Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him

 

 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?  How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"  In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.  But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

 

- Matthew 26:47-56 

 

Yesterday we read that, following the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch with Me."  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What?  Could you not watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."  And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

 

 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?"  Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.  It seems quite important to note that Jesus is still making an effort to save Judas, as He greets him as "friend."  St. Matthew's text refers to Judas as His betrayer, giving us again a sense of how deep this betrayal truly is from one who was His disciple for three years, living with Him and sharing all things in common with the others.

 

 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?  How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?"  In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.  But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.  Jesus rebukes St. Peter here (we know it is St. Peter as he is identified in John 18:10) for using the sword, for St. Peter still does not understand that Christ is going to His death willingly, so that salvation for humankind might be fulfilled.  A legion is 6,000 soldiers, my study Bible reports, so twelve legions is equal to 72,000 angels.  That Christ's death was foretold in the Scriptures served to strengthen the disciples at this hour of their greatest test.  

With one word of clear direction, Jesus sets out with clarity our whole understanding of this terrible betrayal and seizure of the one innocent and sinless Man.  He asks those who show up in the middle of the night to seize Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me."  Then He adds the words of clear direction for all of us, so that we understand why this is happening and what it is all about, and so that we have the lens through which to view it.  He says, "But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled."  The disciples will take these words and remember.  They will remember His several warnings of this time before it happened.  They will remember that He goes voluntarily.  They will remember that all that happens in Christ's ministry occurs in fulfillment of the Scriptures.  They will understand that no matter how difficult things become, how devastating these actions are, and no matter what they will witness and experience, there is a plan unfolding, a sense in which God's salvation works even through the evils they will see.  And so Jesus gives clear direction, even as He is being seized and betrayed, in the midst of injustice, even as He protests that He was with those who seize Him daily in the temple openly teaching, and they did not seize Him then.  He lays out all of it. And with His words that these events happen in fulfillment of the Scriptures we are meant to understand several things.  First, that the Scriptures of the prophets do not "make" things happen, but are written because these events are foreseen in the Spirit, where time does not exist as we understand it.  Moreover, Jesus as Christ, the Messiah, comes in fulfillment of the Scriptures in terms of His whole mission as Incarnate Lord, again as foreseen (not made to happen) by God's prophets.  We can see this indicated not simply in Jesus' words here today, but throughout the Gospels and the Epistles, as various Scripture is quoted in support of that understanding.  Jesus is, in fact, the Incarnate Lord of the Old Testament, which He clearly indicates when He says to the religious leaders, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad," and, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:56, 58).  Jesus' repeated predictions to the disciples of what was to come in His Passion (with considerable detail), the prophecies fulfilled through Scripture, and His teachings and sayings throughout His ministry, all confirm that regardless of what they think or see, there is one Lord in charge, there is a salvation plan being fulfilled, there is a mission of Christ in this world working out as it must -- even using the evil that comes -- and moreover, all of this foreshadows and defines their own mission to come in the world, and is the foundation of the establishment of the Church.  At the Last Supper, Jesus taught the disciples, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered' " (see Saturday's reading; Jesus quotes from Zechariah 13:7).  All of this structures a way in which we are to see that not only is there an ultimate Authority, and a salvation plan that is in place, but moreover, even the evil that occurs will somehow be used by God in a way that benefits a universal salvation.  Thus St. Paul can write, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  None of these understandings take away from people's responsibility for their choices, as Jesus most starkly explains when He prophesies His betrayal by one of the disciples, "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born" (see Friday's reading).  In a certain sense, moreover, this is affirmed when Jesus tells St. Peter, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword," for He's indicating that through manipulation and force we cannot necessarily control the outcome we desire; moreover we determine our own way of demise.  All of this should give us pause when we go through our own tragic betrayals, difficulties, even undergo evil things in this world that we know are wrong.  For Christ has indicated in His Passion that even the worst of things can be used by God for ultimate salvation, and so we should consider that God can create good even in our lives from the worst of wrongs and hardships.  Let us take heart in the true depth of our faith, and seek Christ's light even in the darkest of times we might face and know.

 

 

 

 

Rabbi, is it I?

 

 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.  

 

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it." 

 

- Matthew 26:17-25 

 

Yesterday we read that, when Jesus had finished His full discourse on the end times and the judgment at His return (Matthew 24 - 25), He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

 

  Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.  My study Bible tells us that the Passover commemorates God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the Land of Promise.  It prefigures the Passion of Christ, it notes, the new Passover (Greek Πασχα/Pascha), which is God's redemption of all humanity from sin and death, and entrance into the promised Kingdom.  It states that whether the first day of the Feast was Passover or the day before Passover is debated among patristic opinion.  But what is truly certain is that Jesus regarded this meal with the disciples to be the Passover meal.  

 

 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."  My study Bible notes here that the words "it is written of Him" do not cancel the responsibility of Judas.  It comments that God foresees but does not cause the evil actions of human beings, who always have free will.  Here Jesus allows Judas to accuse himself, but even though he hears that Christ knows of his deception, Judas does not repent. 

 

It's quite stunning to read the responses of the disciples to Jesus announcement that one of them will betray Him.  He says as they eat, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  Note that the text tells us that each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  Think of the humility this offers to Christ, and perhaps as example to us as well.  It's a horrible thought, and yet each asks if it would be himself.  It's an acknowledgement that each is capable of sin one might not even wish to consider, and that these disciples have the humility to understand they are fallible and to follow their Lord.  Then Jesus says, ""He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  It's possible that each of them has "dipped his hand" with Christ in the dish, as this is common to the Middle Eastern table to this day.  It's another indication of betrayal of a particular depth, as they have truly shared this meal together.  Jesus casts this dire warning, that regardless of what is written of Him, only woe lies ahead for the one by whom He is betrayed.  So much so, that it would be good for that man if he had not been born.  Then Judas picks this moment to ask the same question himself that the others have asked in humility, "Rabbi, is it I?"  What was He thinking?  We can ponder all we want, but clearly Jesus is as yet still trying to save Judas by giving His terrible warning of the consequences of such a betrayal.  Perhaps Judas is only testing Christ, seeing if He has the knowledge of what Judas has done.  Perhaps he's trying to blend in with the other disciples in mimicking their behavior and acting as one of them in order to hide what he's done from them.  There are other speculations that people have made throughout history, even suggesting possibly that Judas is part of a conspiracy to create a revolution against the Romans.  But there's no doubt about Christ's words of woe and warning of judgment.  We might notice, also, that the other disciples address Him as Lord.  But Judas calls Him "Rabbi" or "Teacher."  When Judas asks his question, all Jesus replies is, "You have said it."  Jesus will use this phraseology elsewhere also within this span of the few days contemporaneous with our present readings.  When the high priest demands of Him, "Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  Jesus will reply with the identical words response, they are the same in the Greek.  When Pilate asks Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  His answer is almost identical but for the tense; Jesus replies, "You say so."  There is a strange inversion of words and their meaning taking place in all of this, in this time of great evil.  The truth is there in plain sight, even in the language people use, despite their intended meaning.  And so it is with Judas, for as Jesus tells him, he has said it.  Judas still has time to repent, to turn back, to change his mind.  We will see that even at the very moment of betrayal (with a kiss), Jesus will try to save Judas, asking, "Friend, why have you come?"  In all of this time of evil, of an upside-down kind of reality that begins to bear down upon Jesus and press for His death, Jesus, the Logos, will still be telling the truth.  His words will continue to have meaning that is direct and true, when so many others will fail through manipulation and deceit, even denial.  Let us pay close attention to what is at hand, even through our own times of trial and temptation.

 

 

 

 

 

He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them

 

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

 

- Mark 9:2-13

 

Yesterday we read that 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."  When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.   For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

 

  Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  The event described in today's reading is known as the Transfiguration (Μεταμορφωσις/Metamorphosis in the Greek).  This is a theophany, meaning a manifestation of God.  In particular there is the manifestation or appearance of the divinity of Christ, through a display of what is understood in Orthodoxy as His uncreated, divine energy -- appearing as dazzling light.  St. John writes that God is light (1 John 1:5); so His shining, exceedingly white clothing such as  no launderer on earth can whiten them, demonstrate that Jesus is God.  In some icons this color is shown as beyond white, tinted blue-white, meaning an ineffable, inexpressible color of spiritual origin.

 

And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  Here is the presence of the kingdom of heaven; Moses and Elijah give us the reality of the communion of saints Hebrews 12:1), always present, and they communicate with Jesus.  They are both immediately recognizable (where we know and are known; see 1 Corinthians 13:12).  In Peter's confusion and fear, as he knows that the Feast of Tabernacles is the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, he suggests the building of tents or tabernacles for them as was done at that feast (symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom).  My study Bible comments that Moses represents the law and all those who have died, while Elijah represents the prophets and -- as he did not experience death -- all those who are alive in Christ.  My study Bible says that their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.  

 

And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  The bright cloud recalls  temple worship and the cloud that went before the Israelites in the wilderness, which my study Bible calls the visible sign of God being extraordinarily present.  The Father's voice combines with the Spirit in the brightness of the cloud and the dazzling light around Christ, while the identity of Christ revealed as beloved Son to manifest the Holy Trinity.  

 

  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  What they have seen is true and real, but throughout St. Mark's Gospel so far, Jesus has emphasized the need to keep the messianic secret until the proper time it can be revealed.  Note the mystery; they question what the rising from the dead meant.  

 

 And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."  Now the disciples are prepared to understand that Christ is referring to St. John the Baptist.  When He says that Elijah has also come already, He indicates that Malachi's prophesy of the return of Elijah (Malachi 4:5) refers to one coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), rather than to Elijah himself.  

 

The Transfiguration comes to us as a manifestation, a "showing forth" of Christ's true identity.  This occurs in a kind of symbolic language, a language of light, of sound in the Father's voice, of vision and recognition in the appearance of Moses and Elijah.  And all of these things occur in the presence of witnesses, the three who are known as the pillars among His disciples, and that, too, happens for an important reason.  Not only will they remember this experience during the time of the horrific events they will live through during the Passion and Christ's crucifixion and death.  But they are those who tell us for posterity, and this, too, occurs for an important reason.  For our earliest Christian ancestors, and for the first millennium of the Church, this experience of Transfiguration was an important factor in understanding the whole purpose of Christ's mission into our world, and how exactly we come to be saved.  This is because this notion of transfiguration, of metamorphosis, to use the borrowed Greek word in our language, is the effect of grace upon us.  Most powerfully, throughout the course of the history of the Church, the words of our early Church Fathers and theologians have come to us indicating that God became human, so that we human beings could become [like] God.  This doesn't happen merely through a kind of deductive reasoning, or simply asking ourselves, "What would Jesus do?" or any other sort of purely imitative behaviors.  It happens first of all because of the Incarnation.  Divinity has touched human flesh and human experience, and this becomes a part of our world, a part of the fabric of the created world, where even in His Resurrection and Ascension, human flesh may rise and ascend with Him, and thus humanity.  This is opening the doors to salvation.  Through grace, and our cooperation with that grace, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, the Helper and Counselor sent to us by Christ and the Father, we also are given a kind of blueprint for our lives, a transformative, transfiguring grace, so that we may grow in the fruits of the Spirit.  These fruits become evidence of our own metamorphosis, our own transfiguration, so that we are changed as people, and we become more compatible with the Kingdom and its reality, preparing the way for us to dwell in Christ's many mansions.  We, like Christ, are able to bear the Kingdom into the world, and share the light placed in us, and magnified through the work of grace, and our acceptance and cooperation with that grace.  The Transfiguration shows us who Christ really is, but it also gives us the unseen reality that is always there whether we know it or not.  The light of God is with us, and it is within us.  God's love and mercy always awaits our attention and acceptance.  But because of the Transfiguration, we have a sense of what that is and means.  Let us always remember the light of the world, our true Light, and where it comes from.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 of 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 

 

On Saturday 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.   St. John's Gospel gives us three Passover feasts between the Lord's baptism and His Passion (see also John 6:4; 11:55). This teaches us that Christ's earthly ministry lasted three years.  

 

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 is still weak at this point, as he is afraid of his peers and so came to Jesus by night.   After this conversation, Nicodemus' faith will grow to the point of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51) and finally making the bold public expression of faith of preparing and entombing Christs body (John 19:39-42).  Nicodemus' memory is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on the third Sunday of Pascha (Easter) together with the Myrrhbearing Women and Joseph of Arimathea.  My study Bible reports that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by St. Peter and was consequently 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."   In the Greek, the word translated again can also be understood as meaning "from above."  It therefore clearly refers to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  This heavenly birth, my study Bible explains, is baptism, and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).  It is simply 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, and questions the possibility of a second physical birth.  This is frequently a pattern in St. John's Gospel (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  Jesus uses such opportunities to elevate an idea from a superficial or worldly meaning to a heavenly and eternal one. 

 

 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of 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."  The birth of water and the Spirit is a direct reference to Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given at chrismation, my study Bible comments.  To be born of the Spirit is to participate in adoption as a child of God.  It is not a matter of ethnic descent, nor natural birth, nor by our own decision.  To become a child of God is a spiritual birth by grace, my study Bible says, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  It's accomplished and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (see also Titus 3:4-7).  Jesus' teaching includes a play on words. The Greek word pneuma/πνευμα means both wind and Spirit.  The working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth, my study Bible explains, is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  So also, the Spirit moves where He wills and cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas. 

 

 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.  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."  According to my study Bible, St. John Chrysostom comments that earthly things refer to grace and baptism given to human beings.  These are "earthly" in the sense that they occur on earth and are given to creatures, not that they are not spiritual.  The heavenly things involve the ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father, my study Bible says. They relate to His eternal existence before all time (with the Father and the Spirit) and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.  It notes that a person must first grasp the ways in which God works among human beings before one can even begin to understand things that pertain directly 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."  Moses lifted up an image of a serpent in order to cure the Israelites from the deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  This miracle-working image prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross, my study Bible says.  It notes 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. 

 

 John's Gospel dives more deeply into the mystical reality which Christ brings into the world in today's Gospel reading.  We have gone from the beginning of Christ's public ministry with the baptism of John the Baptist, to here, in which Christ begins to explain what it is to be "born again" or rather, "born from above," meaning to be born of the Spirit in Christian Holy Baptism.  Just as Jesus must use "earthly" language to describe spiritual realities, so we know that the Incarnation is the powerful plan of salvation in which God the Logos comes to us in human form, and gives us gifts which enable us to participate in the kingdom of heaven even as human beings in our world.  Once again, we observe the reality of Christ that He brings into the world as something which is "hidden in plain sight," even as He seeks to explain to Nicodemus the Pharisee, who comes to Him by night to learn from Him.  Here is one more gem hidden in this Gospel, that of the story of Nicodemus himself.  For we do not expect, those of us who have perhaps becomes a little too used to the stories we hear in Church, that there is at least one among the Pharisees, and perhaps many more, who were actually believers in Christ.  We're told that besides Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea also figures prominently in the story of Jesus, and both of these significant men among the Sanhedrin, the ruling Council.  Notably, it is St. John's Gospel which tells us the fullness of this story, despite the fact that the term "the Jews," so often used in this particular Gospel to indicate the religious leaders, has been misconstrued throughout history.  It is also St. John's Gospel that will tell us, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  Let us endeavor to read carefully as we continue, for there is so much hidden in plain sight.  It's all too easy to miss, and to generalize.  Just like the mysterious wind that blows where it wishes, the Scripture gives us glimmers of light and reveals things we don't expect.  But let us praise the Gospel in the truth and light it brings to us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all of their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teacher; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Matthew 23:1–12 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?" And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him any more.  

 

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying . . .  Here begins Jesus' final public sermon (which makes up nearly the whole of chapter 23).  It is a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  There are several themes He involves.  My study Bible sums them up as follows:  First, the Jewish leaders have God-given authority and teach God's Law, but they are personally ungodly and cold-hearted.  So their teaching is to be honored, but they are not to be imitated.  Second, God is our true Father and Teacher.  A teacher or father on earth is one who leads people to God.  The scribes and Pharisees do the opposite, placing themselves in God's position.  These themes are covered in today's reading.  The rest of the chapter will cover an eightfold indictment of the scribes and Pharisees, in which Jesus charges that they invert God's values, they are mean-spirited, judgmental, greedy, ambitious, absorbed in externals, and they are blindly self-righteous.  My study Bible adds that while these charges were directed against the Jewish leaders of Christ's day, every word applies to those in the Church who behave in the same ways.

 

 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."  To sit in Moses' seat, my study Bible explains, means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself.  In the synagogue, the teacher spoke while seated as a sign of this authority . My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary, in which he said that the scribes were depraved in thought and in heart, yet Jesus still upholds the dignity of their office, as they don't speak their own words, but God's.  So also within the Church, clergy are to be shown respect for they hold the apostolic office, although they are also sinners.  Moreover, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their resonsibilities before God.  Let us note here the cold-heartedness Jesus describes of those who bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders -- and yet will do nothing to help in the slightest.   This is in distinct contradiction to Christ's teaching in yesterday's reading (above), in which He cited the second greatest commandment as that in which we're told to "love your neighbor as yourself."

 

"But all of their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'"  Phylacteries are small leather pouches which contain passages of Scripture and are worn on the arm or forehead.  The concept is to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9).  But instead the Pharisees used them for a false show of piety, making them increasingly larger and more noticeable.  

 

 "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teacher; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." My study Bible says that Christ's warning against calling hypocrites father and teacher is not meant as an absolute prohibition against using these terms (as some teach).  These terms are applied to people many times in the New Testament, and all of these usages are inspired by God.  "Teacher" is used in John 3:10; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; and 2 Timothy 1:11.  "Father" is used in Luke 16:24; 1 Corinthians 4:15; and Colossians 3:21.  From the earliest days of the Church, bishops and presbyters have been called "father" not in order to take the place of God, but rather for their fatherly care of their flocks:  they lead people to God, and exercise fatherly authority within the community. 

 

Jesus teaches in today's reading, "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  This is one of several occasions in which we read similar statements or teachings in the Bible.  See also, for example, Luke 14:11, 18:14; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 18:4, 23:11. There are many other occasions of such sentiment found in the Bible but using different language.  But in this context, this statement is given regarding use of the terms "father" and "teacher."  Jesus' statement is telling the disciples (and their spiritual descendants), who would come to be both "teachers" and "fathers" in the Church that they are not to be like the hypocrites.  This statement by Jesus suggests to us that if any of us, or if anyone in the Church, wishes to be thought of as teacher or father (or perhaps mother as well), then the only way to do this is to be a servant to others and to humble oneself.  It is in this way that teachers and fathers come to be exalted in the Church.  Oftentimes, we call such people saints, both literally and figuratively.  To be both humble and to serve is a way to curb the tendency to hypocrisy, as such discipline is counter to the goal of doing good works for the express purpose of simply being seen by others.  Human nature such as it is makes it difficult to both be concerned with serving others and also to tamper our desire to be seen as doing good.  The real emphasis here is on one's chosen aim or profession.  Do we really desire to teach?  Do we truly deeply desire to care for others with a "fatherly" (or motherly) care?  Or is our highest priority to be praised by others and to judge ourselves only through their eyes, rather than the eyes of God?  Every parent likely knows the dilemma of being a good parent -- and so sometimes having to say "No," imposing rules, and delineating boundaries, and wanting a child's love without their disappointment or disapproval.  Ultimately -- again, as in the teaching of the two greatest commandments in yesterday's reading (above) -- our highest priority needs to be loving and pleasing God, for in this way we do seek to be true teachers and fathers (and good parents, for that matter).  For this is where we go to be dedicated to truly learning love and goodness, what really serves, and what truly teaches.  There our desire can be met with God's care for our goals, and for the disposition of our souls.  Hypocrisy, living as an actor behind a mask (a literal understanding of the word's Greek roots) prevents us from assuming the humility necessary for sincerity, for the pure heart Jesus desires for us (Matthew 5:8).  A good teacher, just like a good father or mother, has for their primary concern the welfare of those under their care, and their first priority is not their own gain, well-being, or capacity to impress and lord it over others.  We are blessed in the Church to have a long history of many teachers, and many fathers, notably among those whom we call saints, but a myriad more whom we don't know.  Ultimately, as Jesus indicates, we have one true Teacher (the Christ) and one true Father (He who is in heaven).  We might call Christ the Teacher of all teachers, and God the  Father is the Father of all fathers.  But through humility and love we can learn to grow in likeness to them.  Let us start with Christ's first and greatest commandment, the love of God, and how love of neighbor (the second great commandment) can be expressed through all the teachers, fathers, and mothers of the Church.  Let us strive to become like them. 

 

 

We have found the Messiah

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard Jon speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone). 

 

- John 1:35–42 

 

Yesterday we were given the second day (paralleling the creation story of Genesis) of the beginning of Christ's ministry, the testimony of John the Baptist: John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that he should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two who heard Jon speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  My study Bible comments that the Lord's first disciples had been followers of John the Baptist.  They were Andrew; Simon (also known as Peter), or Cephas;  Philip and Nathanael (also known as Bartholomew), both of whom we will read about in tomorrow's reading; and an unnamed disciple, whom some patristic commentary say was John, the author of the Gospel.  It was a common literary device for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13). 

 

Today's reading encompasses the third day of the beginning of the story of Christ's ministry.  Here in today's reading, John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ then gathers to be His own.  One of them He declares to be the foundation of the Church (see also Matthew 16:18).  As this Gospel began with the words, "In the beginning" (John 1:1), suggesting the creation story of Genesis (Genesis 1:1), so each day also parallels a day of that creation story.  Today's reading parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  In the story of creation in Genesis, we find that God brings order out of chaos, and fills the world with good things, establishing both order and creativity.  Here John's ministry takes the shape of its fullness by John leading his disciples to Christ, following his testimony to Jesus as the Christ in yesterday's reading (the second day in the unfolding of Christ's ministry).  We could suggest the parallel to the creation story gives us Logos Himself -- both the organizing and creative principle of existence -- as the center of all things.  John the Baptist plays his role by revealing Logos to the world, and also gathering his own disciples to the Christ, thus filling the world with good things, even children to the Lord.  In our own lives, we might consider this same pattern and how it can be set down for us -- and set into motion: a blessed and good way of life.  We first place the Lord at the center of all things in life, for He is the creative and organizing principle Himself in His Person.  He is the Logos.  In John 1:1, the Greek word Logos is translated as "Word" ("In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God").  This, of course, refers to Jesus Christ, whom we know is the eternal Son of God.  My study Bible commented on that verse that Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word" -- all of these are attributes of the Son of God.  So, when we first place Jesus our Lord at the center of our lives, it is all of these properties of Logos that we are putting front and center in life, and as we pray and as we worship and structure our lives around Christ, so we are bringing the energies of those properties into our lives as well.  We participate in His life through prayer and worship practices and following the things He teaches (such as almsgiving, fasting, repentance, etc.) and in this way we ally with His energies.  This process is called "Theosis" in the Orthodox Christian tradition.  But by putting this principle of Logos first in our lives as the center of our focus, we bring organization, order, creativity, and all that Christ offers into our homes and our lives, into our families and relationships.  This is the story of the unfolding of Christ's ministry, where first John the Baptist serves Christ by revealing Him to the world, and then draws his own disciples to Jesus.  So we can do the same ourselves in our lives.  We can first put Christ in the center, knowing and learning and growing in our understanding of Him, and after that we seek to grow all things in our lives as things which serve Christ.  Whatever we do, whatever we choose, whatever steps we take, whatever we create in our lives, follows the pattern of creatively serving Christ and filling our lives with good things.  In our own practice of discipleship, we seek this constant pattern, so that we in turn are ordered, creative, and serving and enhancing the good with all we produce.  Christ has life in Himself, and the things that come from the Lord remain dynamic, creative, original, unique, and a constant marvel, such as the myriad saints that come from our faith, all of whom are unique and show us original ways in which their uniqueness is magnified in ways that serve God.  In this sense, we return the gift of our lives to our Creator, and in turn our Creator blesses us with ways to serve, to be a true part of this dynamic unfolding creation, and its salvation in Him.  Let us consider this pattern, and the growth of Christ's disciples and ministry, and how that pattern can work and unfold as well in our own lives.  In today's reading, Simon is brought to Christ, and he is revealed by Christ to be Cephas, or Peter (from the Greek Petros, meaning a Stone); that is, he is revealed by the Lord to be the foundation of the Church.  So we also may seek the Lord, and He in turn reveals to us who we are, giving us life and ministry and a way to lead our lives.

 

 

The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!

 

 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.  

 

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."

 

- Matthew 26:17–25 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all His teachings on "end times," that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."  Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."  And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.  But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste?  For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor."  But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.  For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?"  And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.  So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

 

  Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?"  And He said, "Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, 'The Teacher says, "My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples."'"  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.   My study Bible comments that the Passover commemorates God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the Land of Promise.  It is a prefiguring of the Passion of Christ, which is the new Passover (in Greek, Πάσχα/Pascha); that is, as my study Bible puts it, God's redemption of all humanity from sin and death -- and entrance into the promised Kingdom.  Whether the first day of the Feast was Passover or it was the day before is a subject of dispute in patristic commentary.  But what is clear is that Jesus regards with the disciples as the Passover meal.  

When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve.  Now as they were eating, He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, "Lord, is it I?"  He answered and said, "He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, "Rabbi, is it I?"  He said to him, "You have said it."    My study Bible comments that simply because it is written of Him does not cancel Judas' responsibility for his betrayal.  It notes that God foresees but does not cause the evil actions of human beings; we always have free will.  Here, Jesus allows Judas to accuse himself, but even upon hearing that Jesus knew of His deception, there is no repentance on Judas' part.  

My study Bible has an interesting note on St. Luke's version of today's story.  The Gospel reads, "Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve" (Luke 22:3).  My study Bible comments on this verse that Satan does not enter a person except by that person's consent.  It says that the reason Satan chose Judas and none of the others is that Judas had a place for Satan in his heart, while the others did not.  What can we say about this, except that somewhere in ourselves, we may become vulnerable to such promptings?  And likewise conversely, what makes us available to the promptings of what President Abraham Lincoln referred to as "the angels of our better nature?"  The same can be said of our faith in and love of Christ.  What is it that opens our heart to God's love?  It's important to think about such things in the context of what it means to be a person, because our communion is not simply with abstract ideas and theories.  It is with persons -- other people, and the Persons of the Trinity, known through Jesus Christ, who became human so that we could know God through Him.  Father Stephen Freeman, who writes the Glory to God for All Things blog, has commented, "We know the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. But we don’t know the Father apart from the Son, and the Holy Spirit does not speak of the things concerning Himself."  Therefore we understand that part of Christ's mission into our world is so that we can know the Father through Him, and the Holy Spirit has also come through His mission in order for us to recall the words of Christ and to understand them (John 14:26).  So in knowing Christ, we know the Trinity, whom we understand as three Persons.  They are divine and beyond our scope of understanding, but they are Persons nonetheless.  Therefore, we must ask ourselves -- since being a "person" is so central to how we come to know in the Bible -- what makes us open or vulnerable to one person or another?  What opens our hearts or closes them?  We can see in today's reading how Judas has his heart closed to Christ, despite all that has happened, for he does not repent, despite Jesus' words, "The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."  Have you ever had the experience of speaking to someone, and even though they seem to be paying attention, they just can't hear what you're saying?  Can't grasp its meaning?  This is an important aspect of human relations to understand, and the Gospel seems to illustrate that repeatedly.  If a person does not want to hear, we have a remarkable way to block whatever it is we don't want to let in.  Perhaps we're clinging to something we just can't let go of that gets in the way.  Perhaps this is the case with Judas.  Some have suggested that he believed in a political messiah, and could not accept Christ's position as One who would not make a decisive kind of battle against His enemies in the religious leadership.  St. John's Gospel seems to suggest to us that he was greedy and dishonest (John 12:6) as a possible motive.  But whatever the cause we can see that there are impediments to the heart and its opening to the love of God, and this is an important reason for self-awareness and repentance.  Jesus has frequently taught the disciples about being aware of their own impulses which will do harm, and to cast them off.  So it seems that keeping our hearts open to God requires a kind of work, and perhaps we could call it the work of faith.  We need to be open to our own flaws, and to work at casting off impulses that lead us down a bad path (Matthew 5:21-37; 18:6-9).  Faith isn't something we can take for granted, but something we work at (John 6:28-29).   Keeping our hearts open to God requires vigilance, but also the ability to let go even of things we've always clung to (Matthew 19:16-22).  This may be true even of the things we cherish most (Matthew 10:37).  When Jesus teaches us that it is the truth that makes us free (John 8:32), he's not talking about a set of abstract principles or aphorisms, but a living faith with a powerful mystical component, about abiding in His word, and becoming a "son."  Therefore our faith is dynamic, and requires of us growth.  This is a growth that is willing to continue down a path of greater intensity, and perhaps greater sacrifice -- for we all are meant to carry our crosses, to join Him at the Cross and participate in His life.  Let us consider that keeping ourselves closed off, or hanging on to the things that keep us from truly hearing and abiding in His word, keep us from a closer communion with Christ and the greater life of the Kingdom He offers.  None of those things are worth the freedom He promises, the living truth He offers, the love that shows us the way and illumines a path.  Perhaps Judas is clinging to a past he cannot let go of to follow Christ, a delusional outcome that is a false hope -- or maybe just his greedy habit, or perhaps the rebuke from Christ (see yesterday's reading, above).  None of these are worthy of forfeiting the life Christ offers, the redemption to be found in changing our mind and growing in the ways He asks, and following Him. 

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Matthew 23:1–12 

 

In our current readings, it is Holy Week in Jerusalem.  Jesus has made His Triumphal Entry into the holy city.  He has cleansed the temple.  He has been quizzed by the religious leaders as to His authority to do so.  He has verbally sparred with the religious leaders, teaching parables against them.  The Pharisees have sought to entrap Him in a question regarding paying taxes to Caesar, which He has skillfully answered in a way to teach.  On Saturday, we read that on that same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses said to that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were with us seven brothers.  The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.  Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?  For they all had her."  Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.  For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.  But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."  And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.  But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

 

  Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."  Here Jesus begins His final public sermon, which is a grand critique of the ways of the scribes and Pharisees.  There are various themes to this sermon, which comprises the whole of chapter 23 of St. Matthew's Gospel, and constitutes an eight-fold indictment of their works.  We begin here, where Jesus notes that they have God-given authority and teach God's law, but personally they are ungodly and cold-hearted.  To sit in Moses' seat means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself.  In the synagogue, my study Bible explains, the teacher spoke while seated as a sign of such authority.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, the scribes were depraved in thought and in heart, but Jesus still upholds the dignity of their office -- for they speak God's word and not their own.  Like wise in the Church, my study Bible notes, the clergy are to be shown respect because they hold the apostolic office, although they also are sinners.  Moreover, the sins of the clergy do not relieve the people from their responsibilities before God.  

"For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' "  My study Bible explains that phylacteries are small leather pouches which contain passages of Scripture, and are worn on the arm of the forehead.  The purpose is to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9).  But here Jesus expresses the idea that they have been instead used as a show of false piety, as the Pharisees made them increasingly larger and more noticeable.  In the ways described here, Jesus elaborates on the theme that while their teaching and authority comes from God, these are to be honored -- but their own behavior is not to be imitated.  

"But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study Bible notes that Christ's warnings against calling hypocrites father and teacher is not an absolute prohibition against using these terms (some teach this is so).  These terms are applied many times in the New Testament, all of which usages are inspired by God.  "Teacher" is used in John 3:10; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; and 2 Timothy 1:11.  "Father" is used in Luke 16:24; 1 Corinthians 4:15; and Colossians 3:21.  Since the earliest days of the Church, it notes, bishops and presbyters have been called "father" not because they take the place of God, but because in their fatherly care for their flocks, they lead people to God, and they exercise fatherly authority within the community.  Additionally, my study Bible comments on this passage that God is our true Father and Teacher.  On earth, therefore, a "teacher" or "father" is one who leads people to God.  The scribes and Pharisees do the contrary. Through their self-righteousness and hypocrisy, they put themselves in God's position. 

It is worth taking a closer look at Christ's final words in today's reading,  These teachings have a heightened importance to us because they reflect something that Jesus has repeatedly sought to teach the disciples throughout His ministry.  He has tried to emphasize to them that their leadership in His Church must be suffused with the notion of service and humility.  They are chosen not to be self-righteous, and not to be hypocrites like the Pharisees and scribes of Christ's time.  The emphasis here is on humility first of all, recognizing who they are and how they must all relate to one another in the Church (echoing the teaching on the first and second great commandments in Saturday's reading, above).  First is the One:  the Teacher, the Christ; and second, they are all brethren.  One is our Father, and this Father is in heaven.  "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."   Each time the disciples began to question Christ about what their own positions of "greatness" would be in His kingdom, He corrected them with teachings about how they are to care for the "little ones" of the Church.  See the whole of Matthew 18, and also Matthew 20:20-28.   He has repeatedly warned all His disciples against self-righteousness, noting the importance of personal change, casting aside the habits and patterns of behavior to which we cling that are in fact harmful to others, especially the "little ones," those of lesser stature, the humble in the Church.  See Matthew 5:20-42; 18:8-9.  These issues arise once again here, as Jesus seeks to contrast the behavior He teaches to them with the hypocritical behavior of the scribes and Pharisees.  Like those who sit in Moses' seat, the disciples will also be given a mantle of authority which will be extended to their successors, and they will teach what Christ has given them, building and extending, transfiguring the teachings in the Torah as revealed through Him.  In this sense, Jesus' teachings regarding the scribes and Pharisees here in chapter 23 will all apply within the Church.  Those who are to be His followers, even those who will be called teacher or father (or mother), must also be held to a higher standard.  In fact, we all need to be on guard about self-righteousness; we all need to understand the powerful remedy that humility is for all things.  For it is there that we remember our true Teacher and Father, and our need to follow in faith and adhere to Christ's word.  For we are all brethren, as He teaches.  Jesus says, "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant," echoing earlier teachings.  Then He adds, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  This is the sin of making oneself a "god," to take the place of God.  It is what the kings and rulers of the ancient world would do; it is the ways in which pagan worship would often work.  In this vein, let us not neglect Jesus' key statement regarding a necessary element for hypocrisy:  "But all their works they do to be seen by men."  However, we must always be mindful that it is God who sees us.  In a time when so many seem to think we can structure reality through media of all kinds, through a screen that reflects the image we project and demands we think only of what others see about us, let us not forget this.  Jesus brings us a reality, a picture of the true structure of Creation, and the love that constitutes and makes it all.  This is a true picture of who we are, how we are called, and how indeed we find ourselves.

 

 

 

 

Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven

 

 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'  But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Matthew 23:1–12 

 

In our current readings, it is Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.  Jesus has been in the temple in Jerusalem, teaching and disputing with the religious leaders.  Yesterday we read that when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.   Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."  While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ?  Whose Son is He?"  They said to Him, "The Son of David."  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool"'?  If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"  And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. 

 

  Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying:  "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.  Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."   Matthew's chapter 23 is a great indictment of the scribes and Pharisees, and their ways of practicing the faith.   My study Bible describes the themes included in today's section of this chapter in the following way:  1) The religious leaders have God-given authority to teach God's Law, but they are personally ungodly and cold-hearted.  Their teaching may be honored, but they cannot be imitated.  2)  God is the true Father and Teacher of all.  A teacher or father on earth is one who leads people to God, but the scribes and Pharisees do the opposite -- even as they place themselves in God's position.  To sit in Moses' seat means to hold the succession of office down from Moses himself, similarly to the way in the Church we have the succession from the apostles.  To be seated in the synagogue was the position of a teacher, and a sign of this authority.  My study Bible says that St. John Chrysostom noted that the scribes were depraved in thought and heart, but Jesus is still upholding the dignity of their office.  This is because the scribes speak not their own words, but God's, from Scripture.  So also within the Church, my study Bible says, the clergy are shown respect as they hold the apostolic office, even though they also are sinners.  Moreover, whatever sins of the clergy may exist, it does not relieve the people from their own responsibilities before God.  

"But all their works they do to be seen by men.  They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.  They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'"  Phylacteries are small leather pouches which contain passages of Scripture, and are worn on the arm or forehead.  My study Bible says that the purpose was to keep God's Law always in mind (see Exodus 13:9).  But the Pharisees, in Christ's description, use them as a show of false piety -- making them ever larger and more noticeable for this purpose.

 

 "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.  Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.  But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  My study Bible comments that Christ's warnings against calling hypocrites father and teacher is not an absolute prohibition from using such terms.  "Father" and "teacher" are applied many times to people in the New Testament, and each of these usages are inspired by God.  Teacher is used in John 3:10; Acts 13:1; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; and 2 Titus 1:11.  We find father used in Luke 16:24; 1 Corinthians 4:15; and Colossians 3:21.  From the earliest days of the Church, my study Bible comments, bishops and presbyters were called "father" not because they take the place of God, but because they act with fatherly care for their flocks, they lead people to God, and they also exercise fatherly authority within the community.  

My study Bible's commentary on the use of the title "Father" is quite useful for thinking about themes in today's passage of Christ's critique of the scribes and Pharisees.  For let us consider the ways in which we expect a good father to behave, the roles in which we expect a good father to act and to fulfill, and the responsibilities that go with such a position.  Of course, our own notions of what is truly the fulfillment of fatherhood come from God, and the ways in which Scripture has expressed to us the character of God the Father.  Please note that this ultimate role model of fatherhood also applies to women who are single parents, or who must take on the role of father for children and extended family for all kinds of reasons, and so the model still applies.  But when we think of the type of historical leadership a father of a family or tribe or extended clan was expected to embody, we have to consider Christ's words taken in their fullness of what He expected from His disciples, who would become the Fathers of the Church, and all those who would follow in their footsteps, even both as Fathers and Mothers of the Church.  What Jesus condemns is the hypocrisy of those who use their positions of authority for show, for clout, and to fulfill their own inflated or arrogant sense of their place in the community.  A good father of a family (or mother in the role of leadership) does not do this to care for family or others either.  Moreover, Christ's repeated emphasis for leadership is on humility.  This comes front and center.  When He emphasizes not to call one another "father" or "teacher," He does this by emphasizing that we all have one Father and one Teacher -- we have God the Father, and we have Christ the Son our Teacher.  Keeping such a thought in mind -- for all of us without exception -- is the real key to humility.  It's also the key to the kind of service that Christ expects from us, when He says, "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  We remember Whom it is we seek to serve ultimately, and before Whom we need to humble ourselves.   This, again, is the model for a good father or head of a family.  For the flaws of the religious leaders are the flaws of a failed parent; the humility and service Christ teaches His disciples are the hallmarks of devoted and loving parents, especially in a leadership role.  So these teachings form a model for each of us, in the Church, in our communities, among our brothers and sisters, in our families.  Let us be humble in order to be exalted.