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

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

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

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

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

- Luke 9:37-50

Yesterday, we read that, about eight days after Jesus' teaching that He will suffer and be rejected and killed, and raised on the third day, Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.   My study bible tells us here that while the disciples' faith was incomplete (Matthew 17:19-20), Christ's rebuke is also to the crowds, whose faith was still weaker (see Mark 9:22-24).  It's important to notice the destructive nature of the demons, their attacks on human life and the order necessary for health, creating chaos.  What we notice also is the love of this father for his son; almost all requests seem to come to Christ from this type of love for the distress of those who are dear or the threat of their loss.

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  In St. Peter's Second Epistle (2 Peter 1:16), he uses this same word translated as majesty to refer to what he beheld at the Transfiguration (yesterday's reading).  Here, because of the healing of the boy, all the crowd is amazed at the majesty of God.  But once again, Jesus seeks to enforce to the disciples the betrayal that will happen to Him at Jerusalem, telling them, "Let these words sink down into your ears."  My study bible says that His repeated prediction of His Passion is meant to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they will face.  It is also to assure them that He goes willingly to the Cross, and is not powerless.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you all will be great."  Perhaps the disciples believe that Jesus' predictions of His Passion, death, and Resurrection mean that He will be coming into His Kingdom as a literal kingdom of the world.  Their dispute reflects concerns about their places in this kingdom.  Whatever the cause, Jesus begins to teach them about humility, and most particularly how they are to be leaders of His Church, His spiritual kingdom.  The keynote is graciousness.

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."  John seems to be asking a thoughtful or reflective question here, after Jesus' teaching about receiving even a little child in His name.  Jesus' teaching is again all about grace:  those acting in good faith aren't excluded, even if they're not currently numbered among the disciples.  For those not acting in good faith, see 11:23; Acts 19:13-16.

Jesus' teachings are all about grace, in so many ways.  His teachings on receiving a little child teach the disciples about the grace which must be the hallmark of leadership in His Kingdom, in His Church.  The whole of the Incarnation is about grace, and the graciousness of God's condescension and humility in order to heal humanity, for the good of human beings.  His suffering on the Cross will be the greatest expression possible of such, the most full acknowledgement that He suffers with us, that God is fully aware of the extensive and deep levels of suffering in the world. Christ's gracious majesty is contrasted with the chaos of the demons, whose destructive work makes no real sense.  Christ represents the 'good order' of that which restores and heals and sets right.  This the effect of what He brings into the world.  The key for the disciples as His followers and those who will become the bishops of His Church, is humility, an understanding of grace as the key to His power and majesty.  In the Gospels, we can contrast this kind of power with that of the leadership in Jerusalem, or of Herod.  But the real key to sharing in this experience and participation in grace and humility is the core of the reading today:  good faith.  Just what is it that constitutes good faith?  What is it that makes for real faith, or a depth of faith?  Everything starts with that.  We're not going to be able to live the gracious life Christ proposes for us without that.  We can learn 'good manners.'  We can even learn compassion, but without faith it seems to me that compassion very easily takes on tones of self-interest, or sets up its own legalistic rules for application, forms of 'correctness' which may apply in one place but not in another.  Faith begins as a kind of communion:  a deepening one, a greater fullness of participation, and a journey that shakes us down to the core at times, demanding of us that we make choices in our loyalties and assumptions.  Christ teaches that we must each take up our cross, following Him.  Faith will challenge the things we hold dear, and ask us to give up what gets in the way of its depth.  That takes great humility, necessary for the grace He gives and teaches.  Christ's majesty is characterized by this.  So, the faith journey begins and continues for us even as for the apostles.  Where are you today?  What questions is it asking of you?  How will you share in its grace, both receiving and giving it?

Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me

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

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

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

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

- Luke 9:37-50

Yesterday's reading took us to the mountaintop -- the scene of Jesus' Transfiguration. Jesus went to the mountain to pray, and took with Him John, James and Peter. They saw Him transfigured in the brightest of light, with the figures of Moses and Elijah speaking with Him. They were speaking of Jesus' "exodus" from Jerusalem -- His coming Passion and death. And finally a revelation of the Trinity, a cloud overhead out of which the voice of the Father spoke. But they told no one when they came down from the mountain. See Transfiguration.

Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child." Jesus returns from the mountaintop of transfiguration to His work of healing. There is a reflection of other healings here -- in that this is the man's only child. So often people come to Jesus because what is most precious to them in the world is threatened, what they love most may be lost and is in danger.

"And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father." And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. The "enemies" of humanity are those that harm and cause destruction to the innocent. But we learn here that even the disciples, though they have already returned from their first mission, are not fully powerful, not even fully faithful. For Ascension Day, we were given the reading of Jesus' departure, the final reading in Luke -- and even there, we learned that some doubted. The life of discipleship does not mean perfection, but we are always a work in progress.

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said, to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men." But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Jesus' healing is always for the purpose of giving glory to God; each miracle is a sign of the majesty of God. But even so, even as the "majesty of God" is expressed and showing in their midst -- just as Jesus was transfigured in glory for Peter, James and John -- Jesus reminds them again of what is to come. But they cannot understand it. They are dazzled by the displays of power and majesty; the Passion is impossible for them to grasp. Jesus is trying to prepare them for this great stumbling block that will come, this scandal. How is it even possible? But this is the way of the cross, a seeming paradox, the way of our Christian lives. We accept our world as it is and find our way through it, His way.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great." Filled with the majesty and vision of power, all the disciples can focus on is who will be greatest in the kingdom. They cannot understand what is coming and have not grasped what Jesus is trying to tell them. This is a great teaching on humility - what is so necessary for discipleship and His Way. Even the least is connected to God the Father, to "Him who sent Me." This is a new and different way of relating, of understanding ourselves as disciples before God. We must find new ways to understand what it is to be great - not as the world understands this - and to bear the kingdom in this world. My study bible points out that a little child is "an icon of dependency" -- a simple illustration of greatness in humility and service. Ultimately it is a teaching about love, about all of our connectedness to Him, and even to God the Father.

Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us." But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side." Let us remember that tolerance and love mean a breadth of vision! Not only is the little child great, but our care must extend to those who may practice differently than we do. How can we serve this notion of family within the Church? How many lessons do we still have to learn? Can love unite us? Can we really see who is "on our side?" It is another lesson for the disciples about humility, and what they are doing in the world, what their mission is all about.

So, in today's readings we get a heavy dose of learning about humility -- and how that must be a part of what it is to be great. Jesus' miracles are not about self-aggrandizement but the glory and "majesty" of God. How do we glorify God but by the practice of humility, as He teaches? And we also have to note that these teachings are linked to faith. Jesus points out that they cannot heal the boy because they lack faith -- and thereby that lack of the fullness of faith is also linked to their lack of understanding about His passion and death that is to come, their desire for a worldly kind of greatness, their concerns about others who are healing in His name. Let us remember the lessons learned here today -- faith teaches us humility and love, to see others the way we need to, and focus clearly on our own mission. So, as we did for Thursday's reading of the Great Commission for Ascension Day, let us focus again on mission. How are we to bear the kingdom in the world? How do we focus on what we need to do, and let go of the rest? How does humility get you to where you need to be, for the glory of God? Let us remember the Transfiguration and then the certainty of His death at the hands of men, and call to ourselves the humility He taught. How do you serve God today?