I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you

 

 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  

 

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me. 

 

 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  

 

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:18-31 

 

This week the lectionary gives us Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."

 

  "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  Here is Christ's assurance of His continued presence to His disciples, especially in the presence of the Spirit of truth, which He has just assured them is the Helper who will be sent from the Father.

 

 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study Bible explains that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  

 

"Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.   He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  That day is a reference to Pentecost (Acts 2).  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things." 

 

  "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Once again, we review that the Helper is the Holy Spirit.  The word Helper is translated from the Greek Παρακλητος/Paracletos, often rendered Paraclete.  This title literally means "One who comes to one's side when called" indicating someone assisting in defense at trial.  The title can also mean "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  My study Bible comments that we have confidence in the apostle's doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  He brings to remembrance not only Christ's words, but also their meaning.  It adds that we have confidence in the Church because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  St. Irenaeus is quoted, who comments, "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   Peace was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell, my study Bible comments.  It says that perfect peace is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace is also part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3).  The greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.  

 

 "You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study Bible explains that when Jesus says, "My Father is greater than I" it does not mean that the Father is greater in nature or in essence, for the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does this indicate that the Son is created, for the Son is begotten from all eternity ("In the beginning was the Word" - John 1:1).  Instead, Jesus is indicating that the Father, as the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  

 

 "And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."  Before it comes is a reference to Christ's Passion.  This Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper takes place just prior to Christ's betrayal and arrest.  My study Bible comments that telling these events beforehand strengthened the faith of the disciples.  

 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world is the devil; my study Bible explains that the devil dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  Moreover, my study Bible adds Jesus says that the devil "has nothing in Me" because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Christ became Man, but He was never stained with sin.  

 

"Arise, let us go from here."  My study Bible says that Christ takes His disciples to another room or location to complete His discourse in order to gain their undivided attention.  In the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, it is suggested that their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.  Therefore we may conclude that Christ is taking them to a more private place in order to further instruct them and continue His discourse.

 

 Today's passage begins with this statement by Jesus to His disciples:    "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  He is going away, and He is reassuring them that they will not be left alone.  He will return to them.  This statement is profound in all of its implications of the reality that is to come, and in what it teaches us about transitions and changes in life, and God's terms for the transformation of life in God's spiritual purview.   What this means is that the substance of Christ's teachings to them about what is to come -- after what will transpire at His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- exists within these words.  "I will not leave you orphans" tells us once again, in yet another form, of the relationship between Christ and those who are His disciples.  It is that of a family.  In this case, Christ speaks of Himself as Father to all of them, and by extension to all of His disciples, to those faithful who will come into the world, up until the present day, and into the future for as long as the Church exists, and until His final return at the Second Coming.  "Orphans" speak to us of those who are fatherless, without protection, grieving, comfortless, vulnerable, and abandoned.  It conjures for us, as it is meant to in Christ's compassion, the greatest fears of human beings, for He indeed understands the hearts and minds of His followers found in these His disciples, and all those to come.  Christ speaks of abandonment and the pain of loss in this world that we know.  But the comfort comes in that He says He will not leave them this way, and adds with commitment, "I will come to you."  The whole of His discourse, as we have read until now, is all about the ways in which He will return to them, He will come to them.  He will come in the sending of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, the Comforter and Helper.  That is, the One who will come to our sides when we call, and perhaps more to the point, the One "whom the Father will send in My name," the One who "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Christ will be present to them -- and to us in the Holy Spirit, and in so many ways described here.  He, the Holy Spirit, is the One who will bring Christ's presence to us in all the ways we need Him to be with us, to guide us and teach us, to show us His way (in His name), and who can bring all things to remembrance that Christ has said, to teach us meaning and purpose and even application in our own lives.  Jesus tells them, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  This is a solemn promise, a commitment, a covenant that those who love Him -- which is shown by keeping His commandments, His words, has a depth of communion with both Christ and the Father.  The Holy Spirit makes all of this possible through the functions Jesus names here in this passage.  Moreover, Jesus teaches them, and us, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  This is the promise in Him that He will not leave them or us parentless; He will come to us, albeit in ways different from His work and ministry as the human Jesus, Christ Incarnate.  But in His communion with us, in all the ways He will be present to us and with us, he gives us His peace.  And what He can give is given as no one else can give, as the world cannot give.  This is a peace found in our souls and spirits, in the depth of this relationship that becomes a part of us, in our communion with Him.  As we read further in His discourse, Jesus will be giving us more fullness in terms of the meaning of that communion.  Let us continue to read in the spirit of the peace He gives, and the confidence of our trust in the One who does not leave us orphans, but comes to us through so many ways. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth

 

 "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.  But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  

 

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

 

- John 16:1-15 

 

 In our current readings, Jesus is giving what is called the Farewell Discourse to the apostles.  The setting is the Last Supper, before Jesus goes to His arrest leading to the Cross, His death, and then to Resurrection.  This readings and commentary on this Discourse began on Monday.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught the apostles, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.  These things I command you, that you love one another.  If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.'  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.  He who hates Me hates My Father also.  If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.  But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'  But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds  from the Father, He will testify of Me.  And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."

 

  "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.  But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart."  My study Bible defines the use of sorrow here to mean "extreme grief leading to despondency or despair," which it names a sinful passion.  St. John Chrysostom is quoted:  "Great is the tyranny of despondency."  This sin, moreover, is constantly referred to in the writings of the Desert Fathers.  When the world persecutes the believer or when God seems to be absent, my study Bible notes, Christians are called to fight against this despondency, taking comfort from the presence of the Holy Spirit.  

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth.  It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:  of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now."  Of course, the Helper is the Holy Spirit.  The word translated as "Helper" from the Greek was used in ancient times for a legal aid, a lawyer; it was extended to mean also "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  It literally indicates one who comes (by one's side) when called.  My study Bible comments on this passage that through the illumination brought by the Holy Spirit, the world will be convicted; that is, proven wrong.  It will be convicted concerning first, its sin, the ultimate of which is the denial of Christ.  Second, righteousness, which it failed to accept from Christ with faith and thanksgiving; and finally judgment, for those who reject Christ will receive the same penalty that Satan, the ruler of this world, has already received (see Matthew 25:41).  

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."  My study Bible tells us that because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and because this Spirit abides in the Church, the Church is the guardian of all truth.  

It seems important to remember, when considering Christ's words about judgment, that the Holy Spirit (the Helper, the Spirit of truth) is at work in our world all the time.  When Christ speaks about the Spirit doing the work of judgment and conviction, we should remember that, first of all, Christ is the Knower of all hearts (that is, He knows the depths of our hearts we might not even know), and second, the Holy Spirit will give help and opportunity to all regarding response to the spiritual truth it offers, in ways that none of us can know about anyone else.  This extends to ourselves as well, in terms of our own awareness of just what we are being presented with in our choices all the time.  So when we read Christ's words (and my study Bible's understanding) we can be certain that God presents us with opportunities all the time in terms of our response to this truth, to the work of the Holy Spirit in us and around us, which is always ongoing.  God's judgment is not like our judgment, and only God knows the true depths of who we are to make that judgment, so this is effectually, a great mystery to us all on our human, worldly level, and is something belonging only to God in terms of prerogative.  We cannot be the Judge, but what we can do is accept Christ's words and His commands, especially the commands to love one another which have gained so much importance in this final Farewell Discourse to Christ's apostles.  We can rely on and trust in the Spirit of truth to be present to us and with us at all times, an Advocate, a Helper, a Counselor, One who offers us the closeness of one closer to our hearts than we know, and who always has our best interest in mind.  Jesus also speaks at the same time of persecutions that are coming; emphatically, He tells them even in this vivid language that "the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers God service."  This is a picture of the spirit of the Antichrist at work in the world, so that we understand this complex life in which we live, and the great and courageous mission into which the apostles were about to engage.  These conditions remain with us, and come in new and myriad forms, but our basic struggle is the same.  We trust in Christ (this is what it means to have faith), we follow His commands, and above all, we are to do so as our love for Him.  As Christ has said, He receives love from the Father, and shares that love with the disciples, and with us.  This love, as He has said repeatedly in this Discourse, is that with which He abides in us, and we abide in Him, so that our joy and peace may be a part of us all the time, no matter what is presented to us in the world, if we remain His disciples.  Let us rely upon this Spirit of truth, our Comforter and our Helper, to find our way through, even in a world that is hostile.  The Holy Spirit, Spirit of truth will bring to remembrance all the things Christ has taught, taking of what is Christ's to declare to us from the Father, giving us the capacity to witness to Him in the world.   

 

 

If you love Me, keep My commandments

 

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.  These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.

 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love  the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:15–31 

 

In yesterday's lectionary reading, we were given the beginning of Christ's Farewell Discourse to the apostles, spoken at the Last Supper.  He said to them, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God; believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?"  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

 

  "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever  . . ."  My study Bible comments that the Helper (in Greek, παράκλητος/parakletos) refers to the Holy Spirit.  This title, it says, also means "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  This term, in ancient Greek culture, signified one who came to help with legal matters, but expanded to include any form of support or encouragement.  In the context of the New Testament, it indicates the Holy Spirit, who acts as a divine helper and guide for believers.  

". . . the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  The Spirit of truth is in each believer, my study Bible says, and we are called to know Him.  The Holy Spirit, it recalls, prays for us when we do not know how to pray, enabling us to pray in Christ's name (John 14:13-14; Romans 8:26) and giving us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11).

 

 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  According to my study Bible, the brief separation of Christ from His disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection, and to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

 

"At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.  These things I have spoken to you while being present with you."   My study Bible comments that that day is a reference to Pentecost.  It cites St. John Chrysostom, who tells us that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things."

 

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."   Again, the emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit is given here, and more explicitly.  My study Bible comments that we have confidence in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher; He brings to remembrance not only Christ's words, but also their meaning.  It says that we have confidence in the Church because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  There is a quotation cited from St. Irenaeus:  "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

 

 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  Peace, according to my study Bible, was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell.  Perfect peace is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace, it says, is part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3), and the greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.

 

"You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."   My Father is greater than I does not mean that the Father is greater in nature or essence than the Son; the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does it mean that the Son is created, for the Son is begotten from all eternity (John 1:1-5).  Instead, it means that the Father, who is the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son.  According to my study Bible, before it comes is a reference to Christ's coming Passion.  To tell of these events before they happened was a way to strengthen the disciples' faith. 

 

 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love  the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world, my study Bible says, is the devil (see also John 12:31; 16:11), who dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  Jesus has said the devil has nothing in Me because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Jesus became a human being, but was never stained with sin.

 

"Arise, let us go from here."  Jesus takes His disciples to another room or location to complete His discourse, so that He will gain their undivided attention.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.

 

In today's reading, the disciple  Judas asks Jesus a question (not Iscariot, for that Judas is no longer present at the Last Supper in this setting).  The text tells us Judas says, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."  What are we to make of this?  How can this not be the greatest gift possible in life, in this world, and for all of us?  There is a great, tremendous promise here.  Imagine that the Father will love us, and both Christ and the Father will come to us and make Their home with us.  We also have to understand -- given the whole text of today's reading -- that this We in "We will come to him and make Our home with him" includes the Holy Spirit also.  How can we not imagine that kind of grace as the most wonderful and stupendous gift in the whole world, and that is better, in fact, than the whole world and what it can offer to us?  But there is a sort of catch, a premise here made for us in order to realize that promise.  Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word."   We first need to love Him, and that means we will keep His word.  We think of grace as that which comes to us undeserved, even when we are unworthy.  And this is the truth about grace, for we can never "earn" what grace offers, as we're not capable of paying some sort of indeterminable price beyond anything we can understand.  We don't have anything we can possibly do to earn what is beyond this world.  But that doesn't mean there are no conditions implied here.  That doesn't mean that becoming a person capable of receiving that grace doesn't involve some sort of two-way street.  For that is, in fact, what love is.  It's a two-way street.  One could possibly venture to say that without this two-way street of love, there is no love at all.  There is just some sort of strange entitlement, a power relationship that doesn't work at all and is no longer about love.  Christ asks for our love here, and not only does He ask for our love, He tells us quite plainly that love isn't just a question of feeling something or believing something.  Love is a matter of doing something.  To love Christ is to keep His word.  What does that mean?  How can we keep Christ's word?  Is this a question of being perfect all the time?  No, it is a question of love, of being loyal out of love, of making every effort to live by what He has given us, to cherish this gift He has given of His word, which He clearly says comes from the Father in the first place.  Therefore we keep His word in love, and in turn He and the Father (and the Holy Spirit, for where One Person of the Trinity is present, all are present) will come and make Their home with us.  This is the simple, straightforward way God finds and makes a home in us:  we love God and keep the word Christ has given us.  This is covenant, it is union, it is a kind of marriage.  We are the Bride and He is the Bridegroom, only our Bridegroom does not come alone to make a home with us.  He brings more, and so much more.  How can we not accept such a gift?  Where are we going to find a better one?  Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  This is what it means to keep His word.  Let us live that love He desires.

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him

 

 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  

 

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  

 

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  

 

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  

 

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  

 

"Arise, let us go from here."

 

- John 14:15–31 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were given the beginning of Christ's Farewell Discourse to the disciples at the Last Supper.  He told them, "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.  And where I go you know, and the way you know."  Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?"  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?  The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.  Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake to the works themselves.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." 

 

  "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  Let us note the significance of this statement to our faith, and to our own discipleship.  We show our love for Christ by keeping His commandments, and this He commands to us.

 

 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."  How are we to know Christ's commandments?  We have the Gospels, the Old Testament Scriptures, the Epistles, and the Revelation in the Holy Bible.  We have the testimony of the saints and the entirety of the Church.  But Christ teaches also this important event, the sending of the Helper.   In Greek this word is Παράκλητος/Parakletos), a title that also means "Comforter," "Counselor," and "Advocate."  The word indicates One who comes when called (to one's side).  This is the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible comments that the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus also calls the Spirit of truth, is in each believer, and that we are called to know Him.  The Holy Spirit prays in us and for us when we do not know how to pray, enabling us to pray in Christ's name (John 14:13-14; Romans 8:26) and giving us words of witness when we speak the gospel (Mark 13:11).  Note how Christ indicates that in the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, Jesus is also present with us and to us:  "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you."

"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also."  My study Bible comments here that the brief separation of Jesus from the disciples at His death will lead to a deeper mystical union after the Resurrection and also to the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  

"At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me."  That day is a reference to Pentecost, the day of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible cites St. Chrysostom, who teaches that it is "the power of the Holy Spirit that taught them all things."  Note once again, how closely linked the keeping of His word, the living of His commandments, is to loving Christ and in turn receiving the love and indwelling of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Conversely, Jesus says, "He who does not love Me does not keep My words."

"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  Again, Jesus speaks of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in His name.  We recall from the past couple of readings what it means to be "in Christ's name" -- His name is an extension of His Person, which includes His will.  Therefore the Holy Spirit "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."  My study Bible comments that we therefore have confidence in the apostles' doctrine (Acts 2:42) because the Holy Spirit is their Teacher.  The Holy Spirit brings to remembrance not only Christ's words, but also their meaning.  We have confidence in the Church, it says, because the Holy Spirit is our Instructor as well from Pentecost until today, leading us into all truth (John 16:13).  St. Irenaeus is quoted here:  "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit and the fullness of grace."

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you."  Peace was the customary Jewish word of both greeting and farewell, my study Bible explains.  Perfect peace, it says, is brought by Christ, who reconciles humanity to God (Ephesians 2:14).  Peace is a part of the traditional greeting of Christians to one another (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3), and the greeting "Peace be to all" is offered many times during the liturgical services of the Church.  

"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I."  My study Bible comments that "My Father is greater than I" does not mean greater in nature or essence, as the Father and the Son share one divine nature.  Neither does it mean that the Son is created, because the Son is begotten from all eternity.  Rather, it means that the Father, as the Fountainhead of the Trinity, is the eternal cause of the Son. 

 

"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe."   My study Bible says that before it comes refers to our Lord's Passion.  Telling these events beforehand strengthened the disciples' faith.  

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do."  The ruler of this world is the devil, who my study Bible says dominates the realm of those who do not love Christ or keep His commandments.  It notes that Jesus said that the devil "has nothing in Me" because there can be no compromise between Christ or His followers and the devil.  Jesus became Man, but He was never stained with sin.  

"Arise, let us go from here."  My study Bible explains that Jesus takes His disciples to another room or location to complete this discourse, in order to gain their undivided attention.  According to St. John Chrysostom, their current location was susceptible to intrusions, and the disciples were likely to be distracted from fear.

It's important to connect the idea of following (or "keeping") Christ's commandments and having a connection of love with Him.  Faith is not merely an intellectual act; it is the depth of entrusting someone, resting in His word, and living your life through it, that is really the product of faith.  In this sense, faith and works cannot be separated.  Jesus says, "If you love Me, keep My commandments," and "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me."  As Jesus gives this such great emphasis, we must ponder it, take it seriously.  Just to make it very clear, He also says, "He who does not love Me does not keep My words," adding that the word He gives is from the Father ("the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me").  So His word, His commandments, all of the things we read that Christ taught, the things passed on to us from His apostles, these play an integral and deep role in our lives of faith not only because they are teachings we try to follow, or a set of codes, or a principle.  Neither are they abstract or theoretical.  But Christ's word is in some sense an extension of His Person.  Following His commandments is the way that we show that we love Him, and it is the way that we come to Him, learn from Him, receive the Holy Spirit, and even moreover, how we in turn learn to love.  Because His word comes from the Father, and we know that God is love, it is in the discipleship of keeping His word, keeping and living His commandments, that we learn -- even experientially, in ways that touch the depths of us and all that we are -- what love is.  It is in the faithful keeping of those commandments that we, in fact, grow in faith, grow in learning what He is all about, become greater in understanding what love is and does.  And it is in the keeping of His commandments, the living of them, the love we share in doing so, that we receive not only the Helper who will help us to learn and remember and understand, who will come to us "when called" with the word we need, but both Spirit and Father, together with Christ the Son, will come to indwell us.  Jesus says, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."  It is seemingly impossible to overemphasize the importance of these teachings, for this is our gateway to living life in the Kingdom, to the indwelling of Father, Son, and Spirit.  It begins, ends, and joins the future in love, for, as we said above, God is love (1 John 4:8), and it is in God's kingdom that we wish to dwell -- and in this way God's kingdom can dwell in us, even as we are still in this world.  Let us remember from yesterday's reading (above) that Christ has said that He is the way, or the path.  He is the road, the journey.  Father, Son, and Spirit may indwell and journey with us, giving us remembrance of His word, teaching us how to live it, and growing this understanding of love within us as we go.  Note also that Jesus tells the disciples, "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me."  (He then affirms all of His teachings about love and keeping commandments by asserting that He goes to follow the Father's commandment to Him:  "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do").   Let us endeavor to do likewise, to love Christ and keep His commandments, and to grow in that love and understanding, so that the ruler of this world also has nothing in us.  This is Christ's peace that He gives to us!

 

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light

 

 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up/"  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

 

- John 12:27-36 

 

Yesterday we read that there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loaves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

  "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour."  My study Bible points out that here Christ reveals His human will, the natural human response to His impending Passion.  But nonetheless, He aligns Himself with the will of the Father, even as He is fully human as fully divine.  

 

"Father, glorify Your name."   Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  The Father's name is an extension of His Person.  My study Bible says that the Son's death completes the purpose of the Father and shows His love for all, thereby glorifying Him.  He is effectively saying, "Father, lead Me to the Cross."  This is Christ's divine response to the human prompting to avoid the Cross.  The Father's response, additionally, refers to the sign already performed by Christ and also to the death and Resurrection to come.

 

 Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake."  Although the Father spoke clearly, those who stood by heard indistinct sounds like thunder.  My study Bible comments that this is because they lacked faith.  Those with a little faith heard the words but did not know the source, thinking it was an angel.  The disciples knew the Father Himself had spoken, as indicated in Jesus' response, "for your sake."

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  Lifted up is a reference to Jesus being hung on the Cross (see also John 3:14-15; 8:28).  My study Bible notes that this death will bring salvation to all peoples, while at the same time rendering judgment on the faithless and destroying once for all the power of Satan, the ruler of this world.  

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up/"  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  The Gospel has referred to Christ as the light (John 1:4-9), and Christ has referred to Himself as the light (John 8:12).  My study Bible says that His teaching here has many facets of meaning.  First, He will shortly be completing His public ministry.  Moreover, our own lives are very limited; we have only a short time to repent and to believe in Christ before death.  Finally, the second coming of Christ is but a little while compared to eternity. 

Jesus calls Himself light, and speaks of our journey through life as walking in the world.  It is His light we need to make sure we are on the right path, making the good choices of God.  He has called Himself the light of the world (John 8:12).  If we believe in the light, He says, we may become sons of light.  That is, children of light.   So, we may ask ourselves again, more deeply as the Gospel moves along toward Christ's Passion, what does it mean to be children of light, to be faithful to Christ?  Here Jesus clearly ties together faith and being.  What we put our faith and trust into, we bear likeness to, and we may become more so by walking in the light -- living according to this faith.  This is not a promise of some sort of fairy tale life, nor a promise of self-aggrandizement in some sense.  What it is, is a promise that we might have spiritual truth revealed to us and integrated into our way of being in the world, a sense of what it is to become more like Him and to follow God's judgment and discernment for our lives.  We seek His light in order to become the kind of people who seek His prudent counsel, who understand the purpose and meaning of sacrifice, and who do not fool themselves either about the nature of His light nor of the world.  In chapter 11, we were told that Caiaphas, in his role as high priest that year, advocated to the Council that they put Christ to death.  He said it this way:  "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."  But we understand these words to be inadvertent prophecy, and fulfilling the role of high priest in so doing, because they teach us about Christ's mission and work, although as a man, Caiaphas meant something quite different.  (Jesus says, "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.")  Christ's death would have the effect of gathering together Jews and Gentiles in one faith, and this is the power of His sacrifice, and fulfillment of the Father's will.  At the same time, it is a defeat of the enemy, whose final weapon is death (1 Corinthians 15:26).  What we might come to understand for ourselves, as Jesus speaks of the light, and of walking in the light, is that the sacrifices we might be called to make will be in some sense also serving this higher purpose of Christ's calling, of serving the light and becoming more "like Him," becoming, in effect, His children.  We are to understand, as we've frequently commented on the life of the Cross, that He calls us to exchange one life for another, an "earthly" life for one suffused with this kind of light, the light of spiritual reality and an understanding of discernment and higher purpose.  This is not a formula for instant gratification and happiness, but it is one of belonging to something transcendent and meaningful, one that teaches us about love and the emptiness of serving only materialism, a way of life that sees nothing of deep value and cannot recognize its own darkness.  Christ's light is one that illumines the way to discernment, to find a true worth and meaning in a world of competing interests, ruthless violence, and endless manipulation.  This is the light that shines in the darkness, the light of the world.  What side would you choose?  Whose light would you bear into the world?  Who do you choose to guide you? In 1 Corinthians 15:35-49, St. Paul speaks of glory, of the difference between the life of the Resurrection, and the various types of glory we might observe.  Here in today's passage, we are asked to ponder what type of glory we might want for ourselves, for there is the "glory" of the world and what it admires and envies and elevates especially through our media and public relations and all the means of the powerful, and then there is the glory of the light of Christ.  We might well want both, but so often we are asked instead to choose.  Whose light will draw you forward with love and truth?

 

 

 

 

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself

 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

- John 12:27-36a

Yesterday we read that there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the Passover feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Jesus' words illustrate both His human and the divine natures.  As a human being, Jesus says that His soul is troubled, as He knows what is coming.  But according to His divine nature, His will is subservient to the purposes of the Father.  The Father's name, my study bible says, is an extension of His Person.  The Son's death completes the purpose of the Father and shows His love for all, thereby glorifying Him.  Christ accepts for the Father to lead Him to the Cross.  God the Father's response refers to the signs already performed by Christ and to the death and Resurrection to come.

Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake."  My study bible comments here that although the Father spoke clearly, some people heard indistinct sounds like thunder because they lacked faith.  Those with a little faith heard the words but did not know the source, thinking that it was an angel.  The disciples knew that the Father Himself had spoken, as Jesus addresses them by saying the voice came "for your sake."

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.   Lifted up is Christ's reference to the Cross (see also 3:14-15; 8:28).  He says that His death will not only bring salvation to all peoples, but unmistakably that it will render judgment on this world -- destroying the power of the ruler of this world, Satan.

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  The light refers to Christ, and this reflects a repeated theme in John's Gospel (1:4-9; 8:12).  My study bible says that Christ's teaching here has several facets of meaning.  First, that He will be shortly completing His public ministry.  Moreover, our lives are very limited; we have a short time to repent and believe in Christ before death.  Finally, the second coming of Christ is only a little while when compared to eternity. 

As we come closer to the Crucifixion, the time of choice becomes more stark, more clear.  Jesus now brings up Judgment:  "the judgment of this world," as He puts it.   As Jesus is lifted up on the Cross, the Crucifixion somehow asks us to make a decision.  Moreover the judgment is against "the ruler of this world," the one who would truly desire to bring about the death of Christ and in so doing feel that somehow His message of spiritual liberation would be lost.  The Cross becomes not only the symbol of salvation, but the means whereby we are set free from the this "strong man" who would keep us captive (Matthew 12:29-30).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  It's a question of what we put first, and what we are willing to choose when faced with the dilemma of following Him or allowing something to which we cling to stop us from going where He asks us to go.  Jesus, as any human being, loves His life in this world.  But as Son, He goes where He must go and does what He must do to lead the way.  In this sense He is "lifted up" for us, in order to gather all to Him, and to cast out in judgment the ruler of this world.  How is this important for you today?  Are there things you need to "cast out" in order to better follow Christ?  Is there something you need to face?  These choices, as also exemplified in the Cross, are not simple and easy.  We come up against hard choices, relationships we cherish, personal habits we take pleasure or pride in, customs we're told are essential, and we need to be willing to find His way, a different way, a future that we don't yet know as we follow Him further along down that road.  Often that future is on the other side of the Cross.  What does this mean for you?  How will you be set free from the strong man of this world for a better Leader?

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going

 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?   'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."   Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

- John 12:27-36a

In our current reading, it is Holy Week, and Jesus is in Jerusalem in the third and final Passover reported in John's Gospel.  It is the last week of Jesus' earthly life.  In yesterday's reading, we read that there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?   'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."    Jesus refers to the approaching hour of the Cross, which He knows is here.  My study bible explains that the Father's name is an extension of His person.  The Son's death completes the purpose of the Father and shows His love for all, thus glorifying Him.  In effect, my study bible says, Christ is saying, "Father, lead Me to the Cross," a divine response to the human prompting to avoid the Cross.  The Father's response refers to the signs already performed by Christ and to the death and Resurrection to come.  

Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake."  My study bible explains that although the Father had spoken clearly, some people heard indistinct sounds like thunder because they lacked faith.  Perhaps perception depends on the fullness of faith; an inability or lessened capacity to discern perceives only the sounds of thunder as representative of this voice.  Those with a little faith, says my study bible, heard the words but did not know the source, thinking it was an angel.  This suggests more capacity, but not full discernment or knowing.  The disciples knew the Father Himself had spoken; it is to the disciples that Jesus directs His remarks when His says that the voice came "for your sake."

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.   Jesus once again refers to Himself as being lifted up (see 3:14 and 8:28 for earlier statements He has made about this hour of being lifted up).  This is a reference to the Crucifixion, being hung on the Cross.  His death will bring salvation to all peoples, says my study bible.  This statement that He will draw all peoples to Himself further illumines the metaphor of the grain of wheat that falls to the ground (yesterday's reading, above) and producing much grain.  And as He earlier explained to Nicodemus in chapter 3, Jesus being lifted up on the Cross is similar to Moses' lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness to destroy the deathly capacity of the serpents biting the Israelites (Numbers 21:4-9).   He will once and for all destroy the power of Satan, the ruler of this world.  Ultimately, Christ's role in Judgment has everything to do with His mission of Incarnation.

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  The light refers to Christ (see 1:4-9; 8:12).  Once again, Jesus speaks in phrases and references He has used before about walking in the light (see 9:4, 11:9-10).   My study bible says that His teaching here has several facets of meaning.  First of all, He will be completing His public ministry.  Also, our lives are short - we have a limited time to repent and believe in Christ before the end of our lives.  Finally, the second coming of Christ is but a little while when compared to eternity. 

In today's reading, we get elements of light and of darkness as well.  The light casts a kind of brightness and everything else is determined by the light.  Darkness is where the light is not, that place that doesn't receive the light or refuses it or cannot take it in.  Christ speaks very strictly about walking in the light.  We can only think of this light as both God and God's word -- and quite literally Christ, the Word Himself.  We walk by the will of God, and we walk in the light.  To be ignorant of God and the things of God is to be in darkness.  It's like the people who perceive a sound like thunder but cannot perceive the voice of God, nor that it comes from the Father.  To have eyes to see and ears to hear is to live with the capacity to perceive the things of God, to welcome and know the light.  Jesus emphasizes to these people that the time is short; He's going to be with them yet a little while longer.  He's always working for their salvation, the purpose of His mission.  And all our lives are in some sense similar.  Life seems long from our immediate perspective, but in the true scheme of things, life is very short.  We get caught up in events and circumstances, and it's easy to avoid the tough decisions about the inner life of the soul:  the things that pertain to Christ's second coming.  But as life and experience may teach us, the here and now is right here and right now.  Decisions and choices we put off may lead to a darkness down the road; something that we put off being truly clear about now leads to a deeper darkness.  We're always on a path to somewhere.  Seeking the light, seeking discernment means that here and now we choose to walk in that light.  And if we don't know it well, and if this "way" isn't so well known to us, we make a commitment to begin to desire to find it, to seek it with all our hearts -- as Christ puts it, to ask and seek and knock.  The time is really always now to begin this journey, or to reinforce it within ourselves and to remind ourselves what we want to be about.  To ask and seek and knock is to always be in some form of dialogue or prayer with God.  Christ says in today's reading that those who do so may become sons of light.  That is, growing in "God-likeness."   This is the purpose for which He's come into our world as a human being, as the Son of Man.  It is the purpose for which He goes to the Cross.  He reminds us always that the time is now and limited.  It is always the right time to seek the light, His guidance and discernment for our lives, so that we know where we are going.

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

- John 12:27-36a

Yesterday, we began to read about what happened at the final Passover Festival that Jesus attended in Jerusalem.   There were certain Greeks (that is, Greek-speakers, or Gentiles) among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  In some sense, Jesus' divine nature struggles with His human nature; His soul is troubled.  He refers back to His purpose:  to glorify God.  My study bible says, "The Father's name is an extension of His Person.  The Son's death completes the purpose of the Father and shows His love for all, thus glorifying Him.  Christ is in effect saying, 'Father, lead Me to the Cross.'  This is the Lord's divine response to the human prompting to avoid the Cross. The Father's response refers to the signs already performed by Christ and to the death and Resurrection to come."

Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  My study bible tells us, "Though the Father spoke clearly, some people heard indistinct sounds like thunder because they lacked faith.  Those with a little faith heard the words but did not know the source, thinking it was an angel.  The disciples knew the Father Himself had spoken" (see next verse). 

Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.    A note reads, "Lifted up is a reference to Christ being hung on the Cross (see also 3:14-15; 8:28).  This death will bring salvation to all peoples, while at the same time rendering judgment on the faithless and destroying once for all the power of Satan, the ruler of this world."

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  My study bible tells us that "the light refers to Christ (1:4-9; 8:12).  His teaching here has several facets of meaning.  First, He will be completing His public ministry shortly.  Further, our lives are very limited; we have but a short time to repent and believe in Christ before death.  Finally, the second coming of Christ is but a little while when compared to eternity."

The light is Christ Himself, as He has spoken about Himself many times over in John's Gospel.  Perhaps most notably, He has also referred to "walking while it is day" -- meaning, while He is in the world.  See, for example, If anyone walks in the day, He does not stumble, because He sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.   If Jesus is the light of the world while He is in the world, how do we have light in our lives?  In Psalm 119, we read, "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path."   We have His word, which Jesus will also call the light, in a future reading.  But it seems to me that the practices of the Church have been purposely designed to impart the light to our lives.  We've been given the Holy Spirit, working through and in all things to bring us light.  We have the Eucharist which we take in remembrance of Him, so that we may truly be a part of Him while we are in this world.  We have prayer and we have faith.  We have worship and Scripture.  All these things are designed to keep the light alive in us, so that we may not walk in darkness.  Jesus emphasizes also that we must have the light in us (John 11:10).   It seems to me this is key to understanding the goal He gives in today's reading:  that we may all become "sons of light."  Faith is the key to keeping this light alive in ourselves, to becoming children of light.  In Matthew's Gospel, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us:  "You are the light of the world . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven"  (Matthew 5:14-16).    Remaining in faith, in relationship, having this light lit within ourselves so that we shine it out to the world in what we do, all of this is completely tied together.  The faith practices that we follow are designed to nurture and keep this light alive; the reading of Scripture as well.  Prayer nurtures the light.  Expressing the light in what we do also becomes an offshoot of prayer; "good works" are something we do prayerfully.  It is all a great circle, but we keep coming back to our Source so that we may be nurtured, and our lamps lit.  In the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, it is the wise who sleep when they need to, but who keep oil in their lamps.  Oil, in the Greek, sounds alike to the word for mercy, and this is the historical understanding of the passage, of what it means to make sure our lamps are kept full of what it is that keeps our light burning:  the mercy and grace of God we nurture within us, so that we "shine" it in the world.  We take time for prayer, we take time especially for rest in Christ; we are prepared to share that light because we nurture it within ourselves and dedicate ourselves to be ready for the Bridegroom.  Let us do what we must to remain in the light, for the light to remain alive and blazing in us.  He wishes for us, too, to become children of light, that we may be His light in the world.  Let us also live to glorify His Father's name, as He has taught.