I see men like trees, walking

 

 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 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?"  

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, " Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

- Mark 8:11–26 

 

Yesterday we read that, in those days of Christ's ministry, 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."  A sign from heaven, my study Bible explains, means a spectacular display of power.  It says that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these hypocrites have not recognized the signs already being performed because their hearts were hardened, and they ignored the works which were happening all around them.

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 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?"  The leaven of the Pharisees, according to my study Bible, is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  In Scripture, it explains, "leaven" is used both positively (as in the parable found at Matthew 13:33) and also negatively, as Jesus uses it in this instance.  In either case, what leaven symbolizes is a force powerful enough -- and frequently subtle enough -- to permeate and affect all that is around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8). 

 

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, " Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible comments on this passage that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (see Matthew 11:21).  This is why, therefore, Jesus leads this blind man out of the town in order to heal him.  My study Bible comments that this is so that the people would not scoff at the miracle, and thus bring upon themselves greater condemnation.   (Let us note also that Jesus does the same with the people who ridicule Him at the time of the healing of Jairus' daughter; see Mark 5:40.  This is also done to shore up the faith of those who seek the healing.)  My study Bible further asks us to observe that this blind man was healed in stages; it says that this snows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6).  However, this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Jesus.  Christ's command not to return to the town symbolizes that we must not return to our sins once we have been forgiven, my study Bible says.  Note also that by doing so, this healed man will not surround himself with scoffers, but hopefully will remain in a place that helps preserve, protect, and grow his faith instead.  Those who seek healing in faith will often find it is necessary to separate oneself from old company or even community in order to retain the life in Christ we gain and the strength that comes through our faith, should such influences be detrimental to it.

 

The first thing we might note about today's reading is that what we might term the slow learning of the disciples parallels the healing in stages of the blind man in the second part of the reading.  This "slow learning" is also a matter of faith; for as the text says, their hearts were hardened.   That they had not understood  is also a matter which goes hand in hand with faith, and the depth of that faith in the heart.  If we go back to an earlier passage in St. Mark's Gospel, we find that the text tells us the disciples did not understand about the loaves, for their heart was hardened.  On that passage, my study Bible commented that to know Christ is a matter of the heart, and not simply the intellect.  It says that when our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive God's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, we're told, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."  So, we must find this understanding of the heart for ourselves, if we are to understand our faith and how it works in us and for us.  Note how this understanding, in fact, grows.  Nothing is static, else Christ's mission -- and the ongoing mission of the Church -- would be in vain.  At the very beginning of our reading for today, we see for ourselves the "hardness of heart" of the Pharisees; they don't understand at all, and for reasons that conflict with what that understanding and faith would mean for them.  It would result in a loss of authority for their doctrine, and the need to repent and change.  They are blind in a sense that is symbolic, and also reflects a parallel in the healing of the blind man.  In their blindness, a demand for a sign, even if fulfilled, would do not good anyway, and so Christ responds with the truth that He will not provide proofs on demand, signs to convince.  His signs come in response to faith.  So, in this context, we move on to today's somewhat humorous passage in which the disciples cannot understand what Christ is talking about, and misunderstand His comment regarding "the leaven of the Pharisees" for criticism that they have forgotten to bring bread with them -- to Christ's seeming exasperation.  His words, "How is it you do not understand?" would seem to indicate that our Lord even marvels at this possibility.  Yet, they are His chosen disciples, and there is something essential that makes them different from the Pharisees.  They remain capable of growing in their faith, and growing in their understanding of Christ and the gift of His mission into our world, and His ongoing ministry in which they will participate and grow also.  Finally, we come to the healing of the blind man, which is such a significant passage for so many reasons.  There is first the understanding which my study Bible comments upon, the gradual healing of the man.  Note how it comes from Christ's repeated touch with His hands on the man's eyes.  We have already written above the notation in the study Bible regarding separation from those who scoff, and what an important component of our need to strengthen and shore up our faith that is.  One common example we might take from modern life is the struggle against addiction, and the Twelve Step program's advocacy for reliance upon a Higher Power for help.  Very frequently recovering addicts will find they need to separate themselves from old friends or even community in that same struggle, for bad influences are detrimental to sobriety.  It's the same with our need for our faith, and these deep matters of the heart.  We need to do all we can to protect and guard our hearts in the very need to practice and grow our faith as well, regardless of circumstances.  Like the disciples will do in their ongoing journey and learning from Christ, the blind man gradually recovers his sight, even as it is parallel to his faith.  "I see men like trees, walking" is a memorable image of an image coming gradually into focus, something we can't quite see nor understand with a bare grasp only of what it is.  It is Christ who gives sight and heals, Christ who teaches us that He is the light of the world by which we shall truly see.  That He has great patience while we learn and grow, just as with the disciples, is the gift of the love of God for us, and teaches us in turn how to love. 

 

 

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 sighted 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?"

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

- Mark 8:11–26 

 

Yesterday 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 sighted 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."   What is a sign from heaven?  My study Bible explains that such a sign that is sought here would be a spectacular display of power.  It says that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs.  But these hypocrites (Matthew 16:1-3) have not recognized the many signs already being performed by Jesus.  Their hearts were hardened, meaning they have rendered themselves incapable of understanding -- and they ignored the works happening all around them.  Jesus seeks followers capable of faith.  These men only demand to test Him.  Such tests set their own standard, and have nothing to do with the desire to perceive the things of God.

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?"  My study Bible explains that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  In Scripture, it says, "leaven" is used both positively (as in the parable at Matthew 13:33) and negatively, as Jesus does here.  In either case, leaven is symbolic of a force which is powerful enough -- and frequently subtle enough -- to permeate and affect everything around it (see St. Paul's usage at 1 Corinthians 5:6-8). 

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible points out that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (Matthew 11:21); and so, Jesus takes this blind man out of the town in order to heal him, away from the people who would scoff at the miracle and thus bring greater condemnation upon themselves.  (See also the healing of Jairus' daughter, in which Christ put those who ridiculed outside; He shored up the faith of her parents with His exhortation, "Do not be afraid; only believe" and with the presence of His three closest disciples.)   Moreover, it explains the healing of this blind man in stages as showing that he had only a small amount of faith.  Healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6). But this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  In addition, my study Bible states that Christ's command not to return to the town is symbolic of the need not to return to our sins once we have been forgiven. 

Today's reading once again takes us back to the essential issue of faith, and how important it is to our lives.  But we go into some details here, in the few stories offered, and so the reading gives us to examine various issues about faith and what it does, and how we need it.  All of these issues remain pertinent to us today, regardless of when they first occurred, or the ancient context of the Gospel.  Taking the stories in today's Gospel reading in order, we first come to the Pharisees, powerful religious leaders from Jerusalem who seek themselves to regulate the faith.  They come yet again to Jesus, after having engaged in an open confrontation (and challenge from Jesus) which subsequently sent Him temporarily into Gentile territory, where He wished to remain hidden.  This time, they come to Him with their own challenge, which we can see as a sort of line drawn in the sand.  They demand of Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  Let us consider what testing Jesus means.  First of all, this is a test of their own devising.  But Jesus is in the world not to please human beings, nor effectively to offer proofs on others' terms, but to follow the will of God the Father.  In terms of the works of God, it's up to these men, and all the rest of us, to seek to discern that same will -- not to impose tests upon God.  For this reason, and likely many others, Jesus will not offer proofs on demand.  His mission is to seek and find the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who will come to Him by faith.  These men test Him out of envy for their positions.  This is "the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod," which comes in the form of desire for proofs on demand, essentially a way to test power, and a dangerous game of finding fault.  But we can see that even the disciples are in some way affected by this, for they are effectively blinded to it.  They don't understand when Jesus tells them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, this type of gain-saying that sets traps by demanding proofs that cannot be delivered.  If we look around, we can still see today similar sorts of traps set by those whose real desire is to reject God and faith for themselves, proofs that can't come, straw men which in fact prove nothing.  These are forms of heresies asserted, such as claiming that if God is good there would be no evil in the world, or even echoing the taunting of the Pharisees at the Cross, that if Christ were really holy or divine He would not die on the Cross.  These are very human ways to doubt God, whose thoughts are not our thoughts, and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).  As such, they can become temptations for us, too.  Here, the disciples are so set in thinking a particular very "earthly" way that they cannot understand what Jesus is talking about, and assume that He's upset because they've forgotten to bring bread with them.  Apparently, they've also forgotten that Jesus has, in recent times, fed five thousand people in the wilderness out of a few loaves, and subsequently four thousand on another occasion in the same manner.  Even Jesus seems to be perplexed at their lack of comprehension:  "How is it you do not understand?"  If ever we needed an example of how "proofs" do not work when it comes to questions of lack of faith, this is it.  Nonetheless, such examples of the failure of Jesus' personally chosen disciples to understand are in the Gospels for a reason, and they are instructive to us for our own journeys of faith.  Finally, there is the story of the blind man and his healing.  It's most important that we pay attention to Christ's open efforts to find ways to shore up the man's faith -- first of all, in order to facilitate his healing to begin with, and second of all, in order to retain his faith and his well-being.  My study Bible points out that the man begins with a little bit of faith, but this increased with the touch of Christ.  The emphasis for us has to be on the recognition of the importance of taking steps to shore up our faith, even daily.  For while some would seem to suggest that be "saved" means simply a one-time declaration which we can then take for granted, this isn't the story of faith the Gospels reveal to us.  In fact, we really cannot take things for granted in the sense that, while God always extends love to us, we, however, have to do a little work.  We must "work the works of God" (John 6:29).  We need to work at shoring up our faith,  including perhaps avoiding those who seek to tear it down when necessary, and finding ways for Christ to "touch" us, in worship services, in prayer, through our friends who help to shore up our faith, the communion of saints, good studying materials and literature that helps us, and so many other helpful things, even the beauty of nature or the goodness of a kind gesture.  This remains essential for us to remember, not to take our faith for granted, but to remember how important it is to feed, nurture and protect it.  Moreover, like the blind man and like the disciples, faith is not a one-time declaration, but a journey in which we're meant to grow throughout our lives.  It remains of the greatest significance for us to remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength, as Scripture tells us (Nehemiah 8:10).  Let us feed and nurture that joy, guarding our hearts and protecting the faith that makes us see, doing all we can so that we grow in that light.

But who do you say that I am?

 

 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

 

- Mark 8:22-33 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, 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?"   

 

  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible reminds us that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (Matthew 11:21), and so, therefore, the blind man is led by Jesus out of the town in order to heal him.  It notes that this is so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and bring upon themselves greater condemnation.  That the blind man was healed in stages ("I see men like trees, walking") shows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing, my study Bible says, occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6).  But this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  Christ's command not to return to the town is a symbol that we shouldn't return to our sins once we've been forgiven.  

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  My study Bible comments here that "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question which a person can ever face.  That is because this question is the one that defines Christianity.  It notes that Peter's correct answer to this question prevents Christian faith from being seen as simply another system of philosophy or a path of spirituality, because it names Jesus as the Christ.  In Matthew 16:16, Peter adds, "the Son of the living God," which adds the true impact of his answer, the unique reality of Jesus Christ.  This position, according to my study Bible, excludes all compromise  with other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3), making a poignant response to the events described in yesterday's reading (above), in which the disciples were so slow to understand Jesus.  Christ means "Anointed One," and it is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also asks us to note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself; this is in order to identify incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.  

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."   Here, just after Peter's confession of faith, Jesus reveals the real nature of His messiahship, and that is the mystery of His Passion.  My study Bible comments that it was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would do was perplexing to Peter, and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission, and save humankind through suffering and death.

Jesus says to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." So, what then are the things of God of which Jesus speaks?  As Jesus is the Christ, He is both divine and human; this is the definition of His Incarnation, which is so essential to the Church and the entirety of Christianity.  For we cannot truly understand our faith if one or the other is left out.  Thus, when Peter emphasizes the very natural human impulse against death -- and especially for Jesus, the Christ -- then while we can sympathize with him, he is nonetheless not being mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.  For our faith, we need both, just as Jesus was both.  For He is truly God with us, God as one of us.  Listening to a podcast yesterday, I was struck by a Bible Study on Genesis.  The priest who lectured pointed out that in Genesis 2:7, regarding the creation of human beings, we read that "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." In the Hebrew and in the Greek of the Septuagint, it says literally that man (meaning "human") became a  living soul.  The word for breath in both Greek and Hebrew is "spirit" -- so God breathing spirit into the form of humankind created a living soul.   This is the opposite of what would take place among pagans with their idols; in their rituals, an idol would be made a god by breathing into the statue or shape.  But here, God creates in God's own image and likeness by breathing spirit into man and creating a living soul.  This, in some strange sense, is a prefiguring of Christ born of a human mother and the Holy Spirit, the One who would be the perfect Man, the model for us all, living as one of us and yet divine.  In this sense, He is the One to lead us into our true image, to show us what it is to be the living souls which God created us to be and to become more fully.  We can neither leave out our bodies nor the spirit breathed into us by God to make us living souls -- and we can neither leave out Christ's humanity nor His divinity to understand who He is, and therefore what we worship as Christians.   So when we consider what makes us living souls, living beings, we have to understand what we are truly made of; we are both spirit and flesh -- and those two things must be together to make a living being.  We cannot be a living soul without one or the other.  Hence, when we consider it well, we need Christ to lead us into the place where we grow into the image and likeness of which we capable as created by God.  Let us look carefully at any philosophies, systems, or ways of thinking that would limit us in one way or another, so that the wholeness of who we are can be lived and understood as what it means to be fully alive and healthy in all ways.  We are not simply material, nor are we just purely "spirit."  We are living souls, and must come to know our Creator even to understand ourselves.  For this is what Christ came into the world to show us.