I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out

 

 When He had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"  And they said, "The Lord has need of him."  Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.  And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.  

 

Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:

"'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!'

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

 

- Luke 19:28–40 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  Therefore He said:  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?"  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')  For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"

 

  When He had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?"  And they said, "The Lord has need of him."  Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.  And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.   We notice Christ's careful preparations for His entry into Jerusalem, which we commemorate on Palm Sunday.  This colt is a young donkey, upon which Jesus will ride into Jerusalem.  The Gospels of Matthew and John quote from Zechariah 9:9, which reads:  "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, acolt, the foal of a donkey."  My study Bible explains that by Christs time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  In humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom, as He doesn't ride on a horse nor in a chariot.  A donkey, my study Bible says, is a sign of humility and peace, as Zechariah's prophecy implies.  My study Bible further explains that this entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It's also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  The people who spread their clothes on the road do so as paying reverence to a King.  My study Bible notes that this is spiritually understood as our need to lay down our flesh, and even our lives for Christ.

 

Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:  "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"  And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."  The people shout praise by quoting from Psalm 118:25-26.  This verse was associated with messianic expectation.  My study Bible tells us that it was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  

 

 Jesus says, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."  This expression gives us a sense of the unseen reality behind all things visible to us in the world, the reality of the spiritual life we can't grasp in a physical way.  This is the reality of the Kingdom "which does not come with observation" (Luke 17:20-21).  It is the reality and power of the Holy Spirit at work, the understanding possible only through a sense of spiritual comprehension, also known as noetic understanding.  John the Baptist makes a similar type of remark in Luke's chapter 3, when he tells the religious leaders who come to him for baptism, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones" (Luke 3:8).   These expressions speak of the power of God and its linking into our world via faith, a sense of uncovering what is true, despite being unseen by so many.  Those who cannot perceive are the ones referred to in the quotation from Isaiah used so frequently:  "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them" (Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:15; Mark 4:12; John 12:40; Acts 28:27).   This spiritual force, so unstoppable that it would make the stones cry out if the people did not, is the reality being enacted in what we call Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the declaration of the Kingdom.  Even as Christ does not ride in a chariot or on a horse like a military, earthly king with conquering forces, nevertheless the weight of glory is with Him on the donkey's colt, and the spiritual power of the universe on His shoulders as He goes to the Passion which He calls His hour of glory (John 12:23).  Those with faith, the disciples who welcome Him into Jerusalem, understand it.  Perhaps tellingly, in Matthew's Gospel, when the religious leaders chastise Jesus for the praise of those who welcome Him, it's with reference to the children in the temple.  Jesus replies quoting from Psalm 8:2, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" (see Matthew 21:15-16).  Not for the only time, Jesus refers to God's surprising revelation to those whom He calls "babes":  "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes" (Matthew 11:25).  It's the wise and prudent religious leaders in today's reading who can't really see what's happening, and don't understand the power that could enliven even the stones to shout out, should the disciples fall silent in their praise.  What might be happening around us that we don't see right now?  How is God at work, and we are unseeing?  St. Peter writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5).   The living stones still testify with praise.

 

I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

Soorp Purgich "Holy Savior" Armenian church (wall detail; likely an ancient stone re-used).  1830, Istanbul

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. 

- Matthew 16:13-20

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?  -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"   So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"   My study bible calls this latter question the greatest a person could ever face.  It is the question that defines Christianity.   My study bible invites us to note that here, Jesus first draws our wrong opinions about Himself.  He does so in order to identify the incorrect ideas:  a person is better prepared to avoid falsehoods and false teachings when they are clearly identified.

  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study bible comments that Peter's correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality, as it names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This distinct understanding distinguishes Christianity from other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, my study bible notes, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is the same as the Hebrew title "Messiah."

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  In both Aramaic and Greek there is a play on words here.  The same word for Peter also means rock.  St. John Chrysostom comments that this "rock" isn't referring to Peter per se but rather to "the faith of his confession."  The real Rock is Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4), and the Church is built upon the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades, my study bible says, are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, gates suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).   My study bible comments that by shattering the gates of Hades, Christ opens the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So also, the Church shall not be stopped in the proclamation of salvation.  "Church" (ἐκκλησία/ekklesia or "assembly") is a term only used twice in the gospels, here and in 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel.  It is the Body of Christ, and her citizenship is heavenly. 

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  My study bible comments that the keys of the kingdom is a reference to the special authority given to both Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see 18:18; John 20:23).  It explains that Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather a leader among them.  At the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and Peter advised, while James presided.   Peter's role should be neither diminished nor expanded in terms of later controversies.  Binding and loosing refers primarily to the authority "to absolve sins" according to Chrysostom (see also John 20:23).  This also includes the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles, my study bible says, and this authority in turn is transmitted to the bishops of the Church, continuing to today.

Whatever debates and controversies might have ensued from this passage in today's reading down the centuries since this event took place, one thing remains very clear from it:  that is the power of faith.  It is Peter's confession of faith that is the rock upon which the Church has been built, and it is the rock upon which the Church remains standing, through which holy power in any instance or setting -- or at work in a human being -- effectively exists and is present in this world.  There is little doubt, from St. Peter's example, of the powerful effect of this building block.  In fact, Peter himself would go on to use the illustration of "living stones" as the power of the Church in its faithful.  He writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,  “Behold, I lay in Zion/ A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,/ And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-5, citing Isaiah 28:16).  In this image begun by Christ, as He renamed Peter based on His confession made on behalf of all of the others, we find the greatest and most powerful statement regarding faith itself.  Jesus spoke of faith as a mustard seed, from which the greatest tree may grow, housing even birds in its branches (13:31-32).  He used another illustration of the power of faith when He said that faith as a mustard seed could move mountains (17:20).  At this time as we look around the world, we see many entrenched in the power of politics and political movements, slogans, rage, anger, and clamor as methods to change the world, to correct or redress injustices, and fix everything that we might think is wrong with the world.  But I do not see a lot of people reminding us of the power of faith.  So for today I am going to start there.  Because this is what our bible passage is telling us.  No matter how powerful you think the media might be, or political slogans might be.  Regardless of what moves people to build a movement, or even to burn down a city or tear apart someone's neighborhood, we must not forget this all-powerful potent power of faith and Christ's words in today's example in which He renames Peter.  We see a world engulfed in misunderstanding and excitement, but we must not forget also that it is the word of God that goes everywhere in the world and reaches into human hearts, grasping them with its power found only in real faith.  We should not underestimate where the power of our faith might take us, even as we, too, may become living stones to build up life in this world -- to make it and not break it.  Whatever we choose and wherever we go now, 2,000 years after Christ's Incarnation in this world, let us be sure that what we want to do is build up, to make better.  We want solutions and healing.  What makes life better and more meaningful for people?  What builds life?  To my way of thinking -- and also in my experience -- this will not happen properly without faith.   When everything is confusion and so much is couched in rage, let us consider turning first to our faith for guidance and to be led.  Let us turn to faith to correct whatever is in the heart, to adjust us where we are mistaken, to calm harsh and hurt feelings, but most of all to affirm what we need to believe in so that we can build up the good.  If we think we see the gates of Hades showing themselves in chaos, let us remember the rock that will prevail against them.  Christ's love for us is where we start, and His word for how we need to go forward applies to any and all circumstances.  Start there, for the power of faith is real.  We might not see its effects in the next five minutes, but on the other hand prayer does a powerful amount of good to soothe the heart and set us in the right place with the perspective we need to see clearly.  Let us remember to turn to the rock.  Let us all be living stones building something good up, for everyone.

"You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone)

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as he walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

- John 1:35-42

Yesterday we read that John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as he walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  In the parallel to Genesis, John gives the first week of Christ's earthly ministry.  This is the third day given in the Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ.  Jesus takes them as His own disciples, and names one of them Rock or Stone, foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  This is echoes the gathering of the waters and the growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.   In the Synoptic Gospels, Peter is given this name by Christ in response to Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, but in John, Jesus' insight and recognition comes immediately when Peter is called as a disciple.  We may note also that Jesus calls him, Simon the son of Jonah.  Jonah was the prophet from Galilee, the one overlooked by the Pharisees when they scathingly reply to Nicodemus that "no prophet has arisen out of Galilee" (see John 7:45-52).

We note how Christ's ministry evolves:  First there is the declaration of the identity of John the Baptist, as the "voice of one crying in the wilderness" who declares the coming of the Messiah.  Then John testifies to what he witnesses when Jesus is baptized (the second day given in the Gospel, see above).  In today's reading, the third day, John leads his disciples to Jesus.  The first is Andrew, who then brings his brother, Peter -- whom Jesus reveals to be the "Rock" or "Stone" of the Church.  As noted above, this name is given to Peter in the Synoptic Gospels upon Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ.  Jesus calls this recognition or confession something inspired only by God the Father (Matthew 16:17).  Therefore the true rock upon which the Church is built is the communion and relatedness that is created by faith:  Peter's confession is inspired by the Father, according to Jesus.  What Jesus sees in Peter, in naming him in today's reading, is this true vision of communion in faith, and that rock or stone is something that can be a part of each one of us.  Peter may stand in for the Church, but in faith he speaks for all of us.  The chain of relatedness that we are to understand through today's reading is therefore at work in each one where faith is present.  We observe the Baptist and his disciples, and how the disciples come to Christ, and we observe a communion, a chain at work that links us all together through faith.  But the naming of Peter does something else for all of us, it teaches us about what strengths are present to us when we enter into this communion through faith.  It reminds us, as John's Gospel will report, that "others have labored, and you have entered into their labors" (John 4:38).  Faith is not the act of a single person making a decision in their hearts to love God.  It is not simply an existential choice of one person's conscience or awareness at work.  Instead, faith enters us into a communion, a linked chain in an entire field of links together -- a communion of strength and energy that supports an identity we find in that faith.  Therefore is the strength of faith something far greater than we can calculate, and through which even faith "as a grain of mustard seed" is capable of moving mountains, for which Jesus says "nothing will be impossible" (Matthew 17:20).  What we enter into through faith is a chain or building of stones, as Peter will put it in his Epistle, something into and through which the energies of incalculable numbers of beings, far greater than we are alone, flows and strengthens who we are and what we are capable of becoming.  Let us be reminded that these beings begin with the Father, and include all of Creation, visible and invisible.  Peter writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5).  Today's reading gives us a glimpse of that spiritual house, whereby through the Baptist the disciples come to Christ -- first Andrew, who then brings his brother Peter.  Through faith, we become one more living stone in this great spiritual house, and we share in the strength created through the whole of the communion.  Can we calculate what is possible through such reality?  Let us consider what humility, through faith, can do through our lives as living stones.

I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out

 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?" And they said, "The Lord has need of him."  Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.  And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.  Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:

"'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."

- Luke 19:28-40

Yesterday we read that after His encounter with Zacchaeus in Jericho,  Jesus spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  Therefore He said:  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also will be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')  For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"

When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.  And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat.  Loose it and bring it here.  And if anyone asks you, 'Why are you loosing it?' thus you shall say to him, 'Because the Lord has need of it.'"  So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.  But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, "Why are you loosing the colt?" And they said, "The Lord has need of him."  Then they brought him to Jesus.  And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.  Today's reading tells of the events of the day which we call Palm Sunday.  This is His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  The expectation of the Messiah was that he would be a king in the mold of David, someone who would conquer the enemies of Israel and make great its worldly kingdom.  But Jesus ushers in a different kind of a kingdom.  Here He fulfills prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 -- "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your King is coming to you;  He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."  A donkey is a humble animal, symbolic of humility and peace, in contrast to the military cavalry of horses and chariots that would normally accompany a king, showing his military might.  In the image from Zechariah, Jesus is characterizing the nature of His kingdom.  Mt. Olivet is to the east of Jerusalem, also the place from which the Messiah would enter. 

And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.  Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:  "'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"   The people spread their clothes as a form of paying reverence to a king.  One traditional interpretation states that spiritually this images we lay down our flesh and even our lives for Christ.  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, which was associated with Messianic expectation.  During the Feast of Tabernacles (the Feast of the Coming Kingdom), it was recited daily for six days, and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means "Save, we pray!"  The salvation and the kingdom of Christ will take on new meanings in contrast to the expectations of the people.

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples."  But He answered and said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."  Perhaps Jesus is thinking of the the prophecy of Habakkuk, who writes,  "For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timbers will answer it" (Habakkuk 2:11).

In the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, Zechariah 9:16 reads, "And on that day, the Lord their God will deliver them, His people, as a flock, for sacred stones will roll across His land."  The New King James version reads, "They shall be like the jewels of a crown lifted like a banner over His land."  Whether they be "holy stones" as jewels in a crown, or those lifted above or rolling across the land, we get the image of people as sacred stones, as jewels in the crown of a kingdom.  We understand the image that the salvation and true presence of a Kingdom is within the people of faith who are the jewels in its crown, the sacred stones planted by God.  Jesus gives us allusion to all of this traditional imagery in His reply to the Pharisees.  In the next chapter of Luke, Jesus will say to the leadership, quoting again from Psalm 118, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone."  St. Peter will take this image further in his first epistle, when he writes to the the Church that they come to Christ "as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."  Peter then quotes from Isaiah:  "Behold, I lay in Zion, a chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."  (1 Peter 2:4-6).   As living stones, those people of faith who come to Christ (the Chief Cornerstone), are those who form and shape the Kingdom, who build up the spiritual house of God.  Each is a holy stone, a jewel in the crown that flies like a banner lifted over the land.  It is a graciously infinite way of expressing the idea that the Kingdom of God is within you, even as a faceted stone can reflect the Light that shines upon it.  The real treasure are those living stones, like gems for a crown of the Kingdom, who live the faith of the gospel as if it were the greatest treasure they have.

My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "  Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

- Matthew 21:12-22

Yesterday, we read that when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "   So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

  Then Jesus went into the temple of God and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "  My study bible explains:  "Those who bought and sold in the temple traded in animals used for sacrifices.  The money changers were needed to provide currency acceptable to the temple, because Roman coins bearing the head of Caesar were considered defiling.  When Jesus sees that worship has become commercialized, He acts against the abuses, boldly overturning the tables and casting the tradesmen out.  The cleansing of the temple is seen as an image of the cleansing of our souls."

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,  'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  We look at those who come to Jesus in the temple, and a gift freely bestowed, as a contrast to His condemnation of the commercialization in the temple.  The leadership, who in some sense are representing a very material-minded perspective, can only feel envy, and hence indignation.  The quotation Jesus refers to is from Psalm 8:2.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."   Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"   My study bible explains that the fig tree is a symbol of prosperity and peace, which here withers because of fruitlessness.  It calls this is a prophetic act, for after three years of preaching, teaching and healing, the establishment leadership are destitute of spiritual fruit; therefore, He withers them with His reproach.  It notes, "He curses the tree to warn of the curse on those who will crucify Him.  He submits Himself willingly to the Cross; He is the Suffering Servant who yields to their torture."

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  My study bible tells us:  "Jesus does not expect His disciples literally to move mountains, but this extravagant image accurately depicts the astonishing power of undoubting faith . . . To receive whatever things you ask in prayer, one must have the faith and discernment to ask for what is in accordance with God's will.  God cannot be manipulated by our prayers."

It's interesting to take a look at the themes put together in the reading for today:  the materialism in the temple which Jesus condemns, the lame and and blind who come for help and healing -- and the praise that comes out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants that becomes strength to silence the enemy and avenger.  There is the envy and indignation of the leadership which is blind to what is good in Jesus and in His ministry.  We pair this with the withering of the fruitless fig tree, and Jesus' testimony about the power of faith.  Along with cleansing of the temple, the condemnation of materialism and the material perspective of the leadership that condemns Jesus' followers, we have the true fruits of faith:  the strength of the weak who praise God, the power of their praises, the faith that can move mountains.  We contrast virtues -- the things of God -- with the material emphasis Jesus is condemning by cleansing the temple.  Together with these current readings in Matthew's Gospel, the lectionary has been giving us sections of the Epistles of Peter.  St. Peter tells us about faith and fruitfulness:   "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ"  (2 Peter 1:5-8).  I've emphasized the word "add" because he's telling us about fruitfulness, and it's important to note how St. Peter's understanding of fruitfulness is in such contrast with the material prosperity of the temple.  This fruitfulness of faith has nothing do with what we can add up, and everything to do with the intangibles that make up what it is to truly become a human being in the model of Christ:  virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and finally the crown which is love.  These are the fruits Jesus has taught His apostle, and that the apostle passes on to us.  So St. Peter makes sense of today's passage when, in some sense, the mountain that is moved is that which is within ourselves -- the transformation that takes place in this kind of addition.  Fruitfulness surely has nothing to do with material prosperity in this picture and contrasts to mere "good deeds," but rather in essence consists of the things that we become -- the things which we add to our faith.  Without these, St. Peter goes on to say, a believer is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten salvation.  Let us consider what it is to be truly fruitful in this model, and what is not.  How do you add to your faith?  What are the things -- the treasures -- that make you one of St. Peter's living stones?

The kingdom of heaven is at hand!

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the LORD;

Make His paths straight.'"

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

- Matthew 3:1-12

In yesterday's reading, we were introduced to John the Baptist through Mark's Gospel. We received the prophecy quoted in today's reading from Matthew, and we also learned of John's baptism for repentance, in preparation for the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. See Prepare the way of the LORD. Today the lectionary takes us into the similar passage from Matthew, who adds a little extra for our understanding, as we move through Advent.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'" My study bible has quite a few copious notes on nearly every verse of today's reading, which I find of great interest. Here it says that "the wilderness of Judea is the barren region descending from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. Preparation for Jesus' ministry begins with the call of John the Baptist to repent (v. 2). The reason: the kingdom . . . is at hand. Repentance, which always accompanies belief, is a total about-face. It is a radical change of one's spirit, mind and heart, a complete reorientation of the whole of one's life and being. It is the necessary first step on the way of the LORD (v. 3) and is followed by the confession of sins, the decisive act of baptism, and an actual change in one's life, the 'fruits worthy of repentance' (vv. 6, 8-12)." "The kingdom of heaven is at hand!" is essentially the same message Jesus will teach His apostles to use as they are sent on their first mission, and Jesus Himself will also teach using this phrase. John the Baptist, who is a prophet, is seeing the reality of that kingdom, and preparing all for its reception.

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. My study bible notes that, "John's ascetic lifestyle is in conformity with that of the Jewish sects, such as the Essenes, who made their home in the wilderness and whose purpose was to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God. His clothing is typical of a prophet. Elijah, who also wore a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8), was the prophet expected to prepare Israel for the Messiah (17:9-13; Mal. 4:5,6). Monastics especially follow in Elijah's and the Baptist's mission of repentance and prophecy." The note in my study bible reflects the tone of Matthew's Gospel, and it's significantly different in shape, if you will, from the similar reading in Mark's Gospel that we read yesterday. Here, there is a strong emphasis on expectation and the repentance necessary to receive that kingdom. What does it ask of us in preparation? John's asceticism and chosen humility is a key to the answer to that question.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. A note reads, "People are baptized by John, confessing their sins, so that they may be prepared to receive the Messiah. Such preparation is usual in coming to faith. Confession of sin is a sign of repentance and is essential to baptism even today. John's baptism, however, was for remission of sins only, purifying people for the coming of the Messiah and helping to deliver them from the wrath to come; it did not confer regeneration nor adoption as a child of God (v. 11), as does Christian baptism." Repentance here centers on coming to terms with the reality of one's internal spiritual life. To confess a sin is not so much to make a list of faults, but to be aware of one's state of spirituality. It is the beginning of understanding of relationship to Creator, and where we stand in terms of the spiritual journey that will be asked of us as we seek to meet that kingdom.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" A note teaches, "The Pharisees and Sadducees are skeptical of John's mission and oppose Jesus. Sadducees, members of the high-priestly and landowning class, controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews. Denying the resurrection of the dead, they had no messianic hope. The Pharisees were a lay religious movement centered on the study of the Law and on strict observance of all its regulations. They believed in resurrection and solely on the power of one's good works according to Mosaic Law, and that the Messiah was only a glorious man. John's epithet for them, brood of vipers (12:34; 23:33), sharply denounces their malice as being influenced by 'the snake,' the Adversary, Satan (Job 1:6)." Clearly, John's scathing remark shows his attitude toward the Pharisees and Sadducees, and his opinion of the religious leadership. It mirrors Jesus' attitude toward the hypocrisy of those who will criticize both Himself and John the Baptist. We are clear on where we stand: John is a charismatic preacher, widely believed to be a prophet, who speaks out against the established religious hierarchy - and who will be beheaded by their ally in political authority. This is a kingdom breaking through into a place of its adversaries, those who will try to stop it, and to destroy those who bring its reality to us.

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, . . . My study bible says, "Repentance, confession, and baptism lead to fruits worthy of repentance, a way of life consonant with the expected messianic Kingdom (see Gal. 5:22-25). If no fruit appears, sacramental acts and spiritual discipline are useless." Why begin this process of self-revelation, the change of true repentance, unless it comes to fruition? Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit - and it is up to each one to reveal the work of the Spirit in themselves, the gifts it brings and develops. These are the fruits worthy of repentance.

". . . and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones." A note reads here: "The warning that from these stones (Heb. 'ebanim) God can raise up children (Heb. banim) is a Hebrew play on words. God does not admit fruitless children into His house; He creates new children from the Gentiles." Stones are an important spiritual metaphor for the human beings who will make up this Church in the future. This same term will be used by Jesus in replying to the criticism of the temple leadership, as His disciples welcome Him into Jerusalem, and later in Peter's Epistle when he refers to the members of the Church as "living stones" who comprise the "spiritual house" with Christ as the cornerstone. To "bear fruits" is to be such a "living stone."

"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." A note says, "Even now shows that the Baptist anticipates divine judgment on God's people through the coming of the Messiah (v. 12). Fire, a symbol of destruction, often describes the final judgment (see Is. 33:11; 66:24; Ezek. 38:22, 39:6; Zeph. 1:18)."

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." A note here says, "John's baptism of water only prepares for Christ's baptism of water and the Holy Spirit. Christ baptizes in fire, for as the grace of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Apostles in the form of tongues of fire, so is that grace poured out in baptism. In John's culture, a slave would carry the king's sandals. Thus John powerfully contrasts himself with God's Son, Jesus the Messiah." John's testimony as prophet sums up a tremendous picture of this kingdom breaking through into our midst, but it is a kingdom of tremendous energy, of fire - and it will winnow that which cannot accept its energy and use it to bear fruits of love and spiritual beauty.

"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." A note here reads, "The figure of winnowing the threshed grain from the chaff is a metaphor for divine judgment, which always separates good from evil." The fire John mentions is a very important symbol, because it is one that works in all ways to build this kingdom: it gives energy to those who will use it, it is the power behind the understanding given to "each in one's own language" at Pentecost, it is the test of every soul, so that we go through experiences that teach us to discard that which we do not use, which is not a part of the yielded fruits of the spirit, and move on more deeply and fully into that kingdom. It also burns that which cannot accept and hold its reality.

Judgment, then, seems to rest in our attitudes. Can we accept this kingdom? Can we "bear fruits worthy of repentance?" Can we make this transition out of one state of mind and into another? Will the fire enliven us, instill in us new energy and creativity and power and communication and understanding, or will it burn? Can we give up the things that cannot stand in this fire? In a sense, it is all up to us. But the Holy Spirit with which we will all be baptized and anointed will do Its work, and it is to separate, to reveal, to transform. It nurtures and builds, gives wisdom, and consumes that which stands in the way. It is also a cleansing and purifying fire. Where do we stand in that fire? Can we, too, be the living stones who build this "spiritual house," this "holy priesthood," that offers up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ? (See 1 Peter 2:5.) The sacrifices we offer are the things we submit to that fire, as we discard from ourselves that which does not fit in this kingdom, and change through repentance, or "change of mind" as the original Greek word translates - so that we become the stones that stand, and bear fruits filled with the energy of that fire. How does the fire of the spiritual energy of grace teach you to go forward, to cast away the parts of yourself you need to discard, and to build up your life with the fruits of its love? This gift does its work in us, but we do our part to prepare to receive it, so that we bear the fruits worthy of the gift. For today, let us look to the light of Advent as the luminous blazing fire of the Spirit that is our gift.