Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish

 

 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  

 

"What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  

 

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  

"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  

 

- Matthew 18:10-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."  Again, Jesus refers to the "little ones," as in yesterday's reading, above.  These include not only children, but those who have a childlike humility and simplicity; its meaning is to include all those who are poor in spirit.  Regarding their angels who "always see the face of My Father who is in heaven," my study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that not only the saints, but that all people have guardian angels.  The angels of humble people, however, have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God, because of the humility of the person they guard.  It's not the nature of God, my study Bible adds, but the weakness of human beings, that requires the angels' service.  

 

 "What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."  My study Bible reports that, unlike earthly shepherds, Christ sees so much value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk to save it.  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who stay faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  Moreover, according to certain patristic writers, this is also an image of the Incarnation.  In this image the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven, and Christ descended from heaven to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth.  

 

 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  "   My study Bible explains that church discipline, as Christ states here, is based on mutual correction in three expanding stages.  Sin and correction must remain private, unless the offender refuses to repent.  It notes that all correction must be done with great care and humility,with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1).  But nonetheless, correction must take place so that the sin does not spread to others as well.  Jesus cites the law regarding witnesses in Deuteronomy 19:15.

 

"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  My study Bible claims that the authority to bind and loose sins is given to the apostles and transmitted to the bishops and presbyters they ordained.  This authority, it says, is given for the sake of the salvation of the sinner.  According to St. John Chrysostom, the sinner, "seeing that he is not only cast out of the Church, but that the bond of his sin will remain in Heaven, he may turn and become gentle."

 

 Church discipline is a big question -- and problem -- for many people.  Certainly se can think of scandals involving "little ones" and, in particular, little children.  Regardless of Christ's words here in this chapter promising terrible woe to those in His church who would bring "offenses" (see yesterday's reading, above), the Church has unfortunately weathered storms in which its own people in authoritative positions have been responsible for such offenses.  In today's reading, Jesus tells the disciples, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."  It's significant that this is all in response to the question about who is greatest in the Kingdom, the disciples' question about their own future positions in His Church.  So Jesus' first response is to warn against leading the little ones astray through abuses of power.  As someone who speaks to many people exploring and becoming more familiar with the Church and the teachings of Christ, I meet people rather frequently who have stories of what they feel has been abuse in the Church, experiences which had the effect of driving them away for a time.  It is disheartening to find stories like this more frequently than one would hope.  But, indeed, it simply affirms the wisdom of Christ's words and their ongoing importance to the Church, and for all of us, today.  It teaches us about mission and our resilience in this mission of Christ given for the Church, for it is His directions we need to follow, His teachings we need to do our best to uphold and carry out, particularly in His Church.  His wisdom is profound, for we can all see the effects of offenses, and how they cause the "lost" to remain so, even to cause the "little ones" to stray into sin.  ("But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea," we read in yesterday's Gospel reading).  The wisdom of Christ remains for us, and we find out all the better when shortcuts are taken or when corruption intervenes with His teachings for us.  Let us uphold His wisdom and love, for there is the road that takes us where we want and need to go.  Mutual correction may seem like a difficult plan to carry out, but it does affirm for us that any abuses or real offenses experienced in the Church were and are important to Christ, and as we know, there is nothing that escapes God's sight (Matthew 10:29-31).   Let us endeavor to care for the little ones, to prevent sin through love, to help lead all to the Lord His way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

- Luke 13:1–9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, least he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there til you have paid the very last mite."

 

  There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  My study Bible comments that these two historical incidents are only reported in Luke.  The slain Galileans, it says, were probably Zealots, Jewish nationalists, who triggered some disturbance against the Romans.  The collapse of the tower in Siloam, whether by accident or sabotage, was believed to be divine justice on sinners.  Very importantly, Christ denies that this suffering was God's judgment.  On the contrary, He is using these illustrations for those who perish because they will not repent, shifting the assumptions about judgment to the gospel message of the Kingdom.  

 

 He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"  My study Bible says that the fruitless fig tree is universally interpreted in the Church to be fallen humanity.  The three years, it says, represent God's covenants with represent God's covenants with God's people through Abraham, Moses, and Christ -- all of which are rejected, as well as the three-year earthly ministry of Christ.  The keeper of the vineyard is Christ Himself.  He intercedes on our behalf so that He will suffer His Passion and send the Holy Spirit to us before the final judgment takes place.  

Jesus' parable of the fruitless fig tree is a very important portrayal of the ways of the kingdom of God.  Christ continues to make every effort to save, to nurture and feed human beings with what they need for spiritual fruit, to give us more time to repent and grow and receive the kingdom of God He preaches.  This is the way that we need to understand God, and God's ways, for it appears over and over again in the ways that Christ preaches and the stories He tells us.  Even when He tells another parable -- this time of a vineyard -- against the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:33-46) -- the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers still illustrates God's repeated efforts to send help to reap the harvest of the vineyard.  It's important that the parable of the Barren Fig Tree (the latter verses in today's reading) comes after Christ's teaching on judgment.  He's clearly addressing the people who hold presumptions that the terrible fates or deaths that happened to some people are signs of God's judgment on them, and He is telling them that they are mistaken and do not understand judgment.  He shifts their attention to the one thing that really matters in terms of the resurrection and life that He preaches, an acceptance of the gospel message of the kingdom of God.  This, He tells them, must be their focus when they think of judgment, for that is the door (and He is the door) to eternal life.  The continual entreaty of God, in the persons of the prophets repeatedly sent to the people throughout Jewish spiritual history, and in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, in the martyrs and saints to come, in the Holy Spirit, in the angels that seek to guide us -- all of these things reflect the nature of God who is love, and God's love for us.  Humankind is given an extended time, and all kinds of help, for the saving gospel of Christ to reach to all the nations.  Like a dedicated and loving parent who will not give up on their child, God continually seeks to show us the way to His life and the fullness that awaits our true spiritual health.  Will we find our way to God?  How many do not care, or fall victim to all the things Christ says interfere with our faith?  These stumbling blocks He names throughout the Gospels, such as the "cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches" mentioned in the parable of the Sower, the hypocritical practices of the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 23) or of any religious leadership, and all the myriad temptations we face (Luke 4:1-13).  We should remember that God's unfailing constant entreaties come to us not simply within the arc of time as given in Scripture, but also within our own lifetimes.  Repentance allows us to be transfigured and to grow in our faith and understanding throughout our lifetimes; there is no moment when we are truly alone without God's presence in some way attending and awaiting our attention and opening to the gospel.  Let us practice the fullness of our faith with Jesus' message of the true judgment and its central focus on the gospel of the Kingdom, and also God's unwavering love which awaits us always (Luke 15:11-32).

 

 

 

You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish

 

 Then many of Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

- John 11:45-54 

 

In yesterday's reading we read of the completion of Christ's seventh and final sign in the Gospel of John, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.  At this point in the story, Jesus had not yet come into the town of Bethany where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and came to Him.  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

 Then many of Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.   Once again we note that the term the Jews in John's Gospel usually indicates the religious leadership.  In this case, it indicates those from families in Jerusalem, likely connected to the Jewish ruling classes (such as the Pharisees mentioned here), who come to mourn Lazarus' death with Martha and Mary (see yesterday's reading, above).  On today's entire reading, my study Bible has a single note.  It explains to us that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.  It notes that the failings or even wickedness of the officeholder do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Here, Caiaphas means only that the death of Jesus Christ will spare the Jews from Roman intervention.  But God's meaning is something entirely different, that all people will be saved through the death of the Son. 

 

The "unwittingly prophetic" plays a significant role in the Gospels, in the story of Jesus Christ, particularly at these moments of high tension or crisis.  Here in today's reading is perhaps the most important example, when Caiaphas, acting as high priest, makes this statement in which he intends one meaning but God speaks through him with another.    In saying that "it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish," the Christian perspective recognizes the clear message of Jesus Christ as Savior.  He will die for all, as He has said.  In John's chapter 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:14-17).  This has been the clear message of Christ's teaching about Himself, and will become more explicit as the story of Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection unfolds, and in the whole history of the Church.  There are other examples of what we can call unwitting prophecies, such as in our recent reading when Christ's disciple Thomas said of Jesus' going to Lazarus who was dying, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (see this reading).  Thomas meant this statement with one understanding which was his at the time, but it is a prophecy of the lives of martyrdom that the disciples would go on to lead.  There is yet another profound example to come in the events of Christ's Passion, found in Matthew's Gospel, and that is when the people shout at Christ's Crucifixion.  That happens as Pilate washes his hands before the crowd demanding Jesus' death and declares, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it."  We're told that all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Whatever way this can be read or intended (or twisted to justify the sinful persecution of Jewish people), it is seen in the eyes of the Church as not a curse but an unwitting blessing, for it is the blood of Christ that is our means of salvation, as shown when so many in Jerusalem would come to repentance and faith as on the day of Pentecost when thousands were baptized (Acts 2:41).  The story of Jesus is filled with paradox; perhaps the greatest paradox of all is the one we continue to ponder:  why does the means of our salvation happen through the events of Christ's Passion and Holy Week?  But through these events, which are effectively begun through the raising of Lazarus and the meeting of the Sanhedrin in today's reading, God will work to bring salvation to the world and the power of redemption to humanity -- and this is indeed a great paradox.  At such a point of crisis we find God intervenes in the most extraordinary ways, and this is what we should take with us from today's reading.  For even in the midst of this darkest of plotting against Christ the Savior, prophesy is at work, and grace is at work, and we must say that God is in this sense present.  Let us accept this profound paradox as we move ahead into the story to come through John's Gospel.  

 

 

 

 

 

Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven

 

 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  

 

"What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. 

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

 

- Matthew 18:10–20 

 

Yesterday we read that at that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."   

 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."   In yesterday's reading (above) Jesus began to speak to the disciples about the proper care and reception of the little ones.  According to my study Bible, these "little ones" to whom Jesus refers include all who have childlike humility and simplicity; that is, all who are poor in spirit.  In today's reading, He speaks of their "angels who always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."  According to St. John Chrysostom, whom my study Bible cites here, not only the saints, but all people have guardian angels.   But the angels of humble people have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God due to the humility of the person they guard.  It's not the nature of God, but the weakness of human beings, that requires the angels' service.  

"What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."  Unlike the calculations of earthly shepherds, my study Bible says, Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others are risk to save it.  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  According to some patristic commentary, this is also an image of the Incarnation, in which the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven.  Christ descended from heaven to pursue the one lost sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth. 

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."  Here Jesus lays out a plan for church discipline, which is based on mutual correction in three expanding stages.  Sin and correction are to remain private, my study Bible notes, unless the offender refuses to repent.  It says that all correction must be done with great care and humility, with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1).  Nonetheless, correction must take place so that the sin does not spread to others as well.  

"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."  My study Bible comments that the authority to bind and loose sins is given to the apostles and transmitted to the bishops and presbyters they ordained.  This authority, it adds, is given for the sake of the salvation of the sinner.  Quoting St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes that the sinner, "seeing that he is not only cast out of the Church, but that the bond of his sin will remain in Heaven, he may turn and become gentle."

Once again (as in yesterday's reading and commentary) we must note how carefully Jesus prepares the disciples for the future of His Church, the body of Christ, and especially the attention that must be paid to the proper care of the "little ones," all those who will come into the Church in faith, seeking to be part of the communion with Christ.  Scandalizing behavior, "offenses" that harm this relationship and communion with the little ones -- particularly those who come in all humility -- is the last thing Christ wants the leadership of His Church to embody.  In fact, in yesterday's reading (see above), He promised woe to anyone by whom such offenses come.  This discussion is clearly meant to set the tone for the whole of the Church to come, and the care and concern for the little ones, including personal self-discipline and a willingness to cast aside our own bad habits and impulses in order to do so, is Christ's definition of what it is to be "great" and the "greatest" in His Church.  Let us consider a moment the three-stage correction model that He offers to them.  It protects the privacy of the person accused of the offense, the one who has sinned against another.  The second stage, which expands the circle of those aware of the problem, still limits the exposure of the person about whom there is a complaint.  It's only after these attempts to reconcile and bring the person to an awareness of problematic behavior that it becomes a more public problem and expanded to the wider Church.  Moreover, let us consider what this means in the context of "Church."  The definition of Church according to my study Bible comes from the Greek word ἐκκλησία/ekklesia which is used here in the text, and means the "called out" or "assembly."  My study Bible notes that in this understanding the faithful are called out of the world to be the Church, which is the body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, the New Israel, the ark of Salvation, the assembly of believers.  Through the Church, it says, Christians are united to Christ and to each other.  In this community, the believer receives the grace of God through the sacraments and hears the truth of the gospel.  So therefore, this mystical transformation of people into one body in Christ takes place in the Eucharist; as Christ is the head of the Church, the Church is thereby a reflection of Christ's Incarnation, with body human and divine qualities.  In this understanding of what "Church" is and means, then, let us consider Christ's admonition for mutual correction.  Offenses are those things which disrupt this process of transformation into communion as the body of Christ; they tear relationships apart through abuse of various kinds, and destroy the very reality of what it means to take the Eucharist, to participate in Christ's sacrifice.  Therefore it is up to all of us to not only take our own behavior most seriously in this context of the "little ones" and how they are received by all, but especially Christ's teachings about self-correction (see yesterday's reading and His analogy of amputation of a diseased body part regarding our own sinful behaviors and habits), and mutual correction in today's reading.  If indeed the Church is meant to be a reflection of Christ's Incarnation, then imagine how much more seriously we must take His words when it comes to jockeying for position, for gossip and bad behaviors that break good faith in the Church, for exploitation or abuse of power and manipulation within the Church.  The Church is a holy institution and not merely a fiscal or community of neighbors or social institution or even a political one, as seems to become so often the case, something with which we are all too familiar.  If we were to remember that the Church itself is meant to be a place of healing -- including correction of sinful or abusive behaviors to ourselves or to others -- then we will orient ourselves correctly to its purpose and calling.  Let us remember that as a place of prayer and worship we are witnesses not to one another but to God and to the purpose of Christ's Incarnation itself, for if we fail that purpose then we fail Him.  As He reminds us today, He is there in the midst of us.  Throughout the readings of yesterday and today, Christ's great concern is with the little ones; so much so, that yesterday we read His teaching that to receive one of the little ones is to receive Him:  "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."  Today He tells us most solemnly a key purpose of the Church:  "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."   Let us understand that we all are to work together for salvation, and what commitment that takes to His teaching here.  And always, there is the overriding concern for Christ's mission:  "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."

 

 

 

But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God

 

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." 

 

- John 3:16-21 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  My study Bible comments on today's passage that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  Therefore, a person can reject this gift.  But through one's own rejection, one will not be saved and is therefore "condemned" in that sense.  In the Prologue to John's Gospel, we read, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).  The self-exile of rejection, therefore, becomes a deprivation of that right to become children of God, because of the choice not to receive the the light He offers, the "true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world" (John 1:9).

 

 John writes, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  Christ comes into the world on a saving mission.  We can take the image He gives of Himself as the "stronger man" when He is accused by the religious leaders of casting out demons by the power of demons, as illustration of a Deliverer or Savior.  In Mark's Gospel, Jesus asks, "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" (Mark 3:23-27).  This is the image of one who has come to take a strong man's fortress; the initial strong man is the devil who holds people hostage in this world (his "goods").  But Christ is the stronger, who can bind the strong man, and plunder his goods, delivering people from captivity.  This was an image of what it meant that Christ could exorcise demons, to set free and to heal.  So we can look at that particular image He gives of Himself and think of His mission to save the world in those terms.  We can think of those "captive" to the darkness (for any particular reason) who reject the help of the "stronger man," of the Light coming into the world to penetrate that darkness.  Suppose we refuse that help?  Suppose we identify with the darkness instead, and refuse to be "set free" from what we're used to, in the home or fortress of the strong man we know?  This is what it means to fail to receive the Light, to fail to  receive Christ, and reject faith in Him.   Once again, we look carefully at the language of faith to understand belief as "trust," which is the root of the Greek used here.  It implies not so much an intellectual belief about Jesus, as it does a deep experiential response to the Person of Christ, to the Light itself, to the truth.   John provides us with a deeper motivation for the rejection, and John's language employed here indicates not a simple choice or preference, but rather what people love ("men loved darkness rather than light"), and for that matter, what is a first love.  And yes, that word in the Greek text means "love."  This is about a deep response of the heart and soul, not an intellectual persuasion.  We do not love by intellect or even emotion alone, but love comes from a place deeply linked to who we are.  The one act of choice here is in our works, in the "deeds" we do.  And that, indeed, is where we may be asked to change.  What is it we need to hide from the light, and why?  And we must ask, from whom are these deeds thought to be hidden?  For the One who comes to save is the "Heart-knower" from whom nothing is hidden.  But darkness blinds us to this too.  Let us consider only what it means to hide from One who loves us better than we love ourselves, who knows us thoroughly, and wants life and healing for us.  For this is what is refused, and we can only ponder the unfortunate reasons why.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life

 

 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

 

- John 2:23—3:15 

 

Yesterday we read that the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all  out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.   

 

  Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  As mentioned in yesterday's reading and commentary, this is the first of three Passover feasts reported in John's Gospel, between Christ's Baptism and Passion (see also John 6:4; 11:55).  These show that Christ's earthly ministry lasted three years.  Let us note also the powerful word of discernment here, that Christ did not commit Himself to those who were persuaded only by marvelous signs.  This also is Christ presented to us who is the "heart-knower" (καρδιογνώστης/kardiognostes); this is the Greek word used in Acts 1:24; 15:8.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  My study Bible comments that Nicodemus believed Jesus was from God, but his faith was still weak, as he was afraid of his peers and thus came to Jesus by night.  Following this conversation, it notes, Nicodemus's faith will grow to the point of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), and finally he will make the bold public expression of faith of preparing and entombing the body of Jesus (John 19:39-42).  In the Eastern Orthodox Church, his memory is celebrated on the third Sunday of Easter along with the Myrrbearing Women (those who were at the tomb) and Joseph of Arimathea.  According to some early sources, my study Bible also tells us, Nicodemus was eventually baptized by Peter and consequently was removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem.  

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  This phrase, born again, is translated from a literal meaning of "from above."  It indicates both "again" and "above" so that there is a clear indication it refers to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  This heavenly birth, my study Bible notes, is baptism and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).   This new birth, it says, is the beginning of our spiritual life, with its goal being entrance into the kingdom of God.  

Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Nicodemus misunderstands Jesus' teaching, and questions the possibility of a second physical birth.  This sort of misunderstanding -- an earthly understanding of the terms Jesus uses to illustrate heavenly things -- is a frequent occurrence in John's Gospel, and a method of teaching (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  Jesus uses these opportunities, my study Bible explains, to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal meaning.  

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This birth of water and the Spirit clearly references Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given at chrismation.

"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."  In the Prologue to John's Gospel (John 1:1-18), we read, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).  Thus we understand adoption as children of God is not a matter of ethnic descent, nor natural birth, nor by a person's own decision.  This is a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit and is our understanding of Holy Baptism (see Titus 3:4-7).  

 

 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  This is a play on words in the Greek.  The Greek word πνεῦμα/pneuma means both wind and Spirit.  My study Bible explains that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  So likewise, the Spirit moves where the Spirit wills and cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas.

 

Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."   Citing St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible suggests that earthly things refer to grace and baptism given to human beings.  These are "earthly," not in the sense of "unspiritual," but only in the sense that they occur on earth and are given to creatures.  The heavenly things involve the ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father; they relate to Christ's eternal existence before all time, and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world (Matthew 13:35).  My study Bible adds that a person must first grasp the ways in which God works among humankind before one can even begin to understand things that pertain to God Himself.  

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  Here Jesus refers to the time when Moses lifted up an image of the serpent in order to cure the Israelites from the deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  This miracle-working image, my study Bible notes, prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross.  It says that as believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them.  Just as the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of Christ's death becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself.  

Jesus speaks of Moses lifting up his staff with the serpent fashioned on it (Numbers 21:4-9).  This was done at the time when "fiery serpents" plagued the Israelites.  Moses was told to fashion a bronze image of such a "fiery serpent," and raise it so that the people could gaze on it -- and when they did so, they lived, even if they had been bitten.  The word "fiery" suggests some interesting things, as does "serpent."  Combined they hint at characteristics of demons.  Angels (the same type of creature in origin) are often called "fiery" in many traditions, and the serpent is associated with Satan (Genesis 3).   Clearly Jesus' purpose in comparing Himself on the Cross to Moses' command to lift up the image of the fiery serpent in order to save Israel is a powerful message about His willing sacrifice on the Cross.  It will be the "lifting up" of Christ on the Cross that will "save Israel" (God's people) from the things that tempt and bite and cause harm.  In the Lord's Prayer, when we pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," that can also be translated from the Greek, "deliver us from the evil one" (implying Satan and the demonic).   That word for evil or the evil one is πονηρός/poneros in Greek, and its root is πόνος/ponos which means "pain."  That "pain" can also include wearisome laborious toil, anguish, distress, and suffering.  The "fiery" quality of such serpents can also describe the burning and painful effects of venom, and we can also look at such poison in its metaphorical senses as well.  Taken all in all, Jesus gives this comparative image of Moses' staff with the bronze serpent in order to tell us something profound about His being raised on the Cross; that will be the ultimate instrument that defeats evil, death, pain, poison -- those things that plague and are destructive to human beings and to life.  In the Orthodox hymn for Easter, it is sung that Christ "trampled death by death" and in so doing gave life to those in the tombs.  It might be worth noting here that the word for medicine and the word for poison is the same in Greek (in modern Greek there is simply an accent on a different syllable).  In the Bible that same word is also used for sorcery.   For us, it is that greater power of the Lord that turns Moses' serpent into a saving measure, and the Cross into salvation for the world.  In this transformative power, a Man's self-sacrifice becomes the ultimate act of conquest.  The power that Christ brings into the world is transformative in a way that overrules everything else, turns anything to God's purposes, and defeats that which is against God and seeks to harm.  If we pay close attention to today's reading, Jesus gives us a sense of the greater meanings of the spiritual reality He brings with Him that add layers and depth to the things that are "earthly," that we experience of this world.  To be "born again" or "born from above" does not mean to be born once again from the womb in an earthly sense.  This is why we read these passages and seek to understand the power in Christ's teachings, and especially here on the power of Holy Baptism (water and the Spirit) to transform one kind of birth to the birth of a spiritual inheritance, the adoption claimed by God in this salvation mission of Christ.  For just as Moses' staff, and the Cross of Roman crucifixion, were transformed by the power of Christ, so everything touched by God (Father, Son, and Spirit) and faith is transformative in our lives.  But we must have the eyes to see and ears to hear for this.  Jesus teaches Nicodemus by night so that Nicodemus can come to an understanding of these "earthly things" that God, through Christ, gives to the world -- but he is also told that there are greater things which are mysteries beyond them.  Christ comes from that place of heavenly mystery to bring some of heaven to us, to be at work among us and within us in this world, and we discount that power at our peril.  For when we fail to discern Christ's power of judgment -- at work in Moses' fiery serpent and the Cross of Christ -- then we lose that which delivers us from the pain of the evil that plagues us, transfiguring what we know.  We don't want to be so used to those "fiery serpents" that bite and burn and sting and hamper our lives that we simply accept that is all there is.  Let us take hold of Christ's words and look to His Cross.  In Luke's Gospel (Luke 21:28), when Jesus speaks of His Second Coming, He says that when the signs He warns about begin to appear, His disciples are to "look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."  The Cross is that sign and remains that sign for us.  Let us not forget its power, and what it is all about, nor that He is the ultimate way to address our pain.

Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "

 

- Luke 13:1–9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the disciples, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how it is you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite." 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  My study bible informs us that these are two historical incidents, which are only reported in Luke.  The slain Galileans were most likely Zealots, Jewish nationalists, who triggered a disturbance against the Romans.  The collapse of the tower in Siloam, whether by accident or sabotage, was thought to be divine justice on sinners.  My study bible points out that Christ denies this suffering was God's judgment.  Instead, Jesus uses these events as illustrations for those who perish because they will not repent, building on His statements at the end of yesterday's reading in the same discourse (see above). 

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.' "  This fruitless fig tree is universally understood in the Church to be fallen humanity.  The three years, my study bible says, represent God's covenants with God's people through Abraham, Moses, and Christ, each of whom are rejected, as well as the three-year earthly ministry of Christ.  The keeper of the vineyard is Christ Himself.  He intercedes on our behalf by suffering His Passion, and sending the Holy Spirit to us before the final judgment takes place.  

Jesus continues to build on His statement from Thursday's reading, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"  This is not to emphasize fear itself, but rather to emphasize the central importance of the first great commandment, as He has named it:  "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  To place God centrally in life, as the focus around which one gathers one's life, is the whole point of Jesus' reiterated teachings in the readings from yesterday and today.  It really little matters what else we concern ourselves about, whether it is gathering up food for the future, or storing money, or clothing.  It doesn't matter if we are concerned about the evils we think we see about us and consider to be beneath us.  If we don't have the conscious awareness of God placed centrally within our own understanding of what guides our own conduct -- including sins large and small -- then we're equally in danger of losing our chance at living in this Kingdom and especially the eternal life that Christ offers.  In other words, whatever else it is we think about, we need to keep this one constant focus centrally in mind.  Everything depends upon our own communion with God.  We don't compare ourselves with the rest of the world to get the true picture of the focus we need to have, no matter what else is going on, and no matter what others are doing.  He goes through all these illustrations of worldly calamity, terror, human needs, and all the rest simply to emphasize this one strong point:  each of our lives needs to be focused around how we serve God, what we need to do for the strength and depth of our relationship with God, and how we constantly participate as disciples within that communion.  This is the one true central thing we always have to keep in mind above every other concern, and midst all others.  Jesus reminds every one of His disciples of the tremendously greater loss that comes from lack of concern and awareness of strengthening and deepening our relationship to God.  Judgment is mentioned in this context to reinforce the importance and value of the great gift of life offered to all who participate in the Kingdom, and to the tremendous loss of that gift that can result from a lack of priority or understanding of the importance of the spiritual life.  That is, we need to get right with God, no matter what we think we've already done, no matter what we see others doing.  This is because the gift we receive from this communion is so much greater than any other goals we can ponder.  In the final paragraph, He emphasizes one thing that He has reiterated again and again, the importance of bearing spiritual fruit.  Whether we are the servants in the household who remain alert and awake for our Master's return or we are those who are stewards and must administer with mercy over our fellow servants (see Saturday's reading), whether we are anxious and concerned with our worldly goods and needs (see Friday's reading), whether we're worried about the conflicts or upset with those around us via our choice for discipleship to Christ (yesterday's reading, above), our chief concern really needs to be with bearing the spiritual fruit that God looks for and that Christ stresses so strongly.  That fruit is the product of our own practices of mercy, generosity, or care that we practice as disciples, and the corrections for our own varieties of selfishness or sins that the communion with God makes us aware of.  There is so much to receive in this Kingdom which blesses us, including the grace of God which enables us to become much more than we think possible and to grow in our faith.  Jesus keeps emphasizing this one thing necessary, this desire to serve and please God by living the life of faithfulness, that nothing else is more important or essential.  We stand to lose so much when we lose sight of it.  Let us keep our focus where it must be.  Let us bear the fruit so carefully nurtured by Christ, and passionately tended with such a depth of sacrifice.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."

- John 10:19-30

In our recent readings, Jesus has been at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem (John 7:1-10:21).  After healing a man blind from birth, the sixth of seven signs in John's Gospel, Jesus has been disputing with the leadership in the temple.  Yesterday we read that He said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings. And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  We see that the leadership in Jerusalem is divided over Jesus (the term the Jews is used like that of a political party, to designate the leaders in the temple).  My study bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs Jesus does, but they also perceive the holiness of His words.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  My study bible explains that the Feast of Dedication took place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (where Jesus healed a man blind from birth and was disputing with the religious leaders; 7:1-10:21).  This feast was also known as the Festival of Lights (also called Hanukkah).  It is a commemoration of the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem, following the desecration by the Seleucid King Epiphanes in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1-4).   At the Feast of Dedication, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated.  As my study bible points out, many of these leaders of the past were themselves shepherds, just as Jesus has recently spoken of Himself as the Good Shepherd.

Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you."    My study bible comments that both what Christ told them and the works He had done have already answered their question.    Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind from birth (9:32), or perform the signs that have born witness to Christ.   Additionally, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people as did Christ (7:46, 9:21).    As I said to you indicates that these are the same Pharisees to whom Christ was speaking three months earlier, at the Feast of Tabernacles (10:1-5).                                                                                     
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."  Jesus repeats here what He has said to them at the Feast of Tabernacles regarding His sheep.  But it is important that we note the tie between Himself, His sheep, and the Father.  This isn't merely a kind of linear or descending tie, in Christ's images.  Rather, the Father has a deep love for the sheep, who are directly given to Christ by the Father, which in turn assigns the Son both His loving mission to the sheep, and the love and loyalty of the Father.

"I and the Father are one."  This statement gives Christ's response to their question as to His identity as Messiah.  My study bible explains that Jesus reveals He is fully God.  "One" means one in nature or essence.  That is, He is God before all ages, and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  The plural verb are, my study bible says, indicates two distinct Persons, while confirming a continuous unity.

In yesterday's reading, we read that while Jesus disputed with the Pharisees at the Feast of Tabernacles, He told them,  "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  In today's reading, He continues with a similar theme, in which He expresses the loving relationship between His Father, Himself, and the sheep -- that is, those whom the Father has given to Christ.  What we remark upon is not that this is expressed as a hierarchy, for it is not.  What is remarkable in the statements Jesus makes (both in today's reading and yesterday's) is the way that Christ has indicated that out of God's great love for God's sheep, those who know Christ's voice, Christ has been sent -- to gather the sheep, and to do so through a tremendous selfless act:  the laying down of His life, and His subsequent Resurrection ("that I may take it again").  What comes first in this structure of relatedness is God the Father's love of God's sheep, and out of that love comes the Son who has been sent.  In turn, there is the Father's love for the Son, who will willingly follow the Father's command to lay down His own life for the sheep, and to take it again in Resurrection.  Jesus cements this understanding of the circular nature of love (as opposed to a descending and linear hierarchy of power) when He says in today's reading, referring to the sheep, "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."   What He is saying to the religious leaders is that it is God the Father in whose hand are the sheep, and whose love and strength are expressed through the mission of the One who has been sent, the Son, Incarnate Christ.  It is through these words -- and others, of course -- that we are to understand the tremendous power of love that God the Father has for us.  Without that love, which circles directly to us and then through the Son and back to the Father, there would be no mission.  It is a sign of the direct relation that we as sheep have with God the Father, whose love is the backbone and framework and instigator of all.  It reminds us of Jesus' words to St. Peter, when Peter recognizes and confesses that Jesus is the Christ:  "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:16-17).  It is through the Father's love for us that we the sheep are able to know the voice of our Shepherd, Christ.  We faithful human beings, capable of love for God, are first in order of priority in Christ's statements.  It is for love of us that He is sent by the Father, for love of us He is commanded to lay down His life and to take it up again.  It is for love of us that His sacrificial act is responded to with love by the Father.  Inside this circle of love, we as human beings -- last in order of power and hierarchy -- are first in the bonds of love, even those direct bonds of communion with the Father, which Christ expresses to Peter upon Peter's confession, and which Christ is expressing to the leaders in the temple.  We are loved, not simply through the Son, but directly from the Father, whose love for us before all else is cause for the mission of the Son, for which the Father responds with love for the Son.  We cannot help but remark upon the incredible nature of this love that so loves us first that we are the cause for the mission, and the Son's mission for us prompts the love of the Father.  We are left to wonder why God loves us so much.  It is, indeed, an awesome thing to ponder.  How could we not return such love?  How could we hope to return its fullness?

Unless you repent you will all likewise perish

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

- Luke 13:1-9

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  My study bible says that the two incidents named here by Jesus are reported only in Luke's Gospel.  The Galileans, it suggests, were probably Zealots, Jewish nationalists, who triggered some disturbance against the Romans.  The collapse of the tower in Siloam, by accient or sabotage, was believed to be divine justice on sinners.  But Jesus says no to such an interpretation of either event.  He uses them instead as illustrations of the need for repentance for all.  We remember He is warning about the Judgment to come, and the time that is 'at hand.'

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"   My study bible says that the fruitless fig tree is universally interpreted in the Church to be fallen humanity.  The three years represent God's covenants with His people through Abraham, Moses, and Christ, all of which are rejected, as well as the three year-earthly ministry of Christ.  Christ is the keeper of the vineyard, who intercedes on our behalf by suffering His Passion and sending the Holy Spirit to us before the ultimate judgment.

Jesus speaks about Judgment.  Earlier He has told His followers that they should rather fear Him who has power to cast into hell (Luke 12:5).  The people assume that the terrible things that befall those around them are forms of Judgment, but Jesus warns everyone about the importance of repentance.  It is a stark reminder of the plank in our own eye that we don't notice while we simply look at everyone else (Luke 6:42).  We are to look to our own stand before God and consider where we are.  He reminds the people of God's mercy:  a delay in Judgment to allow for repentance.  This is what the time period we are in is all about as we await His return, the Second Coming.  The gift of the Holy Spirit, the acts of Passion, crucifixion, and Resurrection are all in service to this mercy, to calling us back, giving us time.  He calls us as individuals, but there is also the dimension of the community He addresses here, and the community is all of us, the whole world.  His sacrifice will be a gift to all of us to look at how we betray innocence and the good, what we do to a God who so loves us that He condescends to experience our reality, our suffering, a painful and humiliating death on the Cross.  This is the act that begins the "new age" He initiates through the Incarnation.  It is the sacrifice that sets down a clear picture of our injustice and betrayal of truth, down to the harm we do to the little ones in whom we are to see Him and God the Father (Mark 9:37).  It calls us all to make choices, to think about what we do, to be aware of what justice asks for and where righteousness truly is.  Christ will be used by others as a scapegoat (John 11:50).  He will go willingly to this death and sacrifice.  But He dies for all of us, all of the people.  He is a witness for the truth that saves, for God who loves us.  He testifies to the evil in the world, to call us to repentance and wakefulness.  He is a martyr who leads the way for those who will follow Him, and He exposes the evil in our world.  Will we feast at His table?  Will we be the friends of this Bridegroom?  Can we follow Him, and not be like the hypocrites?  Some people find that Judgment (or the idea of it) is incompatible with the notion of God who is love.  But Jesus tells us the opposite, that we are called to awareness of our lives, to choice, and to responsibility.  He will do so through His own Passion, a sacrifice in which we participate when we take the Eucharist.  How does your awareness of this shape your life?  Does it call you to a humility that keeps you honest, or to a reliance on His help?  How do we learn love, if not through Him who loved us first and left us with His new command to love?