Who do you say that I am?

 

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  so they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  

 

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and raised on the third day."  

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and In His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here  who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:18-27 

 

 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 

  And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  so they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."   My study Bible comments that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study Bible indicates that Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology.  It notes that how this question is answered will define the universe.  Christ (from a Greek word equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah) means "Anointed One."  This declaration by Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God reveals that Jesus is not simply another anointed king of prophet.  He is the long-awaited Savior.   

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and raised on the third day."    My study Bible tells us that Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden in order to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings.  It's only after His Passion and Resurrection that His identity as Messiah can be understood.  Other factors involved include the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders, and our Lord's desire to evoke genuine faith which is not based solely on miraculous works or signs.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus quotes from the prophesy of Isaiah, emphasizing that Christ is the fulfillment of that Servant of whom Isaiah speaks (see Matthew 12:16-21).  My study Bible comments that this Servant first of all refers to Christ, and by extension to all who follow Him (as expressed in Jesus' words in the following verses).

 

 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and In His Father's, and of the holy angels."  My study Bible asks us to note two things.  First, that each person must take up one's own cross.  The burden in this world, it says, is different for every person, for each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for our own salvation and for the salvation of those around us.  Second, we note that our cross is to be taken up daily.  So, a commitment to follow Christ isn't merely a one-time event.  To follow Christ asks a continuing practice of faith and obedience -- even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.  

But I tell you truly, there are some standing here  who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study Bible indicates that Christ is here referencing those who will witness the Transfiguration (Matthew 9:28-36).

 

 Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  The disciples give the answers from the crowds:  "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  All of these answers are mistaken, of course.  The crowds don't know who Jesus is, and collectively they can't come up with the answers.  My study Bible remarks upon this that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  Perhaps in our modern day and age a similar problem has been magnified and is ever-present with us in the form of social media, the internet, and other popular media such as television, various news media, and film production.  As usual, the crowds so often get it wrong.  Today there are also new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), that aggregate whatever information is available, and make computerized "guesses" to draw new conclusions, often extraordinarily wrong.  A friend is a distinguished academic, well known in his profession.  He told me that using AI in an internet search on his own name has become a strange adventure, as AI will generate all kinds of information that is made up out of whole cloth, in addition to whatever might be true -- even books he's never written, and awards that don't exist.  I'm told that in AI technology circles, this phenomenon is referred to as "hallucinations."  So what passes for the crowds in our modern, connected world is just as unreliable as in the time of Christ.  But what we need to focus on here is not necessarily "the facts" about Jesus reported by the crowds, because -- in whatever age we might choose -- even the facts available to us are not necessarily the reality presented by God.  For God will always surprise us and work outside of the box that is our daily, worldly reality.  God is not limited by what we consider to be worldly.  Christ's miracles and signs point to the presence of a reality beyond ours and not limited by our understanding.  So when we speak of Jesus, or when we today encounter God in the myraid ways that are possible for us (such as through worship, prayer, icons of the Church, saints, and so many other ways in which grace might express itself), we need to hold the door open, so to speak, for things we can't expect, for things we don't know, and facts we can't know which are beyond our grasp and in the mysterious working of grace and the Holy Spirit.  The truth about Jesus, that He is the Christ, is beyond the capacity of the crowds to grasp even as their own expectations of what the Messiah will be are false and skewed by their own desires.  Again, we live in a world in which every desire (and its fulfillment) is magnified and indulged through modern technologies, from the food we consume, to how we dress, to what we interact with online, and to things that are harmful such as certain drugs, and internet pornography.  In the ancient practice of the Church, our desires and passions are things we're taught to regulate, and to learn to master, in order to perceive spiritual reality more clearly, and not to be misled by our own fantasies.  Heresies are things that are defined by that which looks like the truth, and even resembles it, but they're not the truth.  One detail might be missing that skews the whole truth picture (for example, those who would say Christ wasn't really human, or that He wasn't divine).  This is why we turn to tradition to understand, why we practice traditional disciplines like fasting, we keep a guard on our hearts, we take note of how easily we can be misled by our own desires and fantasies.  Let us note here Christ's emphasis on His own suffering, on taking up His Cross, and how His disciples must do the same with their own unique crosses each day.  For our faith is not one based on fantasy or self-indulgence, but on the truth of God, and evading our own traps  and desires to find what Christ wants of us.  Jesus has come as Servant, not conventional or worldly king, to usher in a spiritual Kingdom that lives within us and among us.  In a world filled with crowds and pitfalls that grow ever more powerful, let us remember the tools we're given to stay grounded in spiritual truth, and the revelation of God that defies the world's predictions and expectations.  As my study Bible says, "Who do you say that I am?" remains the most important question we can ask, for the answer defines our universe and the way we live in it.

 

 

 

I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?

 

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

 

- Luke 6:1–11 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And he said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others  who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  

 

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  My study Bible comments in the phrase second Sabbath after the first.  It says that this term was used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath, because a feast was also called a Sabbath.  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, my study Bible notes, the term "second Sabbath" fits as an image of the new covenant and the eternal resurrection:  the first Sabbath indicates the Law, while the second Sabbath indicates the gospel that follows it.  Under the new covenant, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  David prefigured this when he gave the showbread . . . to those with him (1 Samuel 21:1-6). 

 

  Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.  My study Bible explains that according to certain traditions built up around the Law by the scribes and Pharisees, healing was considered to be work.  Therefore it wasn't permissible on the Sabbath.  These men believed that they served God by keeping this peripheral traditions zealously.  But their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  

Today's readings take us to a concept known in the Orthodox Church as economia (οἰκονομία in Greek).  Economia is the practice of the approach to the resolution of a problem by the practice of mercy.  If something looks neither black or white, one must address the problem through mercy.  Economia comes from the root word  οἰκος (ecos) meaning "house."  Clearly this "ecos" is the root for many words we know, such as economy or ecology.  But in this case it evolves through οἰκονόμος (economos) meaning "steward" -- a favorite subject of Jesus for characters in His parables. A steward or economos is a household manager, so to speak, someone in charge of running an estate, managing the households, the crops, the goods, and so forth.  So economia is really a concept that speaks of good and proper management.  It defines the approach to canon law in the Orthodox church, but truly it is meant as a general sense of how to rule on problems, be they on a personal or community level.  But these Pharisees and scribes, in their zeal (as my study Bible explains) are all about the letter of the law; or rather, in this case, of the traditions built up around the law.  This is sometimes referred to as clericalism, where only enshrined opinion is acceptable.  The question of good stewardship is always an important one in the Church because it clearly was an important consideration for Christ to begin with.  What kind of Church was He establishing?  How did He want His Church to be governed?  How did He want His followers to resolve problems, and how did He want the leaders of His Church to govern?  At the heart of this is economia, what it means, essentially (at least etymologically!) to be good stewards.  In today's reading, Jesus' action take us to this place of economia.  What does it mean to make righteous choices, to judge with righteous judgment?  These questions are at the heart of what it means to choose to live the gospel in the world.  Note that Jesus never attacks the Law at all, but He argues from within the Law and within the tradition.  He argues from experience, and from the case of David and the showbread, the practice of mercy when something was necessary and for the greater good.  This practice of economia, especially how in Christ's ministry it is all framed around healing in today's reading, opens up questions about the heart, our capacity for discernment, seeking where God would lead us in all circumstances, and of course the practice of seeking to live God's love.  Sometimes the practice of mercy would ask us to teach or give correction.  Sometimes mercy would tell us to be quiet when a person has had enough.  Sometimes it's to feed a hungry one and bend the rules to do so.  Sometimes it's to give even a cup of cold water (Matthew 10:42).  In all cases, it seeks the better way, the good part (Luke 10:42).  Rules and laws are important; they're built up over time for reasons that are important, that help to govern, to build good structure and communities.  But economia is about their practice and how we approach them.  Economia would teach us not to forget that the Lord is the author of the Law; its purpose is to build righteous communities in service to God who is love, for the life of the world.  When Jesus says that "the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath," He's reminding us all that God became man out of compassion, to know us, and thereby He is the Lord of the Sabbath.  In Mark's Gospel, Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).  The Son of Man becomes human and experiences fully human life; He knows us all, He knows our lives, He knows our suffering and struggles, and it is He who will judge.  Jesus asks, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  Note that Jesus does not banish all evil and suffering from the world, but asks us to consider His question, and what we do.  On a popular Orthodox blog, by Father Stephen Freeman (Glory to God for All Things), Fr. Freeman wrote a comment about suffering.  He said, "Rather than banishing suffering (which we cannot do), we should concern ourselves with being the kind of people and the kind of community that can help people bear their suffering."  To help others bear their suffering is a good example of righteousness, right-relatedness.  This is the righteousness of economia, and it is the way that Christ lived His ministry to teach us how to live as well.  

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of the grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 

- Mark 2:23-3:6 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."   The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."   

 

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of the grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  The Pharisees claim that plucking the heads of grain to eat isn't lawful, because they consider it work and a violation of the Sabbath-rest.  

 

But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"   Here Jesus gives a blameless violation of the law as an example of mercy for human need.  Abiathar was high priest during the rule of David (1 Samuel 23:6-11).  It was his father, Ahimelech, who provided David and his men with holy bread meant for priests only, for they were starving (1 Samuel 21:1-6).  My study Bible comments that rules for religious practice are not bad in themselves, but when adherence to them triumphs over mercy and human need, such a practice leads people away from God and not toward God.  

 

And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  My study Bible notes a similar saying in rabbinical literature:  "The Sabbath has been given unto you; you have not been given unto the Sabbath."  But here Jesus puts what He teaches into practice, and interprets the Law with authority.  Only God could say He is Lord of the Sabbath. 

 

 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  My study Bible comments that, according to certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered work.  So, therefore, it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  It says they believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy

 

And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Jesus poses the question that puts all into focus.  What is the purpose of the Sabbath?  To do good, or to do evil, to save life or to kill?  He doesn't deny Sabbath traditions, but it is more important to do good and save life if this is the choice offered, than to maintain a rigid performance of tradition. 

 

Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. My study Bible comments that in their anger and self-deception, the Pharisees believe that in order to serve God, they must collaborate with their enemies, the Herodians (those allied with the family of Herod, rulers for Rome) to murder Christ the Servant of God (Isaiah 53:11).

 

In the theology of the Orthodox Church, there is a concept called "economia" (oikonomia).  This word is linked to the English word economy, and both derive from the word in Scripture for "steward" (οἰκονόμος/economos).  In Greek, oíkos (pronounced "ee'kos") means "house" and is at the root of all of these.  If we understand this language, therefore, we know that a steward is a household manager, or rather the manager of an estate.  In the language of the Church, economia means that things must be ruled with mercy and discernment.  When we are taught that we must be good stewards of our world, of our Church, and of the things God has given us, this is what we must keep in mind. Rules may be good and helpful things, but they must be used with discernment and with mercy, for this is the higher law.  And it is "economia" which Christ shows and teaches us when He feeds and heals those in special need when special cases arise.  When Christ teaches that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," He is giving us the vision truly of the Son of Man He is, who experienced all of life as a human being, although He is the Christ.  His expression of what we call humane insight, and the discernment of compassion, is our primary example of what we need to follow and to emulate.  Ultimately  it is this priceless sense of "economia" that He gives us when He teaches us what it means that He is Lord, and that, "Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  

 

But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God

 

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."   

 

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

 

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:18–27 

 

 On Saturday, we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 

  And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  My study Bible comments here that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."   My study Bible notes that who do you say that I am? is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology.  How this question is answered will define the universe.  Christ (in Hebrew, Messiah) means "Anointed One."  This declaration of Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God is a revelation that Jesus is not simply another anointed king or prophet, but in fact the long-awaited Savior.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Why does Christ wish to keep His identity a secret?  My study Bible comments that He wishes to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings.  Only after His Passion and Resurrection can His identity as Messiah be properly understood.   My study Bible adds to this reason the growing hostility of the religious leadership; the people's belief that the Messiah will be an earthly, political leader; and that Christ's desire is to evoke genuine faith not based solely on marvelous signs.  Jesus' words hearken to Isaiah's prophecy of the Suffering Servant, including the mission to the Gentiles (see Isaiah 42:1-4).

 

 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  My study Bible asks that we note two things.  First, that each person must take up one's own cross.  The burden in this world is different for each person, for each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's salvation and for the salvation of those around oneself.  Second, our cross is to be taken up daily.  Commitment to following Christ is not simply a one-time event.  It is, in fact, the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.  

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."   My study Bible calls this verse a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (in Friday's reading, Luke 9:28-36), as well as to those in each generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.

The emphasis found on our last verse by my study Bible seems to be very important at this time.  It's essential that we understand the responsibility for this experience and the living out of faith that falls on each generation.  The presence of the kingdom of God is an important experience and understanding.  We might feel this presence "where two or three are gathered together" (Matthew 18:20), and so we learn that kind of fellowship that is present in such circumstances.  It is a subtle experience, that might make itself understood only after the gathering and in retrospect, but so often there is a hidden current running through such times that make them special.  Upon reflection, we find insights that come from inside the group or the meeting that don't happen elsewhere.  We can find this with Bible Study circles as well, in which important questions are asked and answered, and there is a group experience of a hidden thread of common experience that feeds each one somehow -- each with one's own life experiences, and one's own answer.  Often it is in the practice of worship that we will find "quiet moments" although we are in the midst of many people, and a transforming type of energy gives insight, or space to reflect and accept what we never manage to otherwise, even alone with no one else present.  These are common, subtle experiences of the presence of the Kingdom with us.  It is important that we recognize such things when they occur for us in our lives, because each experience is a testimony to that presence, and serves us as a foundation for forward movement, deepening faith, and our own testimonies we may wish to give to people and so share the gospel message.  The emphasis my study Bible places on each generation is important, because while we can rely on "the Church" and all the myriad ways we see efforts to evangelize, and ever-expanding translations of the Bible and biblical literature that publishers will place on the market, ultimately the Church rests upon each one of us to carry on, and carry into the world in every generation.  There will never be a substitute for this, nor a doctrine promoted that substitutes, nor even a book published that does the same.  This is because the presence of God is something that gives life to everything else, and without that reality somewhere in our vocabulary of life, we're not going to understand the Gospels or the Bible anyway.  This is not an abstract exercise, and Jesus did not give us purely theoretical concepts to think about and judge.  He gave us commandments, most notably the "new commandment" to love one another.  For it is that love that really forms the Church, makes it real, makes it work in our lives, and helps us to share it with others.  There is no substitute for this.  Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, and He gave two as His answer:  to love God with all one's heart and soul and strength, and to love neighbor as oneself.  In Luke's Gospel, we will read a version of this question and answer in which Jesus is also asked, "Who is my neighbor?" as a follow up question.  He then responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan, found only in Luke's Gospel (see Luke 10:25-37).  These "greatest commandments," and also the parable, affirm for us the importance of faith as based in living, in action.  If we follow Christ's command to love one another, then we find that our lives are equipped with something that all the slogans and doctrines and theories in the world cannot give, and that is love.  Our Scriptures tell us that God is love (1 John 4:8), and so we may conclude that where two are three are gathered in the name of Christ. so love is there with us.  If we are truly living our faith, this is what we will find that binds us, giving a sense of what we can give and share with others, even if we feel our own resources are scarce, for this is truly what the parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us.  We will find that we have something that is a part of us that we won't find elsewhere, and that is love.  It is in this linked sense in which we deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily, as Jesus teaches.  For the practice of love is about giving, and in so doing we strangely gain.  We find that our lives our saved by "losing" and then "finding" ourselves in this sense.  Christ's commandments are commandments of love, and the living of love.  It is a power that supersedes all others, because nothing else is like it.

 

 

 

 

 

Who do you say that I am?

 

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:18–27 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.  And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately to a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.   

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."   My study Bible comments that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study Bible claims that "Who do you say that I am?" is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology.  How one answers this question defines the universe.  "Christ" (in Hebrew, "Messiah") means "Anointed One."  The declaration of Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God is a revelation that Jesus isn't just another anointed king or prophet; rather, He is the long-awaited Savior.  

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  My study Bible says that Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden in order to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings.  It is only after His Passion and Resurrection that  His identity as Messiah can be properly understood.  Note in this context that in yesterday's reading, for example, we were told that Herod Antipas has become aware of Him and wonders who exactly He is. Additionally, there is already friction and conflict with the Pharisees (see this reading from chapter 7), and there remains the popular anticipation of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader like a great worldly king.  Moreover, Christ's emphasis on faith is not about coercion through signs, but the desire to find those of genuine faith.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  My study Bible asks us to note two things in Christ's teaching here.  First, each person must take up his own cross.  The burden in this world is different for each person, and each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for his own salvation and the salvation of those around him.  Second, the cross is to be taken up daily.  It says that commitment to following Christ isn't only a one-time event.  It is, instead, the continual practice of faith and obedience.  This means even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.  

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study Bible comments that this is a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36, tomorrow's lectionary reading), as well as to those in every generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

In today's reading, the central event is this recognition and definition of who Christ exactly is -- in Peter's words, Jesus is the Christ of God.  He's not simply an anointed king or prophet.  He is the Messiah, the Christ, for all the world.  As my study Bible says, this is the most important question in all of Scripture, because the identity of Jesus Christ also defines many other things we want to know and to think about for ourselves and our lives.  The "people of God" or the "church of God" that will gather through faith in Christ will not just be from one ethnic group, from one nation or country, from one state or political grouping, or any other nominal sort of worldly grouping or classification that we can think about.  Those who will become a part of His Church through faith will be from throughout all the world and throughout all the ages of the world.  There will be no barriers to becoming a part of this Church save through faith.  But it is, indeed, more than a Church, as Christ has said.  "Those who hear the word of God and do it" are His mother and brothers (Luke 8:21), His family.   St. Paul, in his letters, writes several times about the spirit of adoption that makes this family.  For example, he writes to the Romans, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father'" (Romans 8:15).  We cry out "Abba" ("Daddy") as did Christ (Mark 14:36), for we are a part of His family through this spirit of adoption.  It is only because of His identity as the Christ of God that this is understood.  Moreover, such a notion makes it conceivable that St. Paul can write to the Galatians, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:26-29).  Christian faithful can only become Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise (Genesis 17:1-7), if Jesus is the Christ of God.  As the Christ of God, Jesus becomes relevant to the entire world, creating the potential for all of us to become true brothers and sisters, and "heirs according to the promise."  The power of that call toward a basic understanding of humanity as equally offered Christ's salvation and redemption becomes an acknowledgement of the radical truth of God's love for all, for each.  It enables us to recognize this spiritual call as one made to each, from all walks of life, ages, classes, categories, where there are no boundaries to God's love nor to its recognition by each of us -- save through faith alone.  Each may become a part of the great cloud of witnesses, joining in with the worship in heaven we glimpse in the vision of Isaiah, in which the seraphim cry to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:1-3).  We may note for ourselves that the seraphim declare the whole earth to be full of the Lord's glory.  Only if we understand Him as the Christ of God does this become fully manifest for us in its meanings and potentials.  It is only through this understanding that all human beings are elevated through the gift offering of Christ for salvation, which awaits only our own love in return to join in this communion.  Finally, the understanding of His true identity after His sacrifice and Resurrection means He offers Himself truly "for the life of the world."  In this identity as Christ of God He gives each one to another, for we have many brothers and sisters, from all ages and places of the world, whom we don't even know.  Let us consider the many gifts we're given; and how they continually give more, even those we can't yet know or name.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it

 

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone 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 will find it.  For what profit is it to 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 the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 

- Matthew 16:21-28 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  My study Bible explains that after Peter's confession (in yesterday's reading, above), Jesus reveals the true nature of His messiahship:  the mystery of His Passion.  It was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the concept that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  As Jesus indicates, Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save mankind through suffering and death. 

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  The cross was a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment; my study Bible points out that it is at the same time a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  Christians practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  My study Bible comments that to accept this suffering is not a punishment, nor an end in itself.  Rather it is a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."  My study Bible notes that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal.  But in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).  It is important that we put this in the context of choice, what we put first as priority in life, what we choose over all else (Matthew 6:33).

 "Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."  Christ's question emphasizes the foolishness of putting first in life the accumulation of worldly wealth or power in the sense that it cannot redeem our fallen soul, and neither will it benefit us in the life to come.  We are being given illustrations of the choices we will be asked to make.

"Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."  My study Bible calls this a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (our next reading, Matthew 17:1-9), as well as those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

The concept of exchange is one that we continually come across in the Gospels and in the teachings of Jesus, but often it seems to elude conception to picture it this way.  In today's reading, Jesus speaks about an exchange of perceptions, a way of giving things up to God, putting our material lives in God's hands for God's priorities.  It is in this sense that we are asked to deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Christ.  For He will give His life in following God, even if it means going to the Cross, for this is the exchange of His worldly life for God's plan of salvation for all -- for all people, and all time.  When we make choices between the true need of the soul for redemption and meaning, and a more worldly understanding of what our proper goals are, then we do something similar.  We do as He did, and as He asks.  For example, one may find what one thinks is an open pathway in life, a job or other opportunity.  But if in prayer we seem to be directed away from what looks in every respect like a great material choice, and we forego that seemingly obviously good choice for the place the word of God directs us and our souls, then we are making a redemptive exchange.  We are "handing over" that material reality to God and seeking to follow God's way, even when there is a conflict we might not quite understand.  This is something done in faith:  it gives us meaning, it asks us to make choices, it sets the world and our lives out as that which we return to God for God's purposes and meanings which are given to us, and create a true weight and value in the soul.  When Jesus tells Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!" it is not because Peter has deliberately chosen to advocate something which is obviously bad or evil.  But Peter's concern is a worldly perspective that conflicts with the life and choices the Father has commanded for Christ, and hence He says to Peter, "You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Our own "fallenness" or "brokenness" is a kind of broken communion with God, in which our material lives might frequently be in conflict with the places God asks us to go, and choices God would ask us to make, if we but pay attention and emphasize that relationship with God that comes through prayer and worship.  Christ asks us for a deepening of that relationship, an exchange of a purely worldly perception which might seem perfectly reasonable and good, but for a deeper relationship in which God will guide us to meaning and direction which serves God's purposes and far grander goals than we could set for ourselves.  Let us note that this takes great faith and is not merely a question of following formal rules, but of true listening and prayer, and a deepening relationship with God, a commitment to faith and the work of God in us, which will change and transform the ways that we see things.  What sounds good on one level is frequently not the depth of good that God calls us to, but we can see and hear this only with the eyes and ears of faith, the perceptions of the heart that Christ calls us to.  It is a question of exchange:  what would we give up for our souls?  What meaning and depth can be preferable to that which God will give us, the deep place to which God calls us?  Many times it is the very things the world seems to approve of that we will find God asks us to turn down, just as Christ Himself was the ultimate example of scandal and scorn in order to follow God's purpose.  In making an exchange, we're asked to make a sacrifice -- but it is a sacrifice in order to receive something deeper, grander, of a far different and unknown substance than the merely worldly or material alone -- and that is something that nothing in this earth can buy for us but our own loyalty and faith to God.  Worldly fame and glory is very impressive, and so many chase after it and the approval of the world. But it takes courage to find the deeper understanding of real conviction, the often perplexing and hard to understand life of faith that pays out so much more albeit in ways not obviously seen or immediately present.  And that takes strength, the kind of strength He asks us to learn in following Him and the truth He gives.

 

Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?

 

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 

- Mark 2:23—3:6 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

 

Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   The grainfields are likely fields of corn, and the disciples pluck the corn to eat because they are in need and hungry.  The showbread was a particular bread kept on a special table in the temple that was meant for the priests to eat.  When Saul was seeking to kill David, David fled to the priest and he and his men were allowed to eat of the holy bread (see 1 Samuel 21:1-6).  St. Ambrose comments on a similar passage in Luke that under the new covenant, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  David prefigured this when he gave the showbread to those who were with him.  That the Sabbath was made for man is an essential understanding of Mark's Gospel.  It is an affirmation of the previous readings in which it has been repeatedly affirmed that Christ's ministry in the world is one of healing; the Sabbath, therefore, is set aside for man for rest and therefore healing.  This is one more underscoring of the nature of God as compassionate and loving to humankind.

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  The scribes and Pharisees had built up certain traditions around the Law, and in this viewpoint, healing was considered work -- and so not permissible on the Sabbath.  My study Bible comments that they believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but this legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.

 

 Jesus' statement, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," is unique to Mark's Gospel.  From what we have read so far in these first chapters in Mark, we could say that it is central to the understanding of Christ and His mission.  If we compare the examples of the scribes and Pharisees' arguments counter to Christ's ministry, we can see the difference in the approach.  Jesus is emphasizing healing on all levels, whether that be the casting out of demons, or the possibilities of repentance, even the remission of sin for those whose ailments are somehow connected (see the healing of the paralytic, in this reading), or touching what was unclean in order to heal and therefore cleanse a leper (in this reading).  Christ's presence transforms an understanding of sin because He makes it possible to be set free from its influence through His power and Person.  Therefore, He says, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."  He who has come to us incarnate as full human being is also fully divine, and He is here to correct and to heal -- all of which is a mission of mercy to humankind.  Therefore through Him we understand that we are loved by God, and that the Sabbath is given to us because we need it -- we are to heal through rest.  On the other hand, it is the demons who make slaves of human beings who toil and suffer and are destroyed under their influence.  We need to understand our God as a God of love, and that all that is given to us is given through compassion.  We might compare the demonic influence we see in the Gospels -- say, in those instances of demon possession such as that of the man who called himself Legion (Mark 5:1-20), or particularly in the temptations of Satan to Christ (Luke 4:1-13) -- to the process of addiction.  We're tempted by things that sound good, but that turn out to be a trap, giving us pain and toil as the outcome.  On the other hand, the discipline of God (discipline as in disciple which really means "learner" in the Greek) asks us to change and to grow.  It might not sound like our own plan, or what we really want, or promise the moon.  It will ask us for work and a willingness to give up certain ways or things we might be attached to, but similarly to treatment by a physician, it will ultimately work out that we are better off for it.  We become healed from something, and freed from something.  This is the process of repentance, and it is the way or road of Christ, as in, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  It is our Physician who gives us rest because we need it, our Physician who fills us up with good things, our Physician who gives us healing prescriptions and exercises so that we grow and become truly healed on all levels, and we become whole, more fully attaining the image and likeness of God in whose image we were made.  This is what it is to be set aright, put in proper order, and we follow Him -- as did His disciples -- in order to grow in His way.  Through Christ, we are pulled out of what is imperfect, sinful, harmful to us, that which is toxic (to use a modern term).  In a modern world, we are all tempted to see life simply on the surface, not to look past dazzling images that pull us in to sell us something (a way of life, a political slogan, something we can purchase), to think that God is absent or doesn't care, to sin because we see all kinds of other people indulging in sinful behavior such as selfishness or greed, or terrible lusts, exploiting others, bullying, and so on.  But God knows, and our Lord has also put a piece of God in us, so that we are capable of finding Him and His way; that is the gift of the Holy Spirit whom Christ said "will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14:26).  Let us look at the life Christ offers us, and know that He is our Physician, the One who taught that the Sabbath was made for man, giving us compassion and love and mercy in what He offers us.  Jesus confronts the Pharisees with this important question that is a guidepost for us:  "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  Let us not be tempted by the world that seeks to enslave, but freed by the One who loves us -- whose work in us is good and seeks to save our lives.

The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

 

- Luke 6:1–11 

 

On Saturday we read that, after healing a paralytic who had been lowered to Him through the roof of a house, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"

 

  Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  My study bible tells us that the second Sabbath after the first is a term that was used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath, as a feast was also known as a Sabbath.  St. Ambrose of Milan comments that the term "second Sabbath" gives an image of the new covenant and the eternal resurrection:  the first Sabbath indicates the Law, and the second Sabbath indicates the gospel that follows it.  Thus, under the new covenant, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  David prefigured this new gospel, the second Sabbath, when he gave the showbread . . . to those with him.  

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.  In accordance with some of the traditions which the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered work -- and therefore was not permissible on the Sabbath.   My study bible says that they believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but this legalism made them insensitive to the mercy of God.

What is legalism?  How do we understand it?  What does it tell us about our faith?  In today's reading, we see an example of what is called legalism.  To use a broad definition, we might say that "legalism" is putting the letter of the law above the spirit of the law.  In fact, if we understand God as One who loves us, and religious law as meant to help us to have a closer relationship with and to serve and worship God, then all of the law should be useful and instrumental in attaining that end.  Here, we encounter an application of rules and traditions which were built up around the law that actually were preventing the expression of God's mercy from happening:  the scribes and Pharisees watch and see if Jesus will violate their tradition that healing on the Sabbath is a violation of the Sabbath.  They become filled with rage that a man's withered hand is healed.  So much so, that they discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.  To be sure, there were exceptions in the application of the law, made for the sake of mercy.  But in this case, the religious authorities seem more interested in enforcing their own power as regulators of religious practice and of the doing of the law.  Jesus is an outsider in that sense, without authority.  He is not a part of the religious establishment, and so, for various reasons, they are already disposed to antagonism against Him.  For His ministry is one that He conducts with authority, and with power, and these things are not under their control.  So legalism also comes to us, in the stories of the Gospels, as a way to disguise a struggle for power and authority, and also to avoid the power and authority that is sent into the world by God and which is manifest in the ministry of Jesus.  In this sense, the legalism we read about here in the Gospel as a sort of cautionary tale becomes a metaphor for the things we do in our own lives, when God comes calling upon us for growth and personal transcendence.  Frequently our inner lives are beset by "do's and don'ts" we've learned in childhood, or in some other formative period in our lives.  Possibly bad experiences have taught us lessons that aren't quite serving our daily lives today.  In each of these ways, God might come calling upon us to change an internal rule we stick to as a form of legalism, where God's mercy and love (God's grace) might be at work asking us to soften our stance, ease up a bit, or possibly just expand our minds to the possibility that we are called to do something different.  A childhood rule might need to be broken to serve a bigger picture of ourselves and our world, and especially where God asks us to transcend the past and become more of the image and identity we have in Christ, instead.  All of us have seen at one time or another the dangers of putting a political party before God and conscience, or the place where our prayer lives might call us to something different.  The same applies to family squabbles, or internecine fights within an organization or group of any kind.  Just because one way served us many years or is the way we've always done it, does not mean that Christ is not at work in your life calling you to something bigger, a point of view that changes the picture and teaches a different way to apply God's values and understanding.  At Jesus' time, there were exceptions to the Sabbath law to allow for pulling an animal out of danger, or other such dire circumstance.  In Luke chapter 14, Jesus stumps a group of lawyers and Pharisees, who once more are watching closely to see what Jesus will do on the Sabbath, by asking them, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  They can't answer.  (See Luke 14:1-6.)  God's love and mercy is unchangeable, for this is the very nature of God (1 John 4:8).   But the ways in which we understand that love to manifest, and the ways in which God's love will ask us to express that love as bearers of God's light will expand and grow, and change and transform, because we are meant to grow in our faith and not stand still.  This is why our faith is mystical, and not simply a set of rules or rationalizations to apply in all cases.    This is why our mystical connection to God in our hearts must be active, growing, and open to that light and love.  This is why our prayer life needs to be active, and worship life as well.  Faith is a living thing, not a dead set of letters.  Tradition is that which is meant to be understood and renewed each generation, and in each believer.  When St. Ambrose teaches us what a second Sabbath might mean, he is speaking within the entire arc of the faith, and with a perspective that encompasses our understanding even centuries later, in our understanding of the gospel of Christ.  His very commentary is part of a living tradition, that remains true even as it has encompassed centuries of experience and growth, but remains cautionary.  So let us look at our own rigid ways of being in the world.  Do we need to let more light in?  Do we need to renew tradition? Have we let go of too much of it, and need to correct that as well?  We make mistakes in all directions, and an open mind is one that does not think rigidly.   We can also apply "new tradition" in a rote manner and go too far.  Renewal is about correct understanding, not making a new rule out of radical change.  Legalism comes about when we neglect the heart, and that can happen in any number of ways, and even with good intent.  The ancient world was filled with brilliant philosophers, moral systems, and codes of conduct.  But Christ did not come with just another set of abstracts, principles, or rules.  Let us be zealous for the place where we come to know Christ, where our spiritual fruit can blossom and produce more, and grow in the gospel that gives so much-- for it is that same Son of Man who is the Lord of the Sabbath.