Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken

 

 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 

 

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the  powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

 

- Matthew 24:15-31 

 

Yesterday we read that, following His final public sermon (a condemnation of the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees), Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  And Jesus answered and said to them:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

 

  "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes."  According to my study Bible, Daniel's prophecy of the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11) was fulfilled in AD 70, during the Siege of Jerusalem.  The Roman general Titus entered the Most Holy Place and had a statue of himself erected in the temple before the temple was destroyed. The Lord's phrase when you see, it says, is an indication that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time.  The words whoever reads, let him understand are commonly thought to be inserted by Matthew into Christ's address as an encouragement to the early Christian flock, who may have witnessed this event.  

 

"But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!"  In St. Luke's Gospel, Jesus blesses the barren women of Jerusalem (Luke 23:29).  My study Bible comments that this is an acknowledgment of the overwhelming pain a mother endures seeing her children suffer (illustrated by the woe in this passage).  St. John Chrysostom comments, "Mothers are held by the tie of feeling for their children, but cannot save them.  How can one escape the bonds of nature?  How can she who nurses ever overlook the one she has borne?"  

 

"And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."  My study Bible notes that the severity of winter weather or respect for the Sabbath would prevent many faithful from fleeing quickly in a time of desperation.  A spiritual interpretation given in patristic commentary sees the Sabbath as symbolizing idleness in terms of virtue, and winter indicating a fruitlessness in terms of charity.  So, therefore, the person who leaves this life in such a spiritual state will suffer judgment. 

 

 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."    How will Christ's return happen?  My study Bible says that, according to Christ's description, this event will be unmistakable to the whole world.  Therefore, if there is any question or doubt, that alone is evidence that He has not returned.  As Christ's return will shine from the east, so Orthodox Christians whenever possible worship facing eastward in symbolic hope and anticipation of His second and glorious coming.  Again

 

 "For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  According to my study Bible, the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.  

 

 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the  powers of the heavens will be shaken."  Again, my study Bible cites patristic commentary, according to which the sun will not be destroyed, but rather darkened in relation to the glory of Christ. In other words, the sun will appear to be dark by comparison when Christ returns in the fullness of His splendor. 

 

"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."  The sign of the Son of Man is the Cross, my study Bible tells us, which will be revealed as the standard for Christ's impending judgment.  At His first coming, He came in humility and mortality, but at His second coming, Christ will be revealed in power and great glory.  

 

"And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."  See St. Paul's description of Christ's return at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  My study Bible remarks that the first-century document, The Didache, lists three signs that will mark the return of our Lord:  1) "the sign spread out in the heavens" -- Christ and His hosts; 2) "the sign of the trumpet"; and 3) "the resurrection of the dead."  St. Paul writes in this passage to the Thessalonians that the return of Christ is a comfort (1 Thessalonians 4:18) for the righteous.  

 

It's quite stunning to read my study Bible's commentary on Jesus' words that "immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the  powers of the heavens will be shaken."  All of this, my study Bible says, will seem to be so to us in comparison to the revelation of the glory of Christ at His second coming.  When we think of such glory, we turn to the image of Christ given to us in the Transfiguration, in which this glory was revealed to the disciples in the form of brilliant light.  St. Matthew describes it this way:  "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:2).  St. Mark writes, "His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them" (Mark 9:3).  In icons of the Transfiguration, this brilliant light surrounding Christ is often painted with a blue tinge, in order to portray this light that is not fully perceivable to us, an ineffable divine light that is whiter than white.  In this way, Jesus has revealed to all of us a taste of the glory we might expect will be revealed at the Second Coming, that "beyond white" light that makes the sun appear darkened, and the moon without light, the stars seeming to disappear.  Indeed, there is more to this as well, when we consider that throughout our Christian history, and earlier in the times of the Old Testament, sun, moon, and stars were also associated with angelic beings, messengers of God.  Psalm 19 states, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4).  When Job finally has his say with the Lord, the Lord responds to him, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?  To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7).  The morning stars and the sons of God in the response of the Lord refer to angelic beings, part of God's creation, and especially their power of communication on God's behalf, so strongly expressed in Psalm 19.  Perhaps our most vivid associations of stars with God's messages from angelic beings comes to us at this perfect time of the year when we celebrate this time coming up to the commemoration of Christ's Nativity.  It's at this time we contemplate the wise men from the East who had seen "His star" which led them to Christ (Matthew 2:1-12).  Perhaps the most powerful testimony of this association comes from St. Luke's Gospel, in which we read of the angel of the Lord, and the glory of the Lord shining around the shepherds in the field, and the "multitude of heavenly host" praising God and this gospel message of great joy for the world (see Luke 2:8-20).  All of this glory of God is overshadowed by the unforeseen brilliance of the Lord's return at His second coming, and so, as St. Paul says, we should not view these images with fear, but with joy and comfort.  What will it be like to experience such light and such glory?  St. Paul cites the prophecy of Isaiah as he writes of the "wisdom of God ordained for our glory," and Christ as "our Lord of glory," telling us in his Letter to the Corinthians, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:6-12; Isaiah 64:4).  Let us not fear, but think about the joy of His return, so powerfully eclipsing in glory even the joy of His birth.  For this is what awaits beyond tribulation. Let us be prepared to meet that day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven

 

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

- Luke 10:17-24 

 

Yesterday we read that, after He began the journey to Jerusalem, encountering many who sought to become disciples, the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.  Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.  Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

 

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  These Seventy are those whom He appointed as new apostles, being sent out, as were the Twelve before.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus' words,  "I saw Satan fall" describes an event that took place before the creation of the world.  Five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Serpents and scorpions are images of demons and devils; the enemy is Satan (Luke 4:1-13). 

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."  My study Bible says that those whom Jesus refers to as babes are people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  

Jesus says, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."  As my study Bible describes it, Scripture tells us this was an event that happened even before the creation of the world, when there was rebellion in heaven by Satan.  But this is also one of those places where we're meant to understand that the nature of time is something that is not fixed simply to our experience of time in a worldly sense.  Historically, the Church has understood Scripture to have given us what are called "types."  That is, events in the Old Testament that prefigure fulfillment in the New; there are echoes (if you will) that make themselves understood and punctuate time.  One example of this is Jacob's Ladder that appeared to him in a dream, of angels ascending and descending (see Genesis 28:10-19).  Genesis 28:12 reads, "Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."  In the Christian patristic tradition (the early centuries of the Church), Jacob's Ladder came to be understood as prefiguring Christ, an image fulfilled in Christ Himself, who is the Ladder that connects heaven and earth for us, upon whom angels ascend and descend.  This is just one example of what is a "type."  Another example is the burning bush beheld by Moses; that is, the bush that burned with flame but was not consumed (Exodus 3).  Out of that fire, God spoke to Moses.  But this "type" of the burning bush is also seen in the New Testament, as prefiguring and fulfilled in some sense in the Virgin Mary, for she conceived the Child Christ by the Holy Spirit, a divine fire which did not consume but gave life.  Therefore, one image for Mary is the Burning Bush, and she is portrayed as such in particular icons.  Therefore, these images serve us to understand God's work in the world as "punctuating" time; manifesting in a harmony with all other appearances of God and teaching us and fulfilling things already given.  When Christ says these words, "I saw Satan fall like lightning" upon the return of the Seventy, He is referring to an event that happened even before the creation of the world as we understand it.  But before the creation of the world, there was not time as we understand it either, for the sense of time in heaven is nothing like what we understand as moments passing one by one.  Therefore, the fall of Satan may also be fulfilled as Christ's power and mission is at work in our world.  When the Seventy return speaking of even the demons being subject to them in Christ's name, He says, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  The same power and authority that defeated Satan long ago and cast Satan from heaven is now shared and distributed through the Incarnation of Christ, manifest even in these newly-appointed apostles in their first mission.  These words are addressed to the Seventy, but they are also addressed to us, in that they are a declaration about the Church and the ongoing ministry of the Church which Christ established in the world.  Just as there are those in each generation who may carry on the work of the apostles, just as each generation must carry the faith and the Kingdom in the world, so this power and authority, and the fall of Satan, is also manifest and entered into through Christ's work and the power of God at work in us and through the Church and the faithful.  What is called spiritual warfare means far more than exorcisms or encounters with demons, but also guarding our own hearts in simple faith, and casting out what does not belong there or conflicts with our faith.  In that understanding, let's take Christ's words seriously:  "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  We should never forget that this is the real goal of the Christian life, it is the salvation that is made possible through grace, what St. Paul calls "the knowledge of Christ," and "the righteousness which is from God by faith."  These are attained, St. Paul says, because we may "know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, [we] may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (see Philippians 3:7-10).  For all of this is a part of that spiritual warfare, made possible for us through Christ and His Incarnation, and the grace and working of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God within us and among us.  In this expanding, growing, ever-evolving mission Christ has brought to the world, we may view the work and marvel of the Seventy, the casting out of Satan, the blessings and grace of God who shares even His power and authority with human beings, even to those of us who are "babes."  Let us pay attention to the things He teaches us to seek, the glory which He teaches us is true glory.

 

 

 

 

 

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory

 

 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.  

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

 

- Matthew 24:15-31 

 

Yesterday we read that, after His disputes with the religious leaders during what we know as Holy Week, Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"   And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.  See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  all these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

 

  "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes."  Here Jesus warns the disciples about events that would come to happen in Jerusalem.  He cites the prophecy of Daniel regarding the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11).  According to my study Bible, this prophecy was fulfilled in AD 70, when the Roman General Titus entered the Most Holy Place and had a statue of himself erected in the temple, before having the temple destroyed.  Christ's phrase used here, "when you see," is an indication that many of the disciples would still be living at that time.  Matthew inserts the words, "whoever reads, let him understand" as a way to encourage those early Christians who may have witnessed the catastrophic event.  

"But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!"   This woe is given to warn women who are pregnant or nursing of the terrible pain in seeing their children suffering under such desperate circumstances as will be engendered by the Siege of Jerusalem.  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary on the similar passage in Luke 23:29:  "Mothers are held by the tie of feeling for their children, but cannot save them.  How can one escape the bonds of nature?  How can she who nurses ever overlook the one she has borne?"

 

 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."  My study Bible comments that the severity of winter weather or respect for the Sabbath would prevent many faithful from fleeing quickly in a time of desperation.  There is also a spiritual interpretation found in Patristic commentary given, in which the Sabbath is seen as symbolizing idleness regarding virtue -- and winter as fruitlessness with regard to charity.  So, therefore, the person who departs worldly life in this spiritual state will suffer judgment.  

"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."  My study Bible asks, in what manner will Christ return?  Here, Jesus states quite clearly that this event will be unmistakable to the whole world.  If there is any question or doubt, my study Bible notes, then that alone is evidence that He has not returned.  Since He states that His return will shine from the east, in the Orthodox Church Christ is worshiped facing eastward whenever possible, in symbolic hope and anticipation of His second and glorious coming.  

 

"For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study Bible comments on the similar passage in Luke's Gospel ("Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together" - Luke 17:37) that the body (carcass) refers to Christ, while the eagles are a reference to the angels and the saints.  

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."  According to Patristic commentary, the sun will not be destroyed, but rather darkened in relation to the glory of Christ.  So, my study Bible explains, the sun will appear to be dark by comparison when Christ returns in the fullness of His true splendor.   

 

 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."  The sign of the Son of Man is the Cross, my study Bible explains, which will be revealed as the standard for Christ's impending judgment.  At His first coming, He came in humility and mortality.  But the second coming is entirely different, when He will be revealed in power and great glory.  Christ fully shares in the divinity of the Father, and this will be part of the tremendous revelation at that time.   Commenting on Christ's teaching, "they will gather," my study Bible refers us to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.  

It's remarkable to consider that at Christ's return His glory will outshine every source of natural light we know, even our sun and the stars.  It tells us something as a kind of portent of the much greater life that awaits us in the kingdom of God, at the end of this present era.  We cannot truly separate these "end time" events from either the judgment Christ has taught will come, or from the great wedding feast of Christ the Bridegroom and His Bride, the Church.  For all of these events will come together, marking the end of our present age, and the beginning of a new age we cannot predict.  What we can know is that -- like the Incarnate Christ -- this new age will be marked by the union of Christ and His people, a world transfigured through the beauty of God, held strikingly in our understanding of a glory that outshines the sun and stars.  It tells us -- despite the dire predictions and upheavals we read about the end times -- about the ultimate fulfillment of Christ's mission in our world at His Incarnation.  We are all going somewhere, and it's important to know where we are headed.  The great upheavals and tribulation that Christ prophesies -- even the ferocious and uncontrolled destruction of Jerusalem that was to come so soon after Jesus left this world in the flesh -- are all a part of the journey toward that final fulfillment of His mission and ministry.  For those things which are both seen and unseen and oppose Christ will also have their way, and also work into this journey of salvation and redemption of the world.  We can't have one without the other.  We cannot have Christ and His mission and ministry in the world without His exposure of the things that oppose Him, the spirit of the Antichrist (1 John 4:3).    In his podcasts, Father Stephen De Young has often spoken about the Cross as not simply that which happened at one time as a historical event, but rather that which always reveals the truth of all things; that is, things as they truly are.  And as the sign of the Son of Man, we can know that the Cross -- in fulfillment of its true purpose and meaning -- is always revealing all things that are true.  This holds whether or not something is revealed to be true and beautiful and good, or false and evil or in error.  Thus we have side-by-side great beauty, tremendous glory and promise, and also at the same time the resultant horrors and violence of a world that rejects Christ.   So, in some sense, Jesus sends us all out on a mission as His followers, for we are the ones who make a difference in this struggle and engagement for the life of the world.  We are the ones who choose to become temples of God in this world, or not; we are the ones who need to be engaged in worship and prayer to continue to bring His love and hope and glory into the world, or to neglect this privilege to serve the highest good.  We are the ones who may deepen our communion with God and our brothers and sisters in faith, both those who live in this world and who live to Christ (Matthew 22:32); or we may choose simply to neglect and ignore this great cloud of witnesses in which we may participate and gather.  It is the time of our lives that is tinged with this deepened and heightened meaning and potential, or sadly made of little worth or fruitful value in the spiritual sight of God (see the parable of the Talents).  For these are not far away events being prophesied, nor are they far away events foretold and passed in history centuries ago, but this challenge of the Cross always lives, and it is within us and with us always.  It will continue to play itself out in our world and our history, but do we have the spiritual eyes and ears to understand, and to deepen the power of our faith in this world? 

 

 

 

Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it

 

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  

 

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it as also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 

 

"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  

 

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is,  there the eagles will be gathered together."

 

- Luke 17:20-37 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus went to Jerusalem He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

  Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Here my study Bible comments that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality present within the Christian believer and within the community of the Church.  Within you can also be translated "among you" or "in your midst."  This double meaning is important.  In John 1:5, we read, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  In Greek, as in English, the word translated as "comprehend" means both to understand, and to take in.  Both meanings are implied and important to our understanding. So it is also here in this teaching.  Jesus implies both understandings about the kingdom of God.  It is at once "within" believers, and also "among" them and "in [their] midst."

 

 Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."  Here Jesus clearly teaches the disciples that they should not be dissuaded or distracted by those who preach another Messiah.  This is made clear when He says that "as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day."  In other words, the return of Christ will be obvious to all, and immediate as a lightning flash.  But first, they must know that in their lifetimes, He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

 

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it as also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."  My study Bible notes that the warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters applies both to believers and to parishes.  Additionally, it reinforces the idea that the Second Coming will be sudden and unexpected when it occurs.

"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  My study Bible comments that Christ's second coming will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation.  The separation of the saints from the wicked will occur on "the day when the Son of man is revealed" (see the verse previous to this section), and not, as some speculate, at an event that occurs before His return.

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is,  there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study Bible explains that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.  

Jesus gives us a certainty that He will return, and He also gives us other certainties about that return.  One thing of which we are to be certain is that it will happen suddenly, and all at once.  It will be unmistakable to all.  Both St. Peter and St. Paul tell us that that "day of the Lord" will come upon us as "a thief in the night" (2 Peter 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8).  There is an intriguing statement in today's reading, in which Jesus tells us in the middle of this teaching, "Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."  This seems to be a message to us not to resist this process of judgment that will come, not to look back.  We are meant to keep in mind the kingdom of God that is within us and among us, and that we carry this kingdom within us and in our communities.  We don't want to look back on the things that we are meant to leave behind, but forward to the life worth saving -- the new life in Christ.  It is parallel teaching to that in which Christ tells us to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23), and the teaching of St. Paul when he writes, "I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31).  Perhaps relevant to these warnings is the understanding of precisely where the kingdom of God is to be found.  I recently heard a saying by St. Jerome:  "The graves of the martyrs are altars to Christ."   This speaks at once to looking forward toward the way of the kingdom of God, remembering Lot's wife, and to the way in which we do not seek to save our lives but instead to lose them to Christ.  This is symbolically found in the vision and prophecy of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37), in which Ezekiel is told to prophecy to the "breath of life."  Dry bones appeared to him, as symbols of the deadened state of Israel, and the Lord said to Israel, "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live."  It may all seem like paradoxical language, but it is directly related to the understanding that the kingdom of God both within us and among us.  For if the kingdom of God is where the Holy Spirit dwells, then we have an understanding of St. Jerome's statement, in addition to the ancient practice of the relics of saints in the earliest Christian churches and specifically in altars.  This is because they are where the Holy Spirit has dwelt, particularly in those who have been martyred for their faith, following the example of the Lord.  It is the Holy Spirit who dwelt in the tabernacle with Israel, the Holy Spirit in the faith of the martyrs and their sacrifice, the Holy Spirit that makes the statement possible that the kingdom of God is both within us and among us.  Without the Holy Spirit, Ezekiel's Israel had no life.  And indeed, it is the Holy Spirit, given to us through the saving mission of Christ, whose ongoing work in this world lead us to that day of His return and revelation.  Just as the Holy Spirit made possible Christ's birth to the Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38), and the Holy Spirit who led Christ into the wilderness to be tempted on the eve of His public ministry (Luke 4:1-2), so it is the Holy Spirit that brings the kingdom of God within and among us.  We, like the tabernacle of Israel in the wilderness, like the saints before us, carry that Kingdom through our faith, and today's reading teaches us what to go forward to, and also what not to cling to even as we go forward in faith.  For, just as Jesus speaks of that day to come, so we accept this truth.  The world, Jesus implies, continues and will continue just as it always has -- with so many people completely unaware of this reality.  And so it is today.  Let us, however, be those who don't look back but accept this mission of the Kingdom within us and among us, and trust in His promise.

 

 

 

 

I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes

 

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

- Luke 10:17–24 

 

Yesterday we read that after He had begun His journey toward Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face, the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.' But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.  Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." 

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  My study bible tells us that I saw Satan fall is a description of an event that took place before the creation of the world.  There are actually five times that Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  This event that took place before the creation of the world is now something in which humankind may join through the authority given by Christ.  Serpents and scorpions are images of demons and devils.  Christ shares His authority with His disciples, these seventy, to enter into this spiritual battle against all the power of the enemy.  Nevertheless, He says, it is better rather to rejoice because your names are written in heaven.  The weapons in this battle are not conventional or worldly, just as His Kingdom is not of this world.  These weapons are prayer and following and living His word.

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."  My study bible says that babes are people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  

Christ's words in today's reading reveal to us the tremendous and awesome work of the Lord.  That is, humankind, those "babes" of simple faith and open hearts, now become the recipients not simply of spiritual knowledge, but rather those who are clearly deemed worthy of receiving what "many prophets and kings have desired to see, and have not seen it . . .  and desired to hear . . . and have not heard it."  What is spiritual battle?  What is rebellion against God by those angels -- unseen creatures -- who became demons?   These things are the stuff of countless imaginary stories, films, fantasies, and legends.  But the ways in which they are portrayed in the Gospels basically gives us an image of that which is destructive and harmful for mankind.  If we want to understand why there would be such spirits who have chosen this path, our faith gives us one simple explanation, and it is linked to the Gospel reading for today and Christ's words.  The explanation is just that human beings were created to participate in the kingdom of God as those who would receive such authority from Christ, and the angels were to minister to human beings in the long journey toward this end and the future of Christ's saving mission.  Of course, we can't know nor understand all that is unseen and a matter of great mystery.  But of the understanding that we do have, envy becomes an archetypal sin, one which continues to permeate the Scriptures, even to the death of Christ on the Cross.  If we take a close look, most of the conflict that surrounds Jesus has to do with the question of authority, and who is the greatest.  Jesus' response to the debate on this question of who is the greatest among the apostles gives us our understanding of the Church as something set apart, which is not supposed to be like the rest of the world.  What is the cure for envy?  Humility.  Ultimately, it is seeking to know the will of God and doing it that sets us in the right place, and leads us on that journey for the truly exalted place God has in mind for human beings.  It is through humility that we may be gifted with Christ's shared authority, through serving Christ that we see and hear what many prophets and kings desired to see and hear and did not do so.  Christ's mission to save human beings includes an extension of authority that turns the "powers that be" upside down.  A distribution of such authority to "babes" shows no regard for the power structures of the world, but instead infers a kind of egalitarian witness to true character and heart that defies all pretense and ambition, and places faith and love at the center of what makes up beauty, truth, and goodness.  This is the power of grace, the love of God that always seeks our love, that seeks to open our eyes and ears to the things we really need -- and to a picture of healing that includes in its completeness a particularly exalted spiritual place for human beings, if we but choose His Way, His "Road."  As Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem, He gives the disciples lessons on humility and grace, on receiving even the littlest as if they bear the face of Christ and of the Father who sent Him.  He will teach them service to all as that which makes one greatest of all.  He will teach about sacrifice, leaving behind even what is precious for the sake of Christ and the Church, and gaining lives they can't imagine.  Let us bear witness to what it is to carry that Kingdom into the world, and follow in their footsteps.  We enter into a kind of battle in an infantry of peace, an authority of grace, with weapons of faith and prayer, and patience and endurance, and conquest which bears more resemblance to sacrifice.  And until further notice, this battle waged for the hearts and souls of human beings continues.  Jesus speaks of His ultimate authority, and He is still looking for those friends to join Him in spiritual struggle, and with whom He may share it.

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it." 

- Luke 10:17-24

Yesterday we read that the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.  Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.  Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."   The seventy apostles return with joy.  Jesus takes joy in the sharing of his holy power with human beings, those who are laborers for the harvest.  Once again, what we are told by the Gospel is about a type of hidden warfare going on; in Christ's mission into the world, He enlists human beings as participants in this battle, which is not like worldly battle but one of hearts and minds, and based in love.  My study bible says that the reference, I saw Satan fall, is a description of an event that took place before the creation of the world.  Five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Serpents and scorpions are allegorical images of the demonic.

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."   Jesus continues to rejoice over the sharing of holy power with human beings, the revelation possible for us, and our participation in the life of the Kingdom He offers.   This is a sharing in the life given from the Father to the Son and in turn to those human beings who may share in and understand the revelation given to us.  It is all about the working of grace in the world.  My study bible says that babes are people of simple faith and open hearts (see 18:15-17).

How can we understand the joy of Jesus?  His newest apostolic mission, these Seventy whom He has recently appointed (see yesterday's reading, above), return with joy, as the holy power invested in them by Jesus has come to fruition they have experienced and seen for themselves.  Jesus tells them nevertheless, not to rejoice over such power, but that their names are written in heaven.  That is, because they share in the joy of heaven, as members of the Kingdom.   Jesus alludes to a battle which my study bible suggests has taken place before the creation of the world.  Nevertheless, its effects are seen and felt, and continue, with human beings at the center of the battleground.  And we are invited to participate in this battle.  I wonder if we today can calculate the reality which is revealed here and given to us in the words of Christ and in the actions and appointment of the Seventy.   We don't always generally see or measure these effects, from a modern perspective, in the terms that Christ names.  But we can look around at our world and most clearly see all types of evil effects.  The demonic that makes its presence known through Scripture functions to create varieties of affliction, hardship, pain, hostility, and aggression toward human beings.  Christ, by contrast, shares His power in grace, through faith, with the ultimate boundary respected as the free will of human beings.  He offers us participation and membership in a Kingdom, in which not only He but also God the Father become a part of our own reality, our identities in this shared participation, an ongoing energy present within us and among us.  We can look around at the world and see the things that typify demonic behavior in the Gospels:  abuse, affliction, aggression, hostility, hatred, coercion, manipulation, a total lack of respect for the basic integrity that free will gives to a human soul as endowed by Creator.  But it's not enough to wonder at the presence of evil.  What is important to understand through the Gospels is precisely what Jesus teaches His apostles to rejoice over:  that their names are written in heaven.  That is, that they may be participants in this Kingdom through faith, that they may serve God through faith in Christ -- that they may live through His love, grace, and truth.  This remains the pillar and cornerstone of our understanding of the battleground.  It's not about the things that we see with a limited perception of events in our world.  It is rather about finding that internal pole of faith, finding our own participation in this living grace and God's energies at work in the world, and remaining within the conditions of discipleship Christ has taught us.  This is a difficult task, but one nevertheless that remains with us 2,000 years after Jesus' ministry and teachings He's given us, which remain true and living for us.  Let us understand that He still sends us out as sheep in the midst of wolves, with instructions on how to live as those sheep who belong to Him.  His language and teachings are those of humility, of truth, of strength, and hope, and perseverance.  St. Paul instructs us in the fruits of the spirit, which remain hallmarks of our participation in that Kingdom and in His grace.  Can we live them for ourselves?  Let us remember this battle was won long ago, but that in real time, in our time, Christ invites us in to participate His way.  The choice lives within us, day by day.

Rejoice!

 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.  And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.  But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.  Behold, I have told you."  So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.  Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

- Matthew 28:1-10

Yesterday we read that, at Jesus' crucifixion, many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.  Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.  This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.  When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.  And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.  On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'  Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.'  So the last deception will be worse than the first."  Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."  So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.  And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.  My study bible calls this earthquake a sign of our Lord's great victory over death, which foreshadows the general resurrection of all humanity.  It notes that the angel does not roll back the stone to let the Lord out.  In His glory, Christ could pass through solid rock (John 20:19).  Instead, rolling back the stone allows the witnesses in to see that He is already risen.

But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him.  Behold, I have told you."  So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.  These women are the first witnesses to the supreme event in all history:  the Resurrection of Christ and the destruction of death.  My study bible notes that the angel refers to Christ as the One who was crucified, which teaches us not to shy away from His death, but rather to glory in the Cross (1 Corinthians 2:2; Galatians 6:14) -- as it is the weapon Christ used to destroy death and the trophy of His victory.  St. Paul tells us, "If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile" (1 Corinthians 15:17). 

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid.  Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."  The first word of the risen Christ is "Rejoice!" followed by "Do not be afraid."  These women are called "Apostles to the Apostles" as it is they who are sent to give Christ's brethren the message to go to Galilee where they will see Him.

"Rejoice!" is the first message of the risen Christ.  The second is also important for us, "Do not be afraid."  Together these messages make up the gist of our faith, and what it is to live the faith of Christ.  In Greek, this word -- this command, really -- is used also for formal greetings.  Indeed, it is the first word of the Annunciation, the first word in the story of Christ.  The first word of Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:28)  is often translated as, "Greetings"  or "Hail."   It is "Ave" in Latin.  But in Greek it quite literally is a command to "Rejoice!"  It is the identical word Christ says to the women here; the one difference is that to Mary at the Annunciation it is singular, and here to the women it is plural.  In Greek, it is also linked to the word for grace, as is the word "charism."  Even the word Eucharist ("give thanks") has this root at its center.  We rejoice for the gifts of God, for God's grace -- and remember that this is literally a command to be joyful.    If we think about it, each of these commands come from a sense in which the reality of this world is stood on its head.   Jesus, their Teacher, has just been crucified.  But His followers are commanded to rejoice and to not be afraid.  This is the word of our faith to us.  We are to take joy in the grace that fills our lives through faith, and to reject fear in the face of the courage to live that faith in our worldly lives.   In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that we are the light of the world.  He tells us, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."  But light, or illumination, also comes through this command to rejoice, or to "be joyful."  The joy-infused life of faith is truly a gift of grace.  At the Last Supper, just before His crucifixion, John's Gospel tells us that Jesus says to the disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."  And then, in His next sentence, He says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:11-12).  To bear this joy and this love is how we shine the light of illumination into the world for all to see.  We are not to be afraid, but to live our faith, to live that joy and allow it to reflect God's light into the world.  It is ours by grace; let us follow as He commands!

The kingdom of God is within you

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

- Luke 17:20-37

Yesterday we read that as Jesus went to Jerusalem He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."   My study bible tells us that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality that is present within both Christian believers and within the community of the Church.  It is essential for our understanding to know that within you here can also be translated as "among you" or "in your midst."  The various meanings reflect a true grasp of Christ's teaching.

Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."  Jesus' return will not be kept secret nor hidden; it will be immediately understood by all.  Used in various contexts, the term this generation does not necessarily mean only those living at the time of His Incarnation.  It may extend also to the full time of the present age.  The clear focus Jesus teaches here is on being mindful of one's own work for the Kingdom, following the commands He's left us.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."  My study bible suggests that this warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters applies to both believers and parishes.

"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."    Christ describes a sudden revelation of judgment.  Some commentators suggest that to remember Lot's wife is speaking of material mindedness; she looked back at her possessions. 

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study bible says that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to angels and the saints.

Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is within you."  And in today's reading, this statement is tied to Judgment, the Second Coming.  Clement of Alexandria writes that Jesus "says only what is for the benefit of all people: that the kingdom of God does not come by watching. . . . He says, 'Do not ask about the times in which the season of the kingdom of heaven will again arise and come. Rather, be eager that you may be found worthy of it. It is within you. That is, it depends on your own wills and is in your own power, whether or not you receive it.'"  This is how the statement about the location of the kingdom of God is linked to Judgment.  Clement of Alexandria comments that the kingdom of God is within you "through the truth of grace and not through the slavery of guilt. Let those that would be free be servants in the Lord. As we share in service, we also share in the kingdom."  The gift, then, is within us.  It is also among us, in community.  The choice that is on offer to us is already present and awaiting our own opening up of its gifts and blessings, what it has to confer upon our lives and our communities and relationships with one another.  The preoccupation with "worldly" life to an exclusion of this Kingdom becomes such a great loss that it shapes Christ's warning about Judgment.  What is it we focus on?  What is it we exclude?  He tells His disciples to remember Lot's wife.  When it is time to take up the work of this Kingdom within us, there is no looking back -- it is the way of life that awaits, the true life that pervades all reality, all the things that make life a true treasure.  In the microcosm of our own lives, we may find a sudden revelation of a truth that was hidden, or what we thought was our reality may break apart and disappear.  It is at this crucial warning that Jesus tells us, "Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it."  Repentance is the act of constant change to adapt to the energies of God, the Kingdom within.   Everything is in the way we turn to the presence of the Kingdom at that time, a hidden reflection of His warning about what falls away.

I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

- Luke 10:17-24

Yesterday, we read that Jesus appointed seventy other apostles also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.  Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'   But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."  Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  My study bible tells us that "I saw Satan fall" describes an event that took place before the creation of the world.  It says that five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  To trample on serpents and scorpions is a figurative allusion to devils and demons.  But the greatest gift of all is to be part of the kingdom of heaven, of service to the gospel of the kingdom.

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."    My study bible tells us that "babes" here, as referred to by Jesus, are people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  There is a command here in revelation, in the things given or revealed to people; those here referred to as babes are the open-minded, the ones who can receive, to whom the Son has chosen to reveal the Father.

Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."    Jesus emphasizes not only the astonishing nature of the revelations given to these men, but also how precious they are. 

I wonder, sometimes, if we can understand just how precious this gift is that we are given.  It is the gift and blessing of the kingdom, the capacity to participate in the kingdom of heaven, to have the Father revealed to us through the Son.  Here, Jesus emphasizes the unique and precious, priceless quality of this gift of revelation -- this blessing given to these "babes," little children without formal learning and education.  It seems that we take so much for granted, that so much that has been revealed as reported in the Gospels has become not only the things we know and count on, the familiar, but even the sadly discarded and unvalued.  It's a strange thing to consider Jesus' words in the Gospels, this great and powerful revelation of the kingdom, and the obviously exalted value placed upon our capacity to enter into the kingdom by Jesus, and to share in its mysteries -- and at the same time to think that somehow in today's world there is so much that just slips by us, all too familiar, or perhaps even discarded and unknown to so many.   It's tempting to take so much for granted.  The world offers so much, there is so much distraction, entertainment, shocking daily news, free invitation to be involved with so many things -- the power of the gospel may get shuffled under so many other things with which we busy ourselves in life, so many ways in which there are so many other things to think about or to consider or be involved with in our day to day lives.  It puts one in mind of the parable of the Sower, and Jesus' illustration of what it is for the seed of the word to fall among thorns, which choke the seed with "cares, riches, and pleasures of life" and so prevent spiritual fruition.   We are, so many of us, in such a place, choked with all the distractions that the world offers us -- and there are so many, and in such abundance.  It makes one reflect that perhaps we are now so surrounded by so many "thorns."  But this is why it is essential that we remember to stay centered and renew ourselves in prayer. Prayer has a way (and this is particularly so in the practice of contemplative prayer, such as the Jesus prayer practice) of refocusing and renewing, rendering us in a place where we have a chance to recollect who we are, as did the Prodigal Son when he "came to himself."  It's important that we remember who we are by remembering God, and refreshing ourselves in prayer that gives us renewed energy, centered in the power of the gospel message, the freedom that lives in Jesus Christ.  This is a freedom from the thorns, a freedom to choose, and to remember who we are and what we must be about, the things that give life meaning beyond what we chase or what distracts us, and the delusions we follow that give ourselves an idea of self that is temporary, transient, and often empty.  Our reliance is on God in this centered place, where we can encounter what we truly value, the rock we hold onto, and that supports and sustains when the more worldly things let us down, such as the "praise of men" we may come to rely on without this great value of the gospel that teaches us where and who we truly are in the sight of the One who knows that we are precious enough to reveal a Kingdom to, even if we are just "babes."