Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  

 

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" 

 

- Matthew 8:18-27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them. When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." 

 

And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  My study Bible comments that, since the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it is an expression of both His humanity and His divinity.  Here it's a reference to Jesus' human condition; in Matthew 25:31-33 it describes His divine authority.

 

 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  My study Bible says that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but rather teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as our highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead.  

 

 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  Similarly to His healing miracles, Christ's mastery over creation on display here is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  Jesus issues commands to the sea and the waves; my study Bible comments that such can only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 66:5-6, 107:29).  It further notes that Jesus was asleep because, as a human being, He needed rest.  In His Incarnation we see that Jesus assumed all the natural actions of human flesh, of which sleep is one.  This image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  My study Bible concludes that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of this storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul.  

 

Who can this be, indeed?  This is the question we are supposed to ask (see Matthew 16:15).   In yesterday's reading and commentary, we discussed the question of authority.  Christ has no earthly sign of authority in the sense that He is not a well-known rabbi, not a Levitical priest, not a member of the Sanhedrin or ruling Council.  He comes from a humble background (the carpenter's son), from a seemingly small and not noteworthy town (Can anything good come out of Nazareth?).  So authority on worldly terms is not something Jesus commands.  And yet, He speaks with authority and astonishes people in so doing (Matthew 7:28-29).  We might call it, from a human perspective, a surprising paradox.  One without authority speaks with authority (even as Judge), heals with authority, and here commands even the wind and the sea.  He acts with authority.  Yesterday we read about the centurion, a clear image of worldly authority, yet who has greater faith than any Christ had found in Israel.  In that reading (see above), it was Jesus' turn to marvel.  And yet, in today's reading, He speaks about the cost of discipleship.  He says, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  He even speaks of leaving family behind -- even family obligations -- when necessary to do so for the Kingdom.  "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead" is a command He gives indicating the first priority of the spiritual life; perhaps indicating this is particularly true if what is left behind is spiritually dead.  But all of this indicates putting the spiritual life first, as first priority, as my study Bible says.  It is this perspective that we need on our worldly lives, and for making our choices in our lives.  Let's note that almost everything Jesus does calls for courage.  This is not only true for Jesus but also for His disciples, those who follow Him.  The story of crossing the stormy Sea of Galilee teaches us this quite vividly.  This is not to say that faithful Christians should take unnecessary risks or avoid thoughtful planning in what they do.  But it does teach us than when our faith calls us to something, then that becomes first priority, and faith must carry us through even the risks we encounter.  Most of all, we call upon Christ in prayer, even when God feels to us to be "sleeping."  Our faith rests upon that guidance, and in the case described in today's reading, it is Jesus who is leading these seasoned fishermen across the sea, even though they fear for their lives.  Perhaps our faith journey will take us through many difficult passages of life, in which we fear loss to ourselves in one way or another.  Jesus Himself has no home; this is something human beings universally have need of and fear to lose.  The man who must leave family obligations behind to follow Jesus will fear the loss of family connections, also a universal need in human beings.  But this "natural" fear of human life in these cases runs contrary to where the spiritual life is calling, and so faith must be the resounding answer, and the risk taken in faith.  Jesus' crossing the Sea of Galilee speaks clearly to this point, when Jesus asks the disciples, ""Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" We are reminded once more in today's reading that authority is practiced appropriately when it is reflective of the qualities of the authority we find in Christ; and above all we know that God is love, God heals on all levels (for this also includes salvation and redemption), and God leads us to become more like God -- to reflect our true nature.  That is, God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).  As we will see in the following reading, this journey across the tempestuous sea is for a reason, heading toward a particular and spectacular healing, and spiritual battle.  Let us follow Him in faith in our own lives.  We will always be challenged by the perspective of the worldly and authoritative without Christ; our faith is to live His priorities first.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them

 

 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:51–62 

 

On Saturday, we read that when Jesus, John, James, and Peter had come down from the mountain of the Transfiguration, 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." 

 

  Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.   The language in this passage, in which the time had come for Him to be received up, is very similar to language used for kings and rulers of the time.  To send messengers before one's face is to make an announcement, a preparation, for the distinguished person, a person of power and authority.  The face of an emperor or king is his person, carrying the authority and power and even empire of the position and all that means.  Jesus' journey to Jerusalem is certainly one of the Messiah or Christ, the rightful Bridegroom, going to His city, His Bride.  And by the response of James and John to the Samaritans (who did not view Jerusalem as the holy city, nor the place where the temple should be), certainly is in keeping with such expectations.  So in this context Christ's rebuke of James and John (the "Sons of Thunder" - see Mark 3:17) is very important.  He does not argue with their expectations; those will be challenged soon enough by the events to come, and He has already given two warnings about betrayal and His Passion to come at Jerusalem.  Instead, He corrects their thinking regarding the mission of His Church, and what manner of spirit they are of.  The entire mission of the Son of Man is not to destroy men's lives but to save them.  And until we are given further notice, this remains the spiritual mission of the Church and its heart.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."   This journey on the road to Jerusalem seems to be recognized by many, and as we've just been told, is made by One who sends messengers before His face.  As such, someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."   Jesus reveals three aspects of the cost of discipleship, which my study bible names.  First, the disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security.  If the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, neither will the disciple.  Second, there is nothing, not even the honor which is due to parents, which can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  Finally, a disciples cannot delay in accomplishing the good that is demanded by Christ.

This journey toward Jerusalem continues to reveal to the disciples (and, following them, the Church until today) the nature of Christ's ongoing mission, and of all those who would be disciples of their Lord, Jesus Christ.  First, there is what is possibly the closest thing we have to a mission statement of the Church:  "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."    This language is in keeping with Christ's portrayal of Himself as Physician, which we found directly referenced in Luke 5:31-32, in speaking of Himself as Physician who heals the sinful:  "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Moreover, the great signs Jesus has performed throughout His ministry have involved healing (and that would include exorcisms -- which teaches us that there clearly exist spirits who seek to destroy men's lives).  So salvation must be considered on all levels as that which permeates the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ and of His Church.  To be saved is to be delivered from what is evil, harmful, painful, onerous.  But it is also to be made whole, to be truly healed.  This saving mission is the purpose of Christ's ministry on earth, and it remains so as it addresses every single level of human life, and is also for the life of the world (John 6:33, 51).  For Jesus, to be healed is always linked to faith.  See, for example, the story of the woman who suffered for twelve years from hemorrhage, "who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any" (see this reading).   Jesus assures her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well."  Faith is connected with something beyond the physical world.  That is, not something separate, but something more.  It is aware of more dimensions to life than worldly material perception, and Jesus indicates this when He tells James and John (and by inference, all the rest of us) when He says, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of."  Our mission isn't merely to be in the world, but it is a spiritual mission in the world, which incorporates all aspects of saving, healing, wholeness of people's lives:  mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and the soul.  And through Christ's mission, He gives to us mission.  Today's reading also lays out the demands of discipleship:  our loyalty and mission in serving the Lord takes precedence over everything else.  When other aspects of our worldly lives stand in the way of where that mission may lead, we are to consider them secondary to the call of the Lord as true disciples.  Again, we are to understand this in the framework of salvation.  We make such choices not to destroy our lives but to save them.  Earlier in chapter 9, Jesus has taught, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (see this reading).   Sometimes the saving cure we need is surgery, and there are things which are harmful to us that stand in the way of healing:  bad habits, false priorities, mistaken beliefs, even our own psychological shortcomings.  Even the sacrifices we're called upon to make must be seen as ultimately saving.  That may even include, at times, leaving others behind or letting go of relationships for what are more important priorities.  But love, prayer, forgiveness, and salvation still remain priorities for all life.   So let us consider salvation and discipleship, and what manner of spirit we are of.  Our discipleship is meant for healing, for salvation, and this includes the others around us -- that is, both those who reject our faith and those who do not.  There are times when the single weapon of mission is prayer, for no one comes to faith or love by being compelled.  There are times when we must let others go.  But at all times, the mission in which we are disciples to our Lord is one of salvation, and we -- like James and John and the other disciples -- must know what manner of spirit we are of at all times.  No matter where we are called, ultimately, the saving of lives is the mission.  Ultimately this happens through the love of God, and God's mercy and grace.  We are those called to serve Christ's mission, not to have all the answers ourselves.  Let us remember that none of us knows the future of any person, and that we are all on the journey toward Jerusalem with Christ.  Sometimes we may have to "let the dead bury their own dead," while we live the gospel of the kingdom of God.  But that gospel is to save lives, and it remains open for all.  The ancient Greek father of all physicians was Hippocrates, who lived from approximately 460-370 BC.  Modern medicine still pays homage to the Hippocratic Oath, a hallmark of which is the injunction, "Do no harm."  As the true Physician of all, we can understand Christ's teachings as similar, and emblematic of the true spirit His disciples are meant to bear into the world.   Our mission is to help to save lives, not to destroy.  Let us always remember this first above all.

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?

Rembrandt van Rijn. Christ In The Storm On The Sea Of Galilee. 1633, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then his disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

- Matthew 8:18-27

In yesterday's reading, we that when Jesus had come down from the mountain (where He gave the Sermon on the Mount) great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  My study bible says that the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), and it expresses both Christ's humanity and divinity.  Here Christ uses it to reflect His human condition.  By contrast, in 25:31-33, it describes His divine authority.

Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  My study bible comments that Jesus does not negate the command to honor parents, but rather teaches us to put the things of the Kingdom as our highest priority.  To ignore this priority is to be spiritually dead.

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then his disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"   Christ's mastery over creation fits with His capacity for healing, and is another sign that He is the Messiah, and also divine.  My study bible says that commands to the sea and waves can only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 66:5-6, 107:29).  Jesus also shows His humanity in that He needed rest and so was asleep.   So this passage in today's reading is a profound expression of both His humanity and His divinity.  My study bible says that in His Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh -- which includes sleep.  This image of Jesus and His disciples in a boat is a traditional illustration of the Church.  My study bible comments that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can more clearly see God's protection.  Jesus' rebuke of the storm also expresses His help and aid to calm the internal storms within our souls.

In our reading for Thursday, Jesus taught (as part of His final teachings in the Sermon on the Mount), ""Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."  In that reading, Jesus assured us that, indeed, rain will descend, and floods come, and winds blow and beat on the houses of our lives.  These are potentially literally true events, but clearly Jesus' words are metaphorical.  We don't exactly know what form the winds, rain, and floods will take.  In Thursday's reading, He doesn't teach that as disciples we will be spared such events; rather, as good disciples, we will be on solid ground to withstand them intact.  In today's reading, we are given an illustration that being a disciple does not spare us from such challenges.  In fact, the disciples -- many of whom are seasoned fishermen who've worked this sea all their lives -- are led across the Sea of Galilee and into this storm by Jesus.  It's important, too, that Jesus has just been approached by others who wish to follow Him, and that this resulted, first, in a warning that He Himself has "nowhere to lay His head," even though foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests.   Moreover, another wishes a kind of reprieve first, seeking to go bury his father.  But even that Jesus does not grant, commanding instead to "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  While it's entirely possible that this case of one who seeks to bury his father is entirely individual (in the sense of it being a distraction from discipleship or faith), we are nevertheless given to understand that nothing comes before discipleship, and that -- at least in this case -- Christ issues a clear command not to do so but to follow Him instead.   That tells us about sacrifice even of things that are nominally "good" in social context will be asked of us in discipleship.  This potential disciple must risk looking "bad" at least in the eyes of his family and possibly the society in general.  Then Christ directs the disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee, where they promptly happen upon a storm that seems to them to threaten their lives altogether.  My study bible comments that Christ both leads us into storms and through them.  But I think our real insight has to be that discipleship will demand enormous things of us.  It will ask us to stretch, and to come to terms with whatever is inside of us.  It will challenge us.  Most of all, we will certainly come up against challenges to our faith, which are meant to test and expand that faith through confrontation with our own assumptions, habits, and familiarity.  Even the fishermen in the boat are shaken with fear in this scene -- while Jesus sleeps.  He asks of them not only to follow into places which test their capacity to go outside their norms, but to learn to have complete confidence in Him.  Faith, we recall, means "trust" at its root in the Greek.  And that is precisely what He asks them for.  He asks us for our trust in Him.  We will be challenged, the Gospels tell us, every step of the way.  We'll be challenged regarding our assumptions of what is good and what takes priority even over what we think is good.  We will be challenged on what is "safe" in many senses of the word.  Above all, we will be taken on a journey meant to challenge our own barriers and expand our faith.  This seems to be assured, if nothing else, through the Gospels.  How is our discipleship -- the solid ground upon which Christ has asked us to build our house -- at once challenging and also built upon a rock?  In which direction do we go when Christ calls us forward to new and even risky things?  Where are we going in the life of faith?  How are we called upon to move forward, and "let the dead bury their own dead?"  These are all important questions which will shake up our assumptions regarding just what "solid ground" really is.  Let us remember the question He asks the disciples:  "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"   

You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them

 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."   And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:51-62

On Saturday, we read that on the next day after they had come down from the mountain of Transfiguration, 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."

 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.  In our previous reading, Jesus was asked by the disciples about those who are not of their group, but whom the disciples saw casting out demons in His name.  Jesus also taught the disciples about the importance of receiving even a little child in His name.  All the reading stressed the essential nature of faith in connection with Christ.  Here, they encounter a village that is set against Him, because He is on His way to Jerusalem (to His Passion, death, and Resurrection).  The disciples ask what they should do in response to this refusal to welcome Christ.  It is yet another opportunity for correction:  the manner of spirit they are of is in the mission of Christ:  He has come not to destroy people's lives but rather to save them (see also 6:9).  In the understanding of the work of the Spirit in the world, it is people's own rejection of salvation that is destructive to them.

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."   And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."  My study bible notes that there is a cost to discipleship.  Here are three of those costs as revealed by Jesus.  First, the disciple lets go of personal or earthly security.  If the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, then neither will the disciple.  Second, there is nothing -- even the honor due to parents -- that can stand as an obstacle to serving the Lord as one is called.  Third, a disciple cannot delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands.  We don't look back to our old way of life. This is the way to dwell in the kingdom of God.

Similarly to the reading from Saturday, today's reading teaches us about the working out of our faith in the world, our actions we take in accordance with faith.  Jesus is on a mission; He has warned the disciples what they will face in Jerusalem.  But here in today's reading we are told it is time for Him to be received up, and that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.  We may think of this ultimate destination of Jerusalem as something signaling the end of His ministry, and yet we are only in chapter 9 of 23 in Luke's Gospel.  It is on this journey of faith with Christ that the disciples will continue to learn what manner of spirit they are of, and how they must conduct themselves as future apostles and leaders of His Church in the world after He is no longer with them as the human Jesus.  So their encounter with the Samaritan village is significant in terms of their learning what they are to be about, and how they must conduct themselves as His representatives.  Their faith does not ask of them to destroy, but to save.  The decision to accept or reject this salvation lies within the hearts of human beings, and it will carry its own weight when Christ judges.  It's an important lesson to learn, that all judgment is in the hands of Christ.  We all need to learn what manner of spirit we are of, in order to conduct ourselves properly in His service.   And then follow in today's reading the teachings of discipleship.  Personal security is not always going to be primary in following Him.  Our need is to respond to His call, before all else, and everything in our lives falls into place behind this immediate loyalty, no matter its importance.  And when we get that call, we respond.  Christ intervenes in time at our particular moments for a reason, and our hearts are open in response to Him.  All of these things are part of the requirements of discipleship.  We note by the juxtaposition with those Samaritans who would not receive them, that the responsibility lies with us to be good and faithful servants, and not necessarily to spend our time in coercion or other forms of forcing others to faith.  We remember His call, we embrace our mission, and judgment is left to Him whom we would desire to serve well.  Just as He is focused on His mission, with the steadfast setting His face toward Jerusalem, so we keep our focus on Him and the mission He has for us.

Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

- Matthew 8:18-27

We have just finished reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7). In yesterday's reading, we were told that when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go, and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."   A note here in my study bible tells us:  "Since the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it expresses both His humanity and His divinity.  Here it refers to Christ's human condition; in 25:31-33 it describes His divine authority."

Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  My study bible says here that Jesus doesn't negate the command to honor parents, but rather He's teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as our highest priority.  It says, "Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead."

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  Jesus' mastery over creation is yet another sign of His divinity -- my study bible says it's yet another sign that He is the Messiah.  "Commands to the sea and waves can only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 65:5-6; 106:9).  Jesus was asleep because, as a man, he needed rest.  In His Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, of which sleep is one.  The image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see His protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul."

Perhaps one of the most truly awe-inspiring things about Jesus, as Son of Man, is just this juxtaposition of both the Divine and the human.  He is not just a man of miracles, extraordinary acts of healing, even "rebuking" the winds and the sea in the same way He would "rebuke" a chaotic demon (the Greek uses the same word), but -- as we read in yesterday's reading, in the quotation from Isaiah -- He is also a man of afflictions.  The first statement we read in today's Gospel reading about the Son of Man is that He has nowhere to lay His head.  Loyalty to Christ, to this Divine-man, is going to require that we, too, follow in His footsteps, and that perhaps we, too, will have to bear affliction as He does.  As He will say later on in Matthew's Gospel, the disciple or student isn't greater than the Teacher, nor the servant greater than the Master.  And to be loyal to this Master is also to put no one, and nothing else, above Him, above His call to us.  If you think about what lonely places those might be (say, apart from family), it is a strong call of loyalty indeed.  We may somehow, each one of us, also look like that Man of afflictions, one smitten by God, even as we take on others' burdens in His name.  This nearly incredible juxtaposition of the afflicted and the ultimately powerful, the Source of the miraculous, is the true measure of Jesus, the Incarnation of God into our world.  It is all to teach us something, to give us a sense of just what loyalty may be required of us, even in following the One of afflictions -- and also to see Him in the afflicted, and to remember His compassion.  All of this is included in our faith, the source of endless paradox, of those things so far beyond our worldly understanding as to inspire us to keep going, in His Way, on the path of His leading.  The road is infinite, but let us remember the gate is narrow.  His Way may be difficult, but we are not to think like the world; perfection in His eyes may seem like affliction in ours.  This is His truth that we seek to live when we truly follow the Master.