge, to try again, to keep going, and it is an affirmation that they too are loved by God and by neighbor, as Jesus has taught.  In Jesus' command to love neighbor as oneself, we find a profound teaching of dignity in that each has the capacity to be a child of God by adoption.  Jesus speaks of loving our neighbor, and we have to consider what that means aside from the personal and familial.  So today, as we are ready to enter into the season of celebration of Christ' nativity, His birth into the world as a human being, let us consider His brilliant teaching on what it is to love neighbor as oneself.  It takes our heart to do that, a kind of communication that goes beyond rational rules and memos and pointing fingers at others who seem to come up short because it is love that speaks from them and from their hearts.  The world has tried many political systems of wealth distribution over the past century, and the radical reforms in so many places resulted in horrific hardship, famine, concentration camps, hidden prisons into which people disappeared, and mass murder on a literal scale of millions.  Let us remember how much we can do with time and kindness, and the affirmation that each one is a creation of God, beloved of Christ.  In His summing up of final judgment, Jesus does not charge us with the task of reforming the world, but with our own responsibility for the compassion we can bear and through which we can act, a compassion that should grow with our faith, for we can love as we know we are loved (1 John 4:19).

 

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they will also answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46

Chapters 24 and 25 of Matthew's Gospel focus on the questions of the destruction of the temple and also of Jesus' return, the end of the age (see earlier readings from Saturday, Monday, Tuesday,  Wednesday, and Thursday).   In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the parable of the talents: "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 out on a journey.  Then he who had 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 brought 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 in 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.'"

  "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."  This is the climax of Jesus' discourse on the end of the age, and He gives us a picture and prophecy of universal judgment.  The time of the Cross is near, and He gives His hearers the true image of His identity.  Sheep are used to illustrate the righteous, says my study bible, for they follow His voice and are gentle and productive.  Goats indicate the unrighteous, because they do not follow the shepherd and they walk along cliffs, representing sin.

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'"   To inherit is to be a son or daughter as opposed to a stranger or a servant.  The righteous become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).   

"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "     Many church fathers see in this inspiration to mercy a command for "feeding" those who need the spiritual food of the Gospel (those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness"), for liberating those who are imprisoned by sin and life without the message of mercy, those who need healing from spiritual ailments.  We have to be able to see not only the literal meaning here, but also to understand that many are poor, hungry, naked, strangers, imprisoned, in all kinds of forms.   We also have the command to love neighbor as oneself expressed here in action, by seeing Christ in each of these.

"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they will also answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?'  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."   This fire wasn't prepared for human beings, but "for the devil and his angels."  But things depend on what we choose, with whom we choose to ally, or not.  These choices are made, says my study bible, by "coldness of heart."

Jesus always takes us into elective choice, and active practice of love.  If we notice carefully, we want to understand what He means by "the least of these My brethren."  He doesn't say that everyone is an heir; that status belongs to those who engage in this active practice of mercy, but clearly there are those who do not fall into this category as He indicates.  Our initiation, and even adoption, seems to depend at least to some extent upon our own initiative, just as the Good Samaritan was a neighbor by initiative.   It is elective, active love, the practice of mercy, that guides us into relationship and relatedness, on His terms.  This is what it means to follow His commands.  The practice of righteousness isn't just a general rule of how much one gives, or a kind of surface level of conduct.  As we've seen from His criticisms of the leadership in the temple, hypocrisy is capable of putting on a good face, an elaborate ritual of good practice.  There has to be a spiritual component to all of this, one that touches the heart and incorporates grace, and thereby do the commentaries of the early church fathers reflect the spiritual nature of interpretation.   It's all about the heart and His commands.  I think it's particularly important that we understand that the poor, the stranger, those imprisoned, naked, or hungry can come in all kinds of forms, otherwise our hearts are blind and deaf to the person sitting next to us, and we're also blind and deaf to Jesus' teachings and doctrines that reach to the heart, and ask us to go outside of our own self-centered worlds.  The prompting of grace requires active faith.  Wealthy people who've stolen money from others write large checks all the time to demonstrate their charity for show.  All kinds of people participate in charitable organizations that do good works in order to impress, or even to gain social standing.  That's not what He's asking for.  This is not a legalistic framework.  What does it really mean to be a brother or a sister, a co-heir to this kingdom of mercy?  It means seeing and hearing what He asks us to see and to hear.  It means hearts open to following His teachings, and thereby putting them into action.  This is action that comes from good faith.   My study bible says that the standard of judgment is uncalculated mercy toward others.  Works produced by faith are emphasized; saving faith always produces righteous works.  It says that what we do reflects our true inner state, a teaching Jesus has emphasized over and over again throughout His ministry.  Let us remember that needs come in all kinds of forms, both spiritual and physical.  We will be truly living as members of this Kingdom if we allow ourselves to really pay attention.

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me

 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in.  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'   Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

"Then He will say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

- Matthew 25:31-46

Over the course of the past week, we have been reading Jesus' discourse outside of the great temple in Jerusalem, in which He's predicted both the destruction of the temple and the end of the age, when He will return.  In yesterday's reading, He gave us a parable about stewardship:  "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 had 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 hid 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 brought 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 his your talent in 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.  Therefore 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."


"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats."  My study bible says, "Here is the majestic climax of the discourse, which is not simply a parable but an account of the universal judgment.  Since the Cross is now near for Him, Jesus raises up the hearer to the sight of the glory of the Son of Man, His judgment seat, and the whole world before Him.  He shows the heavens opened and all the holy angels present to witness His judgment.  For if the first coming of the Son of Man was in humility, to serve and to die, the Second Coming will be in glory, as a King to judge all the nations."

"And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in.  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'   Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'  And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'  Then He will say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'  Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?  Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."  My study bible tells us, "The standard of judgment is uncalculated mercy toward the needy.  The works produced by faith are emphasized, for a saving faith produces righteous works.  It is possible to fool ourselves about whether we truly believe, but what we do so reflects our true inner state that we will need no other evidence before God's court.  The needy are the intimate brethren of Christ.  The least of these may refer primarily to Christian missionaries or to needy Christians and, by extension, all who suffer.  Jesus identifies Himself with the poor and the outcast and invites to brotherhood all who are kindled with love for others (1 John 4:20).  These are crowned with grace."

Jesus sets out two ways of seeing things in this discourse on the Judgment.  There are the things we fail to do, and the things we do in service to Him without necessarily understanding it -- or, perhaps, by proxy.  In both cases, He reminds His disciples that they fail or succeed in serving Him.  Ultimately, we are to see Him and His face in all things we do, or fail to do.  I think the concern with justice and mercy here is made complete by the notion that Christ Himself will suffer on the Cross.  If there is any way in which we may come to understand that our world isn't necessarily fair and just, it's this story about Jesus, this Gospel that teaches us that He -- One who loves us -- will die because of greed and envy and malice and the hundreds of things that we do to one another that create an unjust world.  It is a picture of a world ruled by "the evil one" who must crucify the One who loves us and who comes to set us free from that ruler.  This is the Gospel in a nutshell.  It's the story of Jesus who is the Son who has come to liberate us from this box of hypocrisy, of injustice and lack of mercy and understanding, and to set us apart so that we may know and live His way of life that He teaches here.  To fail to do so is to let Him down.  As Jesus speaks about those in prison or those who are needy or sick or in some way marginalized, He's quite clearly speaking about Himself.  He will live out this teaching Himself; He will be that face in which He asks us to see Himself.  He will be a prisoner and needy and outcast and a stranger.  He will be the one who is mocked on the Cross.  He will be the one treated without mercy, without justice, the one for whom all rules of justice will be ignored, and procedure thrown out the window.  He will be brutalized and scourged as a criminal.  The one abandoned and left alone -- well, that is the Christ who teaches us about those among us who will fill that place.  And it's important that my study bible points out that He's speaking to a group of His disciples, and so the least of these may very well mean those among us, of our group, this family as He has referred to it, who also seek to serve.  It's no accident that He refers to "the least of these, My brethren."  But, as He points out very clearly (for example, in the parable of the wheat and the tares), we can't necessarily understand just exactly who those truly are.  It's the knower-of-hearts, Christ Himself, who does the separating here.  As He's taught before, what we do -- or fail to do -- for the least of these, we are to see Him in their place. It think it's important that Jesus emphasizes a sense of identification with "the least of these" as part of the group.  Over and over again, He's told His disciples that this is the model of leadership that He wants, and clearly, His emphasis on this kind of view of hierarchy teaches us where our biggest weaknesses are:  they are in matters of power and rank.  Love, ultimately, teaches us in all kinds of ways that life is not about power hierarchies and competitions but rather about how we choose to relate to others, with what discernment do we discern, how we truly take the time to see what's right in front of us.  It's not that we are to be blind to those who would cause us harm, who cause injustice or take advantage, or all the number of things that we could ask ourselves about how we are to practice His mercy.  Far from it.  Christ asks us to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves."  And in that phrase is our discernment, the time we take to truly see, to take time for the least of these, even to understand who they truly are -- because where someone is hurting and meek isn't obvious.  Let us remember that to give of ourselves is more than money.  It's about the heart that seeks to know, to understand, to heal, to discern.  Where does His face lead you?

Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great."

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

- Luke 9:37-50

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' Transfiguration. Peter, James and John were witness to Jesus conversing with Elijah and Moses (about Jesus "departure"), and the great cloud and divine light that shone all around the mountain. This was a Theophany, a revelation of the Holy Trinity. See Transfiguration.

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. My study bible notes here: "The majesty of God is His greatness and power shown through Jesus' miracles." I find it touching and important that the great cause of healing is a parent's or loved one's pleading. If the disciples cannot help, those who plead go to the Master. We always have Christ to go to in prayer - and it is love that sends us there, and love that makes us heard. Since the disciples have recently returned from their first mission in which Jesus' power worked through them, it seems to me there are several indications here of their growing understanding of this new ministry - and this is one of them. Jesus always encourages them for more, to do more, to seek more (such as in the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness immediately upon the apostles' return). In this case, it is an exhortation to a deeper faith, and a greater display of the power which He has invested in them. Evil is always an affliction, and harmful, a parasitical and destructive burden. To be "amazed at the majesty of God" is the proper understanding of a miracle, a sign which points to something beyond itself as the source of power.

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. While Jesus' signs and evidence of His power grow (including that invested in his own apostles), He warns the disciples again about what is to come. Three of them have just witnessed His Transfiguration, as He discussed His departure from his human life with Moses and Elijah. The disciples have already been warned, but here Jesus tries again to get them to accept the reality of His mission and what is coming - even as the ministry grows and spreads.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great." My study bible notes, "The disciples themselves are not above the desire for worldly glory and power. One of the last lessons they will learn before Christ's Ascension is that of humility and service. Jesus teaches them by a simple illustration: a little child (v. 48) - an icon of dependency." This saying of Jesus about those in the kingdom reminds me of what He said when speaking of John the Baptist: "For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." Here Luke gives us a similar kind of idea. The littlest child in this kingdom is great. More importantly, all those received into this kingdom are sent by the Father - to welcome even the littlest is to welcome the Father Himself. Can we remember this today? It is tied to Peter's confession of faith, and Jesus' pronouncement elsewhere in the Gospels that this faith was revealed within Peter by the Father. We make a connection of faith to the entirety of the kingdom, from the least to the greatest, with the Father acting and working in us.

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side." A note reads, "This is an example of Jesus' tolerance and breadth of vision. It is a temptation for us to want everyone to have a spiritual practice exactly like ours, to do things the way we do, and to be in our group. How many schisms have occurred in Church history because people missed Jesus' lesson here!" It is an expanding lesson of tolerance - first to those who would call themselves the greatest, and next to those who would find their own group the greatest. My study bible is correct in pointing this out - that we can have love for one another in this discipleship and faith, even if we do not all do the same things nor worship and practice in exactly the same way. Just as we are unique individuals each coming to Christ in our own way, so we will have groups that cater to our spiritual needs in the specific way necessary for faith.

I'd like to address this question of tolerance. I use the Orthodox Study Bible for notes in my commentaries, because I like the theological approach, the incorporation of an early Church sensibility which I feel is down to earth and basic to us all. My lectionary readings are from the Episcopal lectionary. I pride myself (hopefully not too proud!) and take great joy in the fact that people of many diverse denominations read and follow my blog. In this struggle we are all brothers and sisters. I hope that those of other faiths who are curious about this man Jesus in the Gospels may find something useful here as well. I hope that what I write is useful to anyone in their own spiritual journey and understanding and faith. Faith is a race, a struggle; it is "the good fight." We need all the allies and support that we can get in this race, struggle, and good fight. Let us take the great example of our Master, and love one another in this struggle, and ally with those who after all struggle for the same thing and fight the same good fight of faith. As we see from the reading, even His own disciples did not immediately get things entirely correctly, nor was their ministry perfect in all ways. Jesus' teachings today in our reading tell us that even the least among us is sent by the Father of all. Can we remember that in our membership in this kingdom, and in the love that binds us to it?