So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel

 

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

- Matthew 15:29-39 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out from the place where He disputed with the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, and departed too the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desire."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

  Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  My study Bible comments that Christ's healing of the multitudes here shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman of yesterday's reading, above.  According to St. John Chrysostom, Christ healed the woman "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delays with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."  Let us also note that this outpouring of God's grace and power, manifesting in marvelous varieties of healing, is a kind of affirmation of Christ in the face of the scrutiny and criticisms of the religious leaders in Monday's reading.

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.  My study Bible comments that this second feeding of a multitude should not be confused with the first (see this reading), for they are two distinct miracles (see Matthew 16:8-10, in which Jesus refers to each).  There are distinctive differences in specific details.  My study Bible first suggests that the variance in the number of loaves is significant.  In the first instance, there were five loaves, which symbolize the Law, while here there are seven.  Seven is a symbol of completeness, and here indicates spiritual perfection.  So in the first feeding Christ revealed Himself as fulfilling the Law, while here in today's reading He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  Also, these crowds had been with Jesus for three days.  That is the number of days which He would rest in the tomb.  My study Bible comments that participation in His perfection can only come through being united to Christ's death (see Romans 6:3-5).  

Some comment that, as Jesus has gone to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon (for the healing of the Canaanite woman's daughter in yesterday's reading), and in today's reading seems to be in a region of mixed populations, the healings and feeding in today's reading suggest the evolving understanding of spiritual perfection as belonging to all people, and that the salvation that is of the Jews (John 4:22) is destined for all the nations through Christ (Isaiah 49:6).  As mentioned above, we can also look at this outpouring of blessings and manifestations of God's power and activity in the world as a kind of affirmation or proof of Christ's ministry:  the flowering of such creativity and miracles -- both in healing and in feeding the people -- is an affirmation which manifests among the faithful.  But it will not be so for the religious leaders, whose blindness Jesus has recently commented on (in Monday's reading, He called them "the blind leaders of the blind").  It is an affirmation to us that the things which move us to our faith, which serve to dig us more deeply into our faith, which go unobserved and unnoticed by others, are nonetheless powerful and important.  So often it seems that the things that guide us to our own deepening faith are things to which others are impervious and imperceptive, and maybe that is just the way it's meant to be, the nature of the things of faith.  That certainly seems to be the story in the Gospels, where it is often only later in hindsight that people realize the value and power in the outcome of faith.  Even the disciples will be slow in understanding, such as the two who traveled on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  It is in the personal glimmers of insight that faith grows, and enlightenment of the heart that tinges the mind and brings about conviction and deeper understanding, and these things are often nearly impossible to explain.  Certainly to those who do not share the experience, communication of such is seemingly impossible.  So, at this stage of Christ's ministry, the beginnings of the attention and scrutiny of the establishment are beginning to bear down on Him, and to criticize His ministry.  Herod Antipas has begun to be afraid of Him and His powers (that He is, in fact, John the Baptist raised from the dead) -- see this reading.  The scribes and Pharisees have also come from Jerusalem to question and criticize (Monday's reading), and in tomorrow's reading they and those of their fellow ruling party in the Council (the Sadducees) will together begin to demand proofs from Jesus, "a sign from heaven."  But faith does not come from proofs on demand, nor does it entertain to choose to provide them.  Faith comes through quiet revelation, in secluded corners of sudden light, illuminations of the interior heart -- and not with gigantic spectacle.  For that, we await Christ's return which will only signal sudden judgment (Matthew 24:30-31).  But for those of faith, we must be content with what we understand that comes upon us in ways we can't calculate nor knowingly predict, for this is the way that faith works.  We can pray, and participate in worship, study the Scriptures, and strengthen our discipleship and encourage others, but that is all we can do to bring other people to faith, save to live in such a way as to glorify God (Matthew 5:16).    Let us be assured in our journeys of faith, and in the quiet strength we sometimes surprisingly receive (Nehemiah 8:10, also part of today's lectionary reading).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

- Matthew 14:22–36 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that King Herod feared Him, He departed from by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

 

  Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  We recall that Jesus' plan was to seek to withdraw from the scrutiny of Herod Antipas, for as Herod began to hear of Jesus, he feared that Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead, and that this was the explanation for Christ's miraculous works.  Here, after feeding the multitude, He once again withdraws for solitude to pray.

Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  My study Bible comments that only God has dominion over nature; therefore, this miracle is a confirmation of the divinity of Christ.  It is now the second time that Jesus has permitted His disciples to be caught in a storm (see also Matthew 8:23-27).  The first time, He was with them.  But here he had left them alone.  In this way, my study Bible explains, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.   It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  My study Bible adds that Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study Bible says that Peter's faith allows him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that Peter does not ask to walk on water per se, but rather to come to Jesus.  Peter's desire is not to perform miracles but to be with Christ.  Peter is able to participate in this divine miracle as long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  When he becomes distracted, he begins to sink.

 

 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  My study Bible explains that the Greek term for doubt used here means "wavering" or "hesitation."  Peter's sinking was due not to the storm but rather his doubt; so Christ does not rebuke the wind -- but rebukes Peter.

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  This response bears some resemblance to the words of the centurion who stood at the Cross and witnessed Christ's Passion (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39).  My study Bible comments that this is the first time the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  As they know that only God can be worshiped, they confess His divinity by worshiping Him.  Here, the boat is symbolic of the Church.  

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  Again, the miracles of healing are prominent in Christ's ministry.  My study Bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life, and that contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).  

Stories of the miraculous give us a particular feel in Scripture, a sense of something extraordinarily present that grips our imagination and asks it to go beyond our everyday boundaries and expectations.  There are many who read Scripture and automatically discount the miracles they encounter there.  But Scripture is a kind of literature that asks us to read what it contains with a perspective that everything in it is necessary for us to grasp something, to receive what there is to give.  I also cannot immediately dismiss all possibility of the miraculous, if only because what might be considered miraculous seems to happen and surprise people all the time.  This is particularly true of things that seem to be coincidental, or dreams that give us a hint of things that are happening elsewhere, a sense that pervades prayer, an intuition that supplies an answer we'd been grasping for but couldn't find in some normal "rational" sense.  But let us consider for a moment the miracles of Christ, for they are all, importantly and essentially for us, connected to faith.  My study Bible points out that St. Peter is able to walk on the water toward Christ so long as he keeps his focus on Christ, a key to understanding the miraculous sense here.  The people who bring their sick to be healed have the sort of faith that resembles that of the woman with the twelve year blood flow: we're told that they begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  This connection of faith is clearly the thread -- or perhaps we should say rope -- by which we make contact with potentials that are far beyond the daily grasp of the worldly.  It's also quite essential that we know Peter requested Jesus to command him to walk toward Him, so Peter knows he's responding to a command from Christ.  Moreover, it's the fourth watch of the night, which begins at three o'clock in the morning, and so there is only whatever light might be found on the sea from the stars and moon.  Just as Peter begins to sink once he takes his eyes of the Jesus, so when we lose that thread (or rather, that sturdy rope to hang onto) we also risk sinking into the daily grind of limited expectations and colorless perspective.  Faith, on the other hand, can inspire from depths we didn't know we had.  Indeed, faith can open up depths within us to explore -- to be healed of painful trauma we conceal from ourselves, and to open to creative energies we hadn't understood were there.  Faith gives us confidence just as it gave St. Peter, but we have to remember that it is that we look to Christ that is the key.  It's one thing to place one's faith in something inanimate, or something worldly and material, and another to place one's faith in Christ, the One came to the world in order to bring us life, and to bring life more abundantly (John 10:10).  That becomes a faith -- a key to union -- with something that offers us much more than we can give it.  That faith opens up to the work of the apostles, with whom Christ was able to share His power and authority.  That kind of faith opens up the fruit of the Spirit we read about in Galatians 5:22-23, allowing us to participate in those virtues we otherwise do not have the resources to muster.  These examples are just the bare minimum of gifts and inspiration that we can attribute to faith.  Faith confers the capacity to keep going when otherwise things simply look hopeless when we take God out of the picture.  Faith confers the ability to keep trying when recovery from illness seems impossible.  Faith teaches us that where there is life there is hope, and so on -- we could continue this list far beyond the limits of a blog post.  But what is of true importance, once again, is Whom it is that we put our faith into, for Christ has a gospel message, a Kingdom characterized by certain realities He teaches, and the power of love and life.  His is not the gospel of rage or vengeance or material power.  He offers us that special thing we see on display in today's reading, and if we can look around, we'll find it all around us in the world of the faithful of today, yesterday, and those to come.  In that light, I'd like to share an inspirational blog post regarding a young man called "Superman," written by his Dad (found at this Substack link, which can be read free of charge).  Through faith, a boy with serious struggles became Superman, and continues to inspire.  Let us consider the power of our faith today, in such a world of devastating spectacle, but so much potential that is hidden without that faith.  Let us consider the miraculous, and how it may appear to us when we are least expecting it, without the eyes of faith to see it.

 

 

 

 

How is it you do not understand?

 

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."   And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?" 

 

- Mark 8:11–21 

 

On Saturday we read that, in those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

  Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."   And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  Once again, has Jesus has returned to Jewish territory (in our recent readings, Jesus has spent much time evading the Pharisees as He was in the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, and then the Greco-Roman culture of the Decapolis).  So, in today's reading, we again feel the influence and scrutiny of the Pharisees, whom Jesus had quite possibly been evading after His last dispute with them.  My study Bible comments that the leaven of the Pharisees to which Jesus refers is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  In Scripture, it points out, "leaven" is used both positively and negatively.  A positive example is in the parable of the Leaven found in Matthew 13:33.  Most often, however, it is found as a negative image, as in this case.  But, either way, my study Bible says, leaven symbolizes a force which is powerful enough -- and frequently subtle enough -- to permeate and affect everything around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8).  

We note how seemingly slow the disciples are to understand Jesus' language, and what He is driving at.  It's almost a comical scene, a sort of play on words, to see how Jesus is speaking of leaven as a metaphor for the Pharisees' subtle, permeating influence as they demand a sign, while the disciples are focused on the mundane matters of organizing this ever-moving ministry.  "It is because we have no bread," they reason among themselves.  "He must be upset because we have no bread!"  We can all picture ourselves in such circumstances:  while we're busy trying to organize and follow a plan, the one with the real vision is trying to tell us something much, much more significant.  Indeed, part of the somewhat comical nature of what we read here today is just simply that which follows in Jesus' perhaps incredulous reminder to them of the two (not just one, but two!) feedings in the wilderness which they've so recently experienced.  We notice how Jesus goes through it piece by piece, and step by step, to work them through remembering what they seem to fail to grasp here:  "When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  It's like they are children who really, really need to be led bit by bit into this lesson.  We can almost hear the plaintive note in Christ's question that follows:  "How is it you do not understand?"  While in a completely rational and quasi-perfect world, in which every experience would lead to a completely logical conclusion, this might seem a little much.  But in terms of the true experience of human beings and the way our minds tend to work, this does not at all sound unusual.  In fact, what the Gospels give us so frequently, as perfect teaching tool, is a mirror of the common things we all do and experience, and even the difficulties of grasping the truly extraordinary nature of our faith. For, at heart, really, is not so much the miraculous nature of the feedings which Christ has given with meager resources to multiply, and through which we're given an early glimpse of the Eucharist, and so much more.  Rather, the depth of the matter here is the almost unbelievable concept that God became human, that the Man they know as Jesus, as their Teacher, is also divine.  How can our minds grasp this, really?  We might know it as an intellectual concept, as a given tenet of the faith, but in terms of really getting a hold of just how contradictory the concept is, it would in truth be hard to underestimate this reconciliation of impossible antithetical things in one Person.  And that is really the ever-continuing drama of our faith in the world.  It remains with us as the "stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks" in St. Pauls' words (1 Corinthians 1:23).  It's not just the Crucifixion that gives us this stumbling block and foolishness, but the whole of the almost stupefyingly difficult concept of the 'irreconcilable reconciled' in Christ Himself -- that God became human. No matter what the disciples have truly experienced in their day-to-day, hands on, time-bound material experience of life with Jesus, they still have not been able to process this extraordinary but nonetheless true picture of the reality which God has offered us in the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ.  It is the very thing at the heart of every struggle we might have with our faith, no matter what it is.  The disciples themselves passed out the bread to thousands of people from a handful of loaves, twice.  And yet, they still do not have the eyes to see nor the ears to hear the true message here:  that the things they think they know of their faith, the reality the Pharisees would present to them undermining the ministry of Christ by demanding a convincing sign,  is a kind of poisonous influence, and one that seeks to take away the gift of Christ's true reality presented to the world.  It is similar to Christ's response to St. Peter, when he cannot accept the message of the Crucifixion, later in this chapter.  Jesus' response is, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Mark 8:33). It is perhaps more dramatic, but yet another instance where it is the divinity of Christ that is the stumbling block, for it is only in that understanding that we know the Crucifixion will serve as the trampling of death by death.  Here, Jesus refers to the leaven of the Pharisees, the doubtful, insidious chipping away at our capacity for grasping the things of God, the gifts inherent in the paradox of Jesus and His ministry.  Jesus asks, seemingly bewildered, "How is it you do not understand?"  It is as if we hear God asking, how He could do so much to show us, His creatures,  God's reality, and yet we still don't get it.  But it is a question we always need to ponder for ourselves, for so often we lose sight of the importance of this noetic capability within ourselves -- the place of spiritual eyes and ears -- and the need to strengthen our capacity for faith through the practices we inherit from our traditions:  prayer, worship, liturgy, the saints, the angels, and the whole reality of God within Whom "we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).  How could Jesus multiply loaves and fish to feed a multitude two times?  How can God become human?  How do we understand the paradox of faith?  This is where we start and where we finish, and it is the place to which we always return.  It is the place where we need to come to find Him, and even paradoxically, to truly find ourselves, the Alpha and Omega of life. 

 

 

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men

 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

- Matthew 4:18-25

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  These first disciples, the brothers Simon and Andrew, and James and John Zebedee, had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and they were prepared to accept Christ immediately.  Although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, my study bible tells us, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  When Jesus had begun to preach repentance ("Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," a repetition of the words of the Baptist -- see the final verse in yesterday's reading, above), the crowds did not swarm Him.  It was only when He began to heal and work miracles (today's reading) that this phenomenon of immediate public interest and fame occurred.  My study bible says that this fact shows that the people misunderstand the true nature of the Kingdom.  It is also showing that Christ made concessions "to give credibility to what He teaches" (in the words of Theophan) among the fickle multitudes.

Jesus' fame quickly grows and spreads.  These first disciples respond to His call immediately.  As Jesus begins His public ministry, things happen quickly.  People do not respond so wildly to the call for repentance, but the manifestation of holy power is compelling.  And, of course, it is the fulfillment of traditional expectations of the Messiah, one who will heal and work miracles.  My study bible says that it shows that people misunderstand the true nature of the Kingdom.  What is that true nature?  In yesterday's reading, we considered this question, pondering on the notion that the Kingdom is present wherever Christ is.  Maybe there is a hint in the immediate response of these first disciples when they are called.  They are prepared for Him; it's understood that they have heard and known the preaching of John the Baptist and were most likely his disciples first (see John 1:35-42, in which the unnamed disciple is most likely John Zebedee himself).  But what is the call?  They are called to become fishers of men.  It's noteworthy that these men are not pre-qualified for this job, although they are prepared to respond to His call.  In the language of the Gospel, Jesus says, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."   The word used for "make" both here and in the same command found in Mark's Gospel is the Greek word ποιήσω/poieso, a verb akin to "create."  It gives us the root for the word "poem," a manifestation of what it is to create.  It is, in effect, an extension of His power as Creator.  It is His holy power that will "make" these men fishers of men.  It's not a simple call to take on a role or to fill a job.  It's rather a call to mission for which only Christ's holy power is capable of rendering them what they will become.  Hence, "follow Me" is more than a command.  It's a kind of qualifier.  By following Him, in faith and in keeping His word, we become something more than what we started out and can be on our own.  In John 14, in His final sermon to the disciples at the Last Supper, He makes this promise twice.  He first tells them, "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:15-18).  And then promises again, in response to a question as to how this can happen, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me" (John 14:23-24).  Living in His word, keeping His commandments, loving Christ, means that both the Helper, the Holy Spirit, and the Father, will dwell forever with that person, creating ongoing discipleship, making of us what is necessary for that living Kingdom, which is clearly a synergy of holy power and human beings.  To live in His word -- true repentance -- is an ongoing process of being made into something, of this holy power to create at work in our lives.  As my study bible noted when these illiterate and unlearned men were called, they "will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all" because of this ongoing creative work of God within them.  Where one member of the Trinity is, as we noted in yesterday's reading, so are all three, as promised by Christ in John 14.  What we look to, then, is this transformational and creative reality, making us into something that we can't make of ourselves, fashioning us for  a purpose and for participation in something beyond ourselves and greater than we can know.  It is a creative power in which we are invited to participate, growing closer in this indwelling "home" where Father, Son, and Spirit may live forever with us.  It's an awesome thing to ponder, but one for which we simply need to accept what is, and allow ourselves to accept where He leads when we follow.   More powerfully than we can know, the work of God is, after all, to believe in Him whom He sent (John 6:29).

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

 Yesterday, we read the continuation of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.  At this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' testimony that a prophet has no honor in his own country is found in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."   We are back again in Cana of Galilee, where Jesus' first sign of seven in John's Gospel took place at the wedding.  Jesus complains to the people in general ("you" in Jesus' sentence here is plural both times) that faith based on miracles or wonders alone isn't true salvation.  My study bible says that this kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (19:15).

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.   This second sign in the Gospel of John teaches that Jesus not only sees into the hearts of people from a distance (see His first meeting with Nathanael), but also that He can heal from a distance.  My study bible tells us that this shows Christ's power has no earthly limits.  The nobleman's concern is primarily for his child, but his faith in Christ is weak -- he believes Christ needs to be physically present to heal the child.  Furthermore, Christ has power even over death.  The nobleman eventually asks about the timing of the healing.  When all is confirmed, then he and his whole household believe.  My study bible says that in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not only the physical body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.

It's interesting to note my study bible's emphasis on the progress of faith within the nobleman.  He's desperate to save his child.  But somehow he puts his faith in Christ to do so, although his faith is "limited," as my study bible says.  He doesn't really have the full confidence that Christ's true power warrants.  Jesus lectures everybody as the man pleads, that "unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."   This is how we get our first hint that woven through these actions is the story of faith and how it grows -- that it is a kind of a journey.  The man goes through his own process of growing trust and faith, and validation, to find that Jesus healed his son from a distance, and with a word given to him ("Your son lives").  Eventually, it is the whole household -- all the people involved here, including the servants who reported to him and participated in this process -- who believe.  The details are so important, because they illuminate great truths for all of Jesus' followers.  We don't really know where our search for faith is going to take us.  We don't even know how that search gets started.  Clearly this man's beginning was in seeking help to heal his son.  He put his hope in Christ for that reason, and it was Christ who called it out, disparaging in some sense that faith only comes through signs and wonders with "you people."   And yet, the man is on a road.  It is his persistence with Christ that moves him further along in faith.  This isn't the first time (witness the story of the Samaritan woman at the well) nor the last time that will happen!  The struggle with God for faith is a real and important factor in what determines who we are and how we grow.  (We can also see something of that in the story of Jesus' first meeting with Nathanael.)   There's something more in this story that is important and clearly central to our understanding of faith.  Faith is a search for truth.  It's not just a search for belief, and it's not just motivated by a desire to believe in 'something.'  At its heart, faith has to be about finding -- in a deep and sincere seeking -- that which we can put our trust into.  It's about finding truth; that is, finding what is truly real.  Truth and trust (the Greek root of "faith") are inseparable in this search.  We are built with a need to worship.  We are either going to find that root of truth in which to trust, or we will find other things we 'idolize.'   But the goal here is finding the love and trust, after all, in the Person who is Truth.  That is, the place in which we can rest with certainty that we are on the right road.  This is the true place in which we, in return, are loved and cared for properly; it is the place in which we will not be led astray from what is truly best for us.  As my study bible puts it in speaking of the soul of the nobleman, it's the place were we're fully healed.  We're truly in the fullness of 'home' and 'household' in this place.  In getting there, we may also bring many of those around ourselves with us through our relationship with them.  This works through the power of prayer, which goes as deep as the word Christ gives within us.  Do not be discouraged in the journey of faith.  The Gospels teach us that it is all of a process.  It is the love of truth that gets us there, in the word of the Logos Himself that teaches where we put our trust.  Let us be glad for the struggle in which we're invited to earnestly engage.  There is never a need to apologize for that honest search.

And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

- Matthew 15:29-39

In yesterday's reading, we were taken to Gentile territory of Tyre and Sidon. A woman of Canaan -- traditional "enemies" of the Jews -- came to Jesus and His disciples. She said, ""Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed." The disciples asked Jesus to send her away, and three times He rebuffed her Himself. He told her, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." But she replied, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table." Jesus told her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and he healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel. Here Jesus is still in Gentile territory. The miracles or signs reported here are the same as among the Jewish multitudes in Jesus' ministry, and they are the prophetic signs of the Messiah: the mute speak, the lame walk, the maimed made whole, the blind seeing. And, among these Gentile people, like with the woman of Canaan in yesterday's reading, the God of Israel is glorified. Again, we're reminded that this Gospel was written with a Jewish orientation. My study bible notes, "Though Jesus focused on Jews, He taught and healed all who came to Him, thus transcending racial distinctions and prejudices."

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. Matthew's gospel gives us a second feeding, this time a crowd of four thousand men, besides women and children. Earlier we read about the feeding of the five thousand men (besides women and children). The difference in the story here is primarily that now the crowd includes many Gentiles. There's a significance in the number of baskets, once again. Previously, there were twelve baskets of fragments left over, suggesting the Twelve Apostles who will be sent out to all the world. But the the seven baskets in this story give us a number that frequently meant completion in the Old Testament. In this miracle, the whole world is filled with the holy bread of Christ, Gentiles included. It is again evocative of the Eucharist, and another sign of Jesus' divinity; and, yet again here, what has happened among the Jews is also happening in Gentile territory. It is a kind of cementing of the episode in yesterday's reading with the Canaanite woman, that the people of God, Israel -- and the God of Israel -- are for all the nations, a fulfillment of God's promise, and a promise of a New Covenant.

I believe we have to truly strain a little to see and hear with the eyes and ears of the contemporaries of Matthew for whom this Gospel was written. We should consider the great good news that is also somewhat shocking. Even the traditional enemies of the Jews, those who were considered to be peoples rightfully subdued, are included in this expanded understanding of God's kingdom, the people of Israel. What a shocking understanding indeed, demanding great awareness of the need to change, to change one's mind in order to grasp the new things. If we read it correctly, it is a startling revelation, one which really turns life in a new direction -- and the Good News of the Gospel means a broadening and turning out in new directions of what is considered holy. We contrast the faith of these Gentiles (especially the woman in yesterday's reading) with the outright hostility and possibly arrogance of the scribes and Pharisees in their encounter with Jesus in the reading of the day before. Jesus called them "the blind leaders of the blind" and said that, with such leadership, both leaders and followers will fall into a pit, or ditch. And what is the difference? Faith, certainly, but also a sense of humility. The ones on whom are bestowed miraculous signs of healing and feeding are the ones with the humility to come to Christ in worship, sitting at His feet, recognizing the signs He does, and glorifying the God of Israel. Let us, once again, consider their example.

For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

-Psalm 51:16, 17

You have kept the good wine until now!

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

- John 2:1-12

In Saturday's reading (and Friday's as well), we read of Jesus choosing His disciples. In actuality, they come to Him first, having been led by John the Baptist to the "Lamb of God." On Saturday we read that Jesus found Philip, who is most likely first a disciple of John the Baptist. Philip found Nathanael (just as Andrew, the previous day, had found his brother Simon, who would be called Peter). Nathanael asked, "Can any good thing come from Nazareth?" when he was told about Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus told him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree." Nathanael believed, and Jesus told him that he would see far greater things: "Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." But first, before this conversation, Jesus said about Nathanael as he approached, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. This is the "third day" of Jesus' ministry, but it is the "fifth day" of the Gospel of John. On the first, John the Baptist gave his testimony to those who came from Jerusalem to question him. On the second, John testified of Jesus, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" On the third, John stood with two of his disciples (Andrew and, most likely, the author of this Gospel). Andrew becomes a follower of Jesus and brings his brother, Simon, whom Jesus says will be called Cephas (or Petros in Greek, meaning stone or rock; in English, "Peter"). On the fourth, Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee as are Andrew and Peter. Philip brought Nathanael. And today's reading teaches us about what happened the next day. John's Gospel begins with deliberate echoes of Genesis, with "In the beginning." It is a creation story to complete the first. The successive days give us the unfolding of Jesus' ministry - the public ministry of Jesus' Incarnation. We understand that He has already lived His life as a human being, fulfilling the mission of sharing life with us as a human being. On the third day of His public ministry, after two days spent choosing disciples, the creation story further unfolds with the first miracle or sign (the first of seven in the Gospel). It is a great blending of relationship of His earthly life: His mother is there, it is a family affair. As we have observed so far in John's Gospel, everything unfolds working through others, through human beings, and today's first miracle is no exception.

Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. Tradition holds that the wedding was of Simon the Zealot, who will be an apostle. Mary, Jesus' mother, is perhaps a relative of the bride or groom. My study bible points out that the setting is significant. "In the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolize the union of God with His bride, Israel. Jesus begins His ministry at a wedding in Galilee, which was largely Gentile territory: thus this sign becomes a symbol of the joy of the Kingdom being spread beyond Judea to all the world . . . By His presence at this wedding, Jesus declares marriage to be holy and honorable." And by comparing the "days" that pass in this mirror of the first creation story in the Old Testament, we have a redeeming image of the brokenness of the first one -- Christ is here to mend our wounds and restore our bonds or relatedness and relationship, including with one another, blessing and sanctifying.

And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." My study bible points out that "Woman" is not a derogatory title, but a common one of "respect and dignity" which Jesus will use in various encounters with women in the Gospel (including when addressing His mother from the Cross). A more accurate translation might read, "What does this have to do with Me and you, woman?" And again, this scene is illustrative of how this ministry unfolds through other human beings. God uses relationship and relatedness to unfold the great plan of salvation. My study bible points out that this is an example of Mary's gift of intercession. There is a powerful reason why we pray for one another; and why, in the "great cloud of witnesses" who live in God, we still call upon prayer, all for all. Jesus' hour is the hour of His glorification, His full public self-disclosure.

His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Again, the story enforces the idea of relationship - we may all act as agents of grace. Just as John the Baptist brought his disciples to Jesus, so Mary instructs the servants to "follow Him," in some sense. It is she who insists, a picture of prayer and readiness for God's action. This story of John's Gospel is propelled forward by those who form some sort of connection to or are related with Jesus, each interacting with one another.

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Waterpots were made of stone so that they would not contract ritual impurity, in accordance with rabbinical teaching. Six, my study bible says, may be a symbol of imperfection or incompleteness (one less than seven), the Levitical law incomplete without the Incarnation and dispensation of the Christ. Water must be readily abundant at a wedding; in Jewish tradition the wine would be diluted with three parts water - to discourage drunkenness.

Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!" The abundant and flowing wine from water symbolizes the great harvest or vintage of this new dispensation -- it fulfills all the promise and potential of the old. The story is self-explanatory: by tradition, the good wine is served first. Once the guests are well-satisfied, the lesser quality is brought out. Church Fathers saw an anticipation of the Eucharist in this transformation of water to wine -- and the abundance is the abundance of promise for all of us in Jesus' mission; perhaps, my study bible says, the abundance of grace and truth in Christ. I see it as symbolic of His action in us and with us, the abundance of His promises, of the abundant life with its richness and joy and goodness He brings to ours. This is what He wants for us.

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. Regarding signs, my study bible says: "The seven signs of this Gospel point to something beyond themselves: the mystery of the Incarnate God at work in his mighty and saving acts; the Kingdom of God being inaugurated by Jesus. The disciples see His glory -- His divine power which reveals that He comes from the Father -- and are strengthened in their faith in Him."

Signs give us important guideposts to the reality behind the image of what we behold. As my study bible says, they point to something greater than themselves, something we may have spiritual eyes and ears to read or perceive, or we may need to sharpen that sight and hearing. Signs are the abundance of God's grace to us, acting as agents to draw us out, through which we may be drawn into greater abundance, real mystery, and a heightened sense of life and meaning and our own being and belonging in this universe of creation by a God who loves us, and wants for us abundance which He will share. How do you experience signs in your life? In today's reading, the abundance of the wine, the good wine, is in itself a sign for all of us, of the blessings of union with God, an Incarnation that is in itself, good. How do you experience your life with God, and the abundance of riches brought to us in this life that is life itself? Can you read the signs of your own life, and its calling from somewhere much greater than what we can immediately perceive? This Lent, let us strip away all the things that get in the way of that sight, and refine it so that we may see, receive and perceive better than we do already.

The Second Sign

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

In yesterday's reading (Could this be the Christ?), and that of the day before (Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst), we read about Jesus' passing through Samaria, and his talk with the woman at Jacob's well. She became the first evangelist. In today's reading, Jesus returns to Cana in Galilee.

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also had gone to the feast. My study bible notes here: "Jesus' statement concerning the prophet without honor is reported in all four Gospels. His own country refers to Galilee (as John stresses: 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19). Galileans were present in Jerusalem during the Passover, when He won many devotees because of the signs He performed (2:13-25). Because they gave Him only this minimal honor based upon their wonder at His signs, and not true glory based upon belief in His messianic vocation, He knew not to trust Himself to them."

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. This is the second of Christ's signs reported in John (see The Good Wine for the first) - and they are both in Cana of Galilee, Nathanael's hometown. Jesus had demonstrated, by identifying Nathanael from afar, that He could see at a distance (see Follow Me). My study bible points out that in today's reading Jesus now shows that He can heal at a distance -- "He can heal the unseen." It notes that "the royal (Herodian) official may be the centurion of Matt. 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10, although there are many differences between the synoptic story and the Johannine account."

And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." My study bible notes, "Once again, recognizing humanity's need for signs and wonders, Jesus manifests His power to reveal Himself as God. The Lord admonishes the Galileeans (in the person of this official), a people whose faith depends on 'signs and wonders' (Ex. 7:3 [LXX]; Deut. 4:34; Is. 8:18; Jer. 32:20). Faith based upon the miraculous alone is inadequate, but not unacceptable (see 14:11; 20:29-31). The Galileans, however, according to this account, lack authentic faith." It's interesting that both miracles or signs, so far, have come at the bidding of others. The first, at the wedding, was suggested by his mother's request.

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." My study bible notes here: "The official approaches Jesus out of urgent need for his little son. Jesus gives the official no sign, but simply the command to go (v. 50) and the word that his child lives. But that is enough for the official to have faith. Thus, the official manifests true belief (unlike the people of v. 48). The seventh hour (v. 52) is about 1:00 P.M." In the synoptic accounts mentioned above - from Mathew and Luke - that we may compare with this story (although it is not certain they are about the same person), we are given to understand that the centurion is a good and faithful man. Although a Roman, he treats the local people well, and has built them a synagogue. In this respect, our account today concurs with the other synoptic stories: this is a man of true faith. Whether he is a Roman centurion or a nobleman of Herod's court, this makes John's second account of faith by those who are outsiders: first the Samaritan woman (here and here) and now an official connected with Rome.

So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. My study bible says, "This is the third time the phrase your son lives is reported. The very word of the One who is the resurrection and the life (11:25) gives life as well."

In this second miracle, or sign, that we are given in John's Gospel, we have some important things to note. First of all, Jesus is reluctant to perform His miracles. They come at the request of others: in the case of the wine at the wedding in Cana, the request came from His mother. Jesus makes a statement first, indicating his disinterest: "What has that got to do with me and you?" is how the Greek text reads. In the case of today's reading, Jesus makes a clear statement which is disparaging in tone: "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." This has to do with faith: Jesus does not perform "signs and wonders" in order to convince anybody of his divinity. As my study bible notes above, He wishes for those who are capable of grasping who He is, and what His mission is to the world. Faith is something that comes from the heart. That is, from a connection inside of ourselves. Secondly, these early believers are outsiders. The Samaritan woman (from the readings of yesterday and the day before) is a clear outsider. For many reasons, it was shocking that Jesus should speak to her at all - yet He directly revealed Himself to her. Today we have an official of Herod's court. This is Herod who will have John the Baptist beheaded. Both Samaritans and anyone connected with Herod's court are more than outsiders: they are those who would be nominally repellent to the devout Jews one would imagine that Jesus' appeal would draw to Himself. They are not just outsiders, but they are those looked down upon and reviled. Yet, here Jesus finds faith. His signs are in the service of true faith. Couple this fact with this statement from John in our opening verses and we have a very distinct picture: For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. This faith is not something that comes from what is expected, awaited or already understood in some sense. The great faith Jesus has so far encountered - apart from those who are his disciples - has occurred among the outsiders considered unable or unfit to appreciate true religion. They are from among groups of people too reviled to be considered able to be properly devout. So, Jesus breaks down more barriers than we suspect here.

John's Gospel has already taken us way beyond expectations, and deeply into the nature and question of faith. Faith is not something that comes from belief in proofs and signs. A sign, as we have discussed earlier in John's Gospel, is not something intended as proof. It is, instead, something that points to a reality beyond itself, to the mystery of the Kingdom and the Incarnate God that is the Person of Jesus. In this sense, these signs have everything to do with faith, and we misunderstand them if we understand them only as some sort of proof of divinity. A sign is not for the faithless, but for the faithful, who will read it as their hearts understand it - that it points to a deeper Mystery and a greater glory than they are able to understand just in front of them. It is an opening up of the Kingdom to those who wish to receive it. Let us understand today, then, what we are taught here about faith: that the "Spirit blows where it wishes." We can't control nor predict where faith will root in the heart. It comes where it is least expected. And signs are for those with faith, not intending to produce faith where it doesn't exist, where relationship can't exist. As the Gospel said, Jesus did not commit Himself (we could read that "entrust Himself") to those who merely believed in the signs he did at the Festival. As we go forward in John's Gospel, we go forward and deeper into Mystery. We have much to learn.