My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

 

Then His mother and brothers came to  Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16–25 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries  of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.   Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in a time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

 

  "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Jesus uses similar metaphors of light elsewhere in the Gospels to illustrate related concepts in His teaching (see Matthew 5:14-15, Mark 4:21-22, Luke 11:33-34).  Here, He is emphasizing internal illumination, and in particularly "how we hear."  That is, the importance of our perception and capacity for learning the spiritual concepts hidden in His parables (see the parable of the Sower, in yesterday's reading, above).  What we grasp as His disciples must be lived, nurtured, and cherished as our good treasure.

 

 Then His mother and brothers came to  Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."   My study Bible comments that it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  Instead, St. John Chrysostom asserts that Jesus is correcting both the and His hearers "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue."  Jesus' teaching here is emphasizing what we've just read of His preaching in the Sermon on the Plain (see Luke 6:12-49) and in His teaching of the parable of the Sower (see yesterday's reading, above).  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God (see also Luke 11:27-28).

 

 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study Bible suggests that Christ deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He's sleeping, in order to perfect the faith of the disciples and to rebuke their weaknesses.  In this way, they are being strengthen to be unshaken by the temptations of life that will come their way.  In this particular scenario, their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing." Let us remember in this context that faith in Christ is rooted in trust.

 

 One part of today's reading in concerned with Jesus' mother and His brothers coming to see Him.  We can perhaps construe that at this juncture in His ministry He's beginning to attract very great crowds and a lot of publicity.  Since He has already had some run-ins with certain Pharisees (such as in this reading, for example, or this one from Monday), we can also assume that this publicity may be alarming or even unseemly to His family of rather humble stature in Nazareth.  (See this reading for the conflict which arose when He preached in His hometown, and the wrath He incurred there.) 

 In St. Mark's third chapter, the Gospel seems to write of an incident at this same period of Jesus' ministry, and also amid the clashes He begins to have with the religious authorities.  When such great crowds come to find Jesus and draw so much attention to Him, it disturbs and frightens His family enough so that they seek to "lay hold of Him, for they said, 'He is out of His mind'" (Mark 3:20-21).  The protective claim of mental illness rings true even today, for a family trying to draw a loved one out of the spotlight and away from the threat of possible action on the part of authorities.   It's intriguing to consider that Jesus' mother Mary is outside waiting to speak to Him together with His "brothers" (likely sons of St. Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins or other extended family).  Since from the earliest origins of the Church Christ's mother Mary has been venerated for her love of her Son and her faith in Him, we can certainly assume Jesus' response is not at all meant to insult or demean her concerns (and she will stand by Him even at the Cross; see John 19:25-27).  Perhaps she's there because the rest of the family presses her to go and see Jesus and find out what He's doing.  But if we are tempted to think that He is turning her away, and contrasting her with His followers, we truly should think again.  For all the evidence that we have points to Mary the Theotokos ("God-bearer" in Greek) as one who fits this description of those whom Jesus describes as His spiritual family: "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."   It is St. Luke's Gospel, after all, that tells us that Mary responded with acceptance when told by Gabriel of the birth of Jesus; she said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (see Luke 1:26-38).  She is the one who, in St. John's Gospel, told the servants at the wedding in Cana, "Whatever He says to you, do it," and so encouraged and helped to facilitate His first sign in that Gospel (John 2:1-12).  So, bearing these things in mind, we should consider that when Jesus responds to His mother and brothers in today's reading, He is in some sense assuring us all that Mary is in fact sister to the women we read about yesterday.  That is, to "Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance" (see yesterday's reading. above).  Or perhaps, as the mother of our Lord, it would be better to say that Mary the Theotokos is in this sense the mother of all of us.  For without her willing acceptance of her part in God's plan of salvation, none of us would be brothers and sisters in His Church.  In the view of the Church, and from its earliest years, Mary has been venerated as the greatest of Christian saints, and indeed, she is the model upon which we can all draw for Christ's description of His spiritual family, those who hear the word of God and do it.  When we read of all of these women, then, let us consider Christ's mother Mary together with them in the Church. For "those who hear the word of God and do it" include many whom we might call disparate and different, but all are together gathered in the Church, then and ever since.

 

 

 

Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother

 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.  

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit." 

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

- Mark 3:19b-35 

 

Yesterday we read that, after a confrontation with the Pharisees, Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  And they went into a house. 

Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  Beelzebub was a name given by the Jews indicating Baal, a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Across the Middle and Near East, various peoples worshiped Baal (meaning "Lord"), often at varied shrines with particular dedication names to the god.  In this case, "Beelzebub" is a form of dedication name given in ridicule by the Jews, as it means prince of the "dung heap," or in another sense, lord of "the flies."  For the Jews, these gods in reality were demons, and here this god worshiped in so many places is called ruler of the demons, and they accuse Christ of working through his demonic power.  But Jesus turns the tables with a very perfect expression of the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves, which my study Bible says illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.  For He is the stronger man, who binds the strong man, Satan.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  My study Bible comments that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit means blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit; that is, blasphemy against pure goodness.  He says this because the scribes attribute the gracious miracles, healings, and casting out of demons to Beelzebub, whom they call the ruler of the demons.  The activities of the Holy Spirit were already well known among the Jews from the Old Testament Scriptures, and so this misattribution to forces of evil comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  However, my study Bible adds that the patristic commentary is clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin" and neither does Jesus call it "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  My study Bible explains that Christ makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that they are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

 

 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  Christ's relatives, my study Bible comments, have not yet understood His identity and mission.  Hence, further up, we hear that "His own people . . . went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  Perhaps they are simply fearful that He has by now drawn so much attention to Himself, including hostility from both the religious and state authorities.  But here even His close family comes to speak with Him, His brothers (likely stepbrothers or cousins) and His mother.  The people who surround Him in a circle are those who aspire to be disciples, or learners.  (We can observe this in the story of Martha and Mary, in which Mary joined with those who "sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word"; see Luke 10:38-42.)  Jesus, however, responds by pointing to a spiritual family, based on obedience to the will of God the Father.

Jesus' notion of a spiritual family is important.  If we look back at our lives, we might be surprised to learn that we can perceive a thread running through them based upon the influence of the Holy Spirit at work.  There is a subtlety to this sort of experience through time that more or less defies absolute description, and nevertheless in hindsight we might often find ourselves surprised to perceive that it was there.  The Holy Spirit, and the actions of the Spirit in the world, seem to tie us to things that defy normal anticipation of coincidence or happenstance, making us a part of connection that leads us to deeper insight and to further conviction in our faith.  This, by way of understanding how the Spirit works among us, is a way to see relationship formed, a family based on obedience to the will of God.  Once we begin to take seriously our faith, and to sincerely seek to know the will of God and to follow that calling, we might be shocked to find the difference in our lives between the very secular concepts of friendship and even family relationship, and the particular things that happen in the community of our faith.  This extends even to a growing understanding of prayer, and of that "great cloud of witnesses" about which St. Paul wrote, even to the saints with whom we pray and upon whom we can call for assistance in prayer, just as we would with our fellow believers in our Church whom we know.  In effect, Jesus calls us into family under a relationship with God Our Father in heaven, and from there we derive a sense of relatedness leading to a sense of family.  While our parents and other relations may always hold a particular place in our lives to which a certain respect or honor is due, the depth of the heart to which Christ calls us in faith operates in surprising and transcendent ways, calling upon a loyalty that a secular life can't necessarily understand nor perceive.  It is the depth of Christ's love working in us that may come as surprising, for it defies expectations, and renders us loyal to something not understood in a conventional sense.  Indeed, it is Christ here who calls us into this relationship, and we can even read His words as proclaiming to us that we can join His family, as brother and sister and mother, for all those who seek to do the will of God become one of His family based on that depth of relationship of obedience to God the Father.  For those of us who seek this way of life can be certain of a profound journey in this place of discipleship, like those who sit at His feet in today's reading.  Our reading today begins with the story of those who claim that Christ's power comes from the demons, but we know where this depth of power comes that can defeat even "the strong man" who is also called "the prince" or "ruler of this world" (John 14:30; Ephesians 2:2).  For the reality of God surpasses and transcends all things, even those to whom we feel the closest in life on worldly terms.  Let us also seek God's will and do it.  For it is not simply those who listen, but whoever does the will of God whom Jesus claims as His family.  

But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16–25 

 

Yesterday we read that, it came to pass that Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

  "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Interestingly, in this section, Christ's words are echoes of something similar He said in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:14-16).  Certainly phrases and images reflect various preaching of Christ in different places and in different times.  There in the Sermon on the Mount, this image of light was used to encourage His disciples to reflect that light into the world.  But here, Christ is continuing from His beginning of preaching in parables, and especially about the necessity of our own guarding of how we hear.  He's assuring His disciples that the mysteries He brings will be revealed, but it really does depend upon our own disposition to that light.  "For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even wheat he seems to have will be taken from him" is an assurance that what we receive also depends upon our own hearts and what we nurture, protect, and desire.

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God ("these who hear the word of God and do it").  It further explains that it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, says that Jesus is correcting both them and His hearers "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue."  See also Luke 11:27-28.

 

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study Bible says that Christ deliberately permits this windstorm to arise while He's sleeping in order to perfect the disciples' faith and rebuke their weaknesses.  This is so they would eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  Here their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

 

There is such an incredibly paradoxical image in the scene of Christ asleep in the boat while such a windstorm is raging on the lake all around Him, to the point where the boat was filling with water.  It's important to remember that a number of Christ's disciples (and indeed, they are His inner circle of Peter, James, and John, plus Andrew Peter's brother) are known to us as fishermen.  They are those whose lives were spent upon this sea working in boats and fishing from them.   So whatever this storm is, it is apparently enough to frighten even the seasoned fishermen.   But the image of Christ asleep on the boat through this windstorm isn't simply about His humanity; today it strikes me that we see Christ as human being in a position that is deeply vulnerable.  He sleeps in the boat while it is filling with water.  So Jesus asleep doesn't just portray Him as a man among other human beings, with our own need for rest amid His no doubt tiring schedule of His public ministry, amid constant travel, preaching, and teaching.  But He takes His place with us as one entirely vulnerable to the vicissitudes and patterns of human life in this world.  We're all, to some extent, at the mercy of the elements of the world, of weather and natural disasters, and Christ shares even that with us.  He comes into the world to know and to share our condition thoroughly.  Moreover, a reading of Christ's early life will give us a number of ways in which -- directly from His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary -- His life was vulnerable and at risk.  St. Joseph had to make a decision whether or not to divorce his young wife when she told him she was pregnant.  Later when King Herod sought to kill all young male children in order to destroy this infant born a king, His life was in danger, and they fled to Egypt.  This is a vulnerable, dangerous start, right from the beginning, through the power of the state that is already against Him.  Christ's safety depended upon faithful parents responding to the call of God.  In this alone, we see the importance of Christ's statement in today's reading about our need to "take heed how we hear."  In St. Joseph's case, he followed warnings received in dreams, and so did the three wise men from the East who came to honor Christ (see Matthew 1:18-2:23).  But even from this vulnerable place, Christ teaches us that the one thing essential to us for life is the courage of our faith, the strength of our faith, the nurturing of our faith.  Christ indeed has the power to rebuke the storm, and so this is a part of the story in today's reading.  But what He teaches the disciples is not that we, as vulnerable humans, need to somehow acquire the kind of power He, the Christ, has.   Jesus' response is to chide the disciples, asking them,  "Where is your faith?"  even as the disciples marvel over His power to command the winds and water, and they obey Him.  There is a quotation from an essay by G. K. Chesterton that somewhat addresses this point.  He writes, "Christianity is the only religion on earth that has felt that omnipotence made God incomplete.  Christianity alone has felt that God, to be wholly God, must have been a rebel as well as a king.  Alone of all creeds, Christianity has added courage to the virtues of the Creator.  For the only courage worth calling courage must necessarily mean that the soul passes a breaking point -- and does not break" (from the essay, "God the Rebel").  The courage Christ calls out of His disciples, out of us, and out of Himself when He will face the Crucifixion, is faith.  This is what faith does for us; it is that upon which civilization is born and carried through the generations.  It is that which carries us through storms and terrors.  It is where we must find our courage, and it is there that He calls us ahead, with Him, to "life, abundantly."

 

 

Where is your faith?

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16–25 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.' Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." 

 

  "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Jesus has just told a parable about planting seeds, the word of God.  The parables themselves are told so that those "with ears to hear" can come to know the mysteries of God.  Here Jesus speaks of the revelations to those who "hear" and seek Him, and keep His word.  He is emphasizing the importance of living that word, taking it to heart, and making it a part of one's life.  

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study Bible comments that Christ's will was not to deny His mother and brothers.  Instead, Jesus is correcting both His family members and His hearers, according to St. John Chrysostom, "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue."  This passage placed here emphasizes the teaching above -- that we all must "take heed how you hear."  That is, this is a call to all, even to family members, and creating communion.

 

 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study Bible comments that Christ deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He is sleeping in order to perfect the disciples' faith, and also to rebuke their weaknesses -- all so that they will eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  One can simply imagine what they will go through as apostles going out to all the world after Pentecost.  Here, my study Bible says, their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

One must marvel not so much as the signs of Christ's authority, power, and divine identity (although of course, they are marvelous signs of the presence of God with us), but at the wisdom of God's testing.  So often we are inclined simply to forget this part of the Bible, although this thread is shot through all the stories we will ever read in the Scriptures.  Let's take the centerpiece of the Old Testament, Israel wandering in the desert following Moses.  How much testing is involved in that particular chunk of the Scriptures, and is so much a part of everything we learn in the Bible?  Jesus Himself is tested:  He is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit in order to be tempted and tested by the devil.  This is clearly an essential and important part of the story of faith.  Jesus says, "Remember Lot's wife" in Luke's chapter 17, when He is teaching the apostles about the end times.  She was the one who turned back to look upon the remains of the places destroyed by God, and was herself then turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:12-29).  We are prepared by God for endurance, for the difficulties, dangers, and temptations of this world -- so that we continue to move forward more deeply into our faith.  As commented above, think about the apostles and the things that they would encounter when they went out into the world after Pentecost.  If we read the Letters of St. Paul, we find constant conflict and difficulties and challenges.  How many of the apostles became martyrs?  John the Evangelist seems to have lived a long life, but it was one of persecution and exile.  All of this is not to discourage, but to help us to understand that we are on a journey with a purpose, and that purpose is not some simple plan to lead a life with no challenges and no achievements that correspond to those challenges.  If we look closely at the passage of the windstorm, and Christ's miracle, we can clearly understand that His "sign" comes entirely unexpectedly.  Many of us have the experience of feeling like there is no hope to do something we need to do, only to find that in surprising ways everything works out.  This is so often the outcome of prayer through a difficult circumstance that one is tempted to think that everyone reading this will understand through their own experience.  Often, things do not work the way we necessarily prayed for them to work, but the outcome nonetheless is provided which can lead to other things, or lessons learned.  At any rate, the testing becomes another contribution to our own power of faith, and our capacity to endure in it (Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13).  The stories of the Bible give us the answer that more is demanded of us by God than we are necessarily prepared to know we are capable of giving, or achieving.  But it is Christ who calls us forward, who tells us that we are those who have the capacity to know the mysteries of the Kingdom (see yesterday's reading, above), or that we might be called on to rise to occasions we have never contemplated.   This includes learning the discernment of the wise ("take heed how you hear"), even though we didn't start out with that wisdom.   Everything Jesus teaches in today's reading is a kind of preparation, a teaching of readiness for something ahead.  We might call it mission, or even just a calling, but Christ's words all give us a sense that His mission is to give us a mission -- something that challenges us for our lifetimes, in terms of how we will live and carry His kingdom into the world.  In a time when so much is taken for granted, Christ still prepares us for fortitude, to be called to something greater than we know.  It is an honor to be so called, an unsurpassed gift that calls us into His family, to be like Him and to follow Him.  The grace He offers is always waiting for us, to "hear the word of God and do it."

No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But he said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16-25 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on the rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." 

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Here, continuing in the context of yesterday's parable of the Sower (see above), Jesus speaks of His word as light.  The lamp to which He refers would have been understood as an image of one that burned oil, a flame giving illumination to the room.  So when we think of this light, it is an image of light emanated from a flame, and one that can be distributed and given to others.  It is also a kind of flame whose light sheds clarity on everything, opening up mysteries (to which He referred in yesterday's reading, above), and other things that are hidden.  We should remember that He's speaking to His disciples, including those who will be sent out with His word.

 

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."   My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  Moreover, it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  It quotes St. John Chrysostom, who comments that He is correcting both them and His hearers "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue."  Note the emphasis yet again on living the word of God, following upon the theme of the parable of the Sower in yesterday's reading (above).  

 

 Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But he said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"   My study Bible says that Christ deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He is sleeping in order to perfect the faith of the disciples, and to rebuke their weaknesses -- so that they will eventually be unshaken by the temptations of life.  Here their faith is still mixed with unbelief:  they showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

 

In today's reading, Jesus continues themes from His parable of the Sower, told in yesterday's reading (see above).  As the Sower (Jesus) sows His word, this "seed" goes out into the world, and it must take root in human hearts, and grow in their souls.  In this way it produces much fruit; according to the parable, even "a hundredfold."  That is, the word multiplies.  It's important that we see the ways that this happens, the unfolding of all kinds of ways in which the seed takes root and is lived and expressed through our lives, because this isn't just a simple single direction.  This is something which comes from the Creator, and is in its effects and energy, explosively creative itself.  That image of produce of "a hundredfold" is an image of all the ways in which the word can take root, blossom, and produce fruit through us and into the world.  The lamp that is lit as a flame and gives light all around is another such expression that gives us an image for the ways in which this word works.  If we think of Christ's word as the lamp, then the light it yields has all kinds of effects.  It spreads out to illumine an entire room; it brings mysteries to light, revealing truth.  And it can also reveal dark secrets that need healing and cleansing, our own hidden flaws we can do something to act upon.  The light also includes others who see it and experience it and may desire that flame for themselves.  It reminds us of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (also found in Luke's Gospel; see Luke 24:13-35).  After speaking unknowingly with the risen Christ, they suddenly realize in the breaking of bread who He is, and He vanishes from their sight.  They ask one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"  That sensation of burning in the heart is another echo of the flame of the word which burns, warms, stirs within us, and kindles understanding and illumination, uplifting us with possibilities within its creative and dynamic action.  We need to see all of the outpourings of this word that starts with a seed, and the "hundredfold" possibilities that manifest as a result of it.  Jesus describes a new kind of family that His word will create as one of its actions.  This does not mean He rejects His family (after all, His mother also heard the word of God and did it, calling herself the "maidservant of the Lord"; see Luke 1:26-38), but it deeply instills in us a sense of communion, and a meaning to the deep bond between Mary and Jesus extending also to the faithful, as she has come to be understood by many as "Mother" as well.  When the disciples set sail across the sea and are caught in the windstorm, Jesus' presence with them and their developing faith become an occasion for teaching -- for the times when they will be sent out into the world carrying His word to all nations.  What each of these things says to us is something about the infinite creativity of this word, Christ's expression of a "hundredfold" yield in the parable of the Sower giving us a meaning of infinite fullness, a multiplicity beyond all expectations, and one that continues to grow in ways we can't anticipate nor possibly even define within our own limitations.  For this word is the seed of the Creator, and that is just what it is -- it is infinitely creative.  It has inspired artists of all times and disciplines, from architecture to art to music to poetry and all sorts of expressions throughout the centuries.  It brings us beauty in so many forms, manifest in all the arts, in forms of our worship services, to the everyday things that bless our homes, give us hope, and especially teach us about love and mercy so that we also shine the light from the lamp of His word.  Because this is what we are meant to do, and the word He has sent out that will not come back to Him empty.

 

 

Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother

 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

- Mark 3:19b-35 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus then withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.   Then He appointed the twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.  

 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  Beelzebub was a corrupted version of a name for the god Baal, worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  In fact, Baal meant "Lord" and was used for a number of pagan gods; but this name Beelzebub, used among the Jews, meant prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Here he is called ruler of the demons.  My study Bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the scribes from Jerusalem in their opposition to Jesus.   Jesus uses simple logic with them:  how could he work to cast out the demonic if he were working through the power of the leader of demons?  How can Satan cast out Satan?  Christ must be the stronger man who binds the strong man (Satan) and can then plunder his goods; that is, Christ can set free those held captive by Satan.  It is Christ who can plunder his house, taking faithful human beings as His own.

 

 "Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  My study Bible defines blasphemy against the Holy Spirit as blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit; that is, blasphemy against pure goodness.  Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, whose divine activity these scribes knew from the Old Testament Scriptures in which they are experts, will not be forgiven because it comes from a willful hardness of heart, and a refusal to accept God's mercy -- especially the mercy in action of Christ's works of liberating those held captive by demons.  My study Bible also adds that the patristic writers are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin," nor does Jesus call this sin "unforgivable."  St. John Chrysostom teaches that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus makes His declaration here knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil,' and are beyond repentance through their own choice.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  My study Bible tells us that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God.  My study Bible also notes that in Jewish usage, brother can indicate any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).   Christ's brothers mentioned here are either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage) or cousins.  Christ had no blood brothers, as Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  In John's Gospel, Jesus commits His mother to the care of His disciple John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), which would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.

It's interesting that just as we're told Christ's fame has spread throughout all the territories of Israel (that is, Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and even among the Jews of the Gentile regions of Tyre and Sidon -- see yesterday's reading, above), so at this time we begin reading about opposition to Jesus' ministry.  We first read about the scribes who've come from Jerusalem.  Allies of the Pharisees, they accuse Jesus here of working through the power of Beelzebub, whom they call the ruler of the demons, whom Jesus names as Satan.  This is opposition indeed, as Jesus teaches them that they are blaspheming the Holy Spirit at work in their midst to heal those who are demon-possessed.  Since we're told that Jesus and the disciples "went into a house" and that the multitude was so great "they could not so much as eat bread," we can conclude easily that the accusations of the scribes stem from envy and jealousy.  For elsewhere Mark reports Jesus' teaching that it is their positions that truly mean the most to them:  "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation" (Mark 12:38-40).   So within the religious establishment, vehement opposition is coming to Christ, the Son, the One whom we call Messiah.   Would we not expect something different if we were writing this story ourselves?   Would we not have a sort of  "magical thinking" that of course the Prince of Peace would be embraced and accepted, particularly by those who longed for this day, who were experts in the Scripture, who considered themselves the true sons of Abraham and Moses?  Yet, that is not the story of the coming of Christ into our world as the human Jesus.  And then there is the story of His family.  They have likely come just because of Christ's overwhelming renown at this point, the multitudes who come to see Him, and knowing of the religious authorities' opposition to Him.  Perhaps they are greatly concerned that they need to bring Him home for His own good, for the fuss the family may be dealing with.  We know that His mother has always understood her Son in accordance with the announcement of Gabriel (Luke 1:26-38) and the prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35).  Perhaps after all, she is reminded of Simeon's prophecy that a sword would pierce her own heart.  We know that she confidently encouraged the first sign in John's Gospel (John 2:1-12).  But would she know all the tumultuous unfolding of this ministry?  That was in the hands of God -- and there in this thought comes Jesus for us all.  For the expectations of the world for the One whom Gabriel said would be called "the Son of the Highest," whom the "Lord God" would "give the throne of His father David,"  Who "will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end" are quite impossibly different from the actual fullness in the unfolding of these words, in the ways that we are taught to understand them, and in the persecution of the Son as Isaiah's Suffering Servant (see Isaiah 53).  For Christ's mission into the world is one that exposes the world's own flaws, its rejection of the purely good, our own envy and jealousy, our failure to accept truths we don't want to hear, our own limited ability to accept God's will when we don't like it.  For here is where Jesus comes in to teach us all, to say that "whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."   This is not a rejection of His natural mother and of His extended family, but it is the final word, the bottom line.  Even Peter will be in for a strong rebuke when Peter denies that Christ should suffer or die (Matthew 16:21-23).  We don't like it when God's plans don't conform to our expectations of what is right and good.  But God's plans are more than the kind of plans that we make for life, for God's plan reveals us to ourselves.  God's plan will show to us that we need repentance and change from selfishness, to embrace what love is and teaches, and that we need to learn God's ways for ourselves, to become "like God" as we follow Christ's commands.  Jesus comes into the world, and His highest loyalty is to God, not to our fantasies and desires and not to our delusions about ourselves and the world.  For this is what love is and does:  love "suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails" whereas we know only "in part," and so we look to the One who comes to bring us to the fullness of perfection, and for whom we meanwhile abide in faith, hope, and love -- love being the greatest of these (1 Corinthians 13).   Let us look to His love, and place our faith and hope where it firmly belongs, for everything else will someday fail.

 

 

 

Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother

 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

- Mark 3:19b–35 

 

Yesterday we read that, at this point in Jesus' ministry (having had important disputes with religious leaders), He withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.   

 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  Mark's Gospel points out to us that at this significant time in Christ's ministry, in which He has just appointed the Twelve who will be sent out as apostles, and at which time His popular following among all the regions of Israel has attracted intense scrutiny and criticism by religious leaders, there are members of Christ's extended family who also want to "tame" what is happening, and state that He is beside Himself.  I have read opinions that this is possibly because of all of the attention, and certainly the negative and condemning scrutiny of the scribes and Pharisees, that Jesus is drawing toward Himself.  They may be attempting to make excuses for Him as they seek to curb what is happening.  Possibly these are members of His family and clan who simply cannot comprehend why He is not the humble carpenter of Nazareth that they knew, and this Man who now draws so much attention really does seem "out of His mind."  It puts us in mind of the rejection by His townsfolk in Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30), who were incensed at His preaching.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."  Beelzebub was a name for Baal used by the Jews.  Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  There are disputes as to what the name means.  Some explain it as a kind of ridiculing parody of the names used for Baal in the Philistines' worship of the god, and meaning prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Here, the scribes call this god the ruler of the demons.  My study Bible explains that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to the Holy Spirit.  In an interesting commentary on this passage, St. Augustine states that it is righteous justice that Christ is the "stronger man" who plunders the house of the strong man, Satan, and liberates his goods from bondage to him; that is, those who are enslaved to sin.  Jesus is the One who turns the weapons of demonic power back against the devil, by binding the "strong man" Satan himself. 

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  My study Bible comments that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit, blasphemy against pure goodness.  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven, it says, because the Jews did not know much about Christ.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity was known through the Old Testament Scriptures, will not be forgiven, as it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  This is a kind of willful blindness meant in order to simply condemn.  My study Bible adds that the patristic writers are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin" -- nor does Jesus call this sin "unforgivable."  St. John Chrysostom says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus is making this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit here are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and by their own choice they are beyond repentance.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  Perhaps this is another mission undertaken at the behest of extended family, to speak with Christ about His ministry.  Certainly we know His mother's understanding of His identity, but it is the public attention and negative scrutiny and hostility by religious authorities that seems to trouble the family.  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God the Father.  

 

 Many people seem to feel that success must come easily and quickly, so long as one is "doing the right thing."  But this is far from true, and life usually holds the opposite expectation -- that success is a product of hard work, rebounding and trying again after failures, struggle, and persistence.  It also takes a lot of creativity, a willingness to think about things in new ways, and quite often what most people call luck.  (In my estimation, a prayer life can be remarkably "lucky" to the eyes of those who don't understand it.)  But if we look at Jesus, the picture of "instant success" disappears for one that is quite different.  Possibly in this case, what we really need to do is start to think outside the box, to be creative enough in our understanding to grasp how Jesus' mission is a success even when it seems to be failing, when there is opposition, when His relatives think He is out of His mind, and even -- and most especially then -- when He goes to the Cross and experiences human death.  Because what Jesus really teaches us is that all of our ideas of success have to take second place to God's idea of what makes us a success.  In today's reading, He says that "whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  We might especially remember that when Jesus first tells the disciples that He will suffer and be killed, St. Peter, the rock of faith, rebuked Christ.  We might assume Peter was speaking on behalf of all of the disciples, as is often the case.  But Jesus' response was to rebuke Peter before the rest of the disciples, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  (See Mark 8:31-33.)   What is a success in the sight of God does not necessarily correspond to our idea of success at all.  St. Paul writes to the Corinthians regarding himself and his fellow apostles:  "For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless.  And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;  being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now" (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).  Moreover, in the traditional Christian view, and as we are repeatedly taught by Christ in the Gospels, it is humility that is the chief virtue that leads to all others.  These lessons come frequently to the disciples when they are debating one another about "who will be greatest."  See, for example, Luke 22:24-27, a dispute that takes place at the Last Supper.  A clear definition of success would simply be a mission completed to the last detail.  But often, we can't know the outcome of that success, the longterm effect, or even what the real planner of the mission had in mind.  And so it is with our lives.  So often we think of success in terms of what the rest of the world might say about what we do; and yet, success is also measured in terms that don't have price tags or bottom lines attached to them, like caring for an elderly parent, helping someone out who needs it, or using compassion the way that we see Christ do.  Most often, prayer is indispensable for coming to terms with a measure of true success.  No one will be a greater cheerleader for a true measure of success than what we find in our prayer lives, in the context of a worship service that helps us to see more clearly than when all the pressure is on and everything struggles within us, or a good pastor who can truly help us to find the right path.  Sometimes success is simply a matter of needing a redefinition, remembering where our bedrock of reality really lies.  And that is on the rock of our salvation (see Matthew 7:24-27).  For we all have a mission that lasts a lifetime, that asks us to keep on trying, and holds a world of learning and starts and failures all along the way.  That is Christ's mission of love to us.

Let us cross over to the other side of the lake

 

© Author's collection

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16–25 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus' encounter with the woman who anointed Him with a fragrant oil in the home of the Pharisee, He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.   Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."   Again, emphasizes the importance of how we hear.  This is a responsibility of the listener.  We cannot encounter the wisdom of Christ on one day, but then cover this brilliant illumination with a vessel or put it under a bed.   Our response -- how we hear -- is important.  Are we going to cultivate the life it offers, or put it aside?  

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study bible comments that it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  Instead, what Jesus is doing is correcting both them and His hearers.  According to St John Chrysostom, He is leading them "to the right idea concerning Himself."  The family of His Kingdom, writes St. Chrysostom, "is not by nature but by virtue."  See also Luke 11:27-28.

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study bible tells us that Christ deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He is sleeping, so that the disciples' faith might be perfected, and their weaknesses rebuked, so they would eventually be unshaken by the temptations of life.  (See the parable of the Sower, above, and the commentary of Christ on the meaning of the "thorns" in the parable.)  Here their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

 

 If we look at Jesus and the disciples' crossing of the Sea of Galilee as if it were simply a routine trip across this extremely large lake, we might be a bit confused by Jesus' rebuke of the disciples for their fear.  After all, the text tells us that their boat was filling with water, and they were in jeopardy.  But this isn't an ordinary boat trip.  This is one that Jesus has guided them to take ("Let us cross over to the other side of the lake").   So from the start of its telling, this is a different kind of a story.  It is a story set in the pursuit of faith and discipleship.  In that sense, it is all about life lived as those who seek to "hear the word of God and do it," and the courage that this journey will take.  We do not set out on such a journey with a worldly perspective -- that we are simply out for a nice time, or working for particular goals like catching fish so we can make a living selling them.  This is a "crossing over" that becomes a way to deepen faith, to develop courage in living out that faith, and to become stronger in the face of temptations.   At times in our faith lives, we find that we are setting sail into deeper waters, so to speak.  In this case, the disciples are told by Christ to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  Let us not forget that at least some of these men are seasoned fishermen on this particular sea, but it's likely that even they haven't crossed over into strange Gentile territory.   In the following reading, Jesus and the disciples will have a strange encounter indeed after they cross over the Sea of Galilee.  But this is the way we should understand our faith works.  We don't stand still, we are called to move forward, to "cross over" into new and unfamiliar places that ask us to deepen our faith, and to go through challenges to that faith.  Our prayer lives aren't necessarily meant to lead us to "smooth sailing," great prosperity, and an easy life.  Christ and His illumination call us to deeper places within ourselves, to meet new struggles, and to become those who more brightly shine this light that we are given.  We know there are challenges in the world, and that our faith does not give us magic and false comfort, but rather a rock upon which we build our spiritual homes and face the difficulties of life.  So Jesus commands the disciples to cross over, and in so doing, they meet their fears, their sense of mortality, and especially the levels of confidence they may place in Him.  There is a deeper lesson to understand here, and that is that there are times when we can't see our way out of a bad situation or circumstance.  It is then that our faith really comes into play, as prayer becomes the one thing we can turn to.  That is, we turn to Him, just as the disciples did.  In such circumstances, I have found, there are "outside the box" realities that come into play. Either there is a solution that our own conventional expectations and understanding could not consider, or strange circumstances beyond our experience conspire to open a particular door with which we're not familiar or possibly are uncomfortable.  In any one of these circumstances, it is prayer that helps to open our eyes to things we don't see, paths we've never before followed, or a new chapter in life which stretches before us.  And in any of these cases prayer becomes a key to the imagination, to opening up our minds to new paths and possibilities.  God is leading us forward and expanding us in our faith, and the application and expression of that faith.  So let us learn from the apostles as they are guided by Christ across what was for them uncharted waters.  For so we will be led, too.