One thing you lack

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

 

 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

- Mark 10:17–31 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."  Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"    My study Bible notes that this man, unlike the Pharisees in yesterday's reading (above), does not come to test Jesus.  He comes to seek advice from one whom he considers no more than a Good Teacher.  Jesus' response doesn't deny that He is God, but it's designed to lead this rich young ruler to this knowledge.   

 

 And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Here my study Bible reflects that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God.  This man had an earnest desire for eternal life, but he sensed that he still lacked something.  So, he continues to press Jesus for the answer.  

 

 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  To be perfect, my study Bible notes here, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.   But nothing is gained except that such sacrifice is given freely.  Importantly, it adds that the specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  In this case, wealth had a great grip on this rich young man, and so his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible reports, to give away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here.  To follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling. 

 

 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."    My study Bible comments that there have been various interpretations suggested for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  One suggestion is that the word wasn't "camel," but that there is an Aramaic word for "rope" that sounds alike.  Another is that the "eye of a needle" was actually the name for a city gate that was so small, a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, which thus symbolizes wealth.  In the Talmud there is the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Whatever the phrase refers to, according to my study Bible, it expresses the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  Note the word "attached" for therein lies the significance.  The disciples clearly understand this, for they ask, "Who then can be saved?"  But by God's grace, even what is impossible with men is possible with God.  

 

 Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study Bible says that Christ not commanding that believers divorce spouses and abandon children here.  It cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut of ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  The promise to believers of a hundredfold of houses and of relatives is not meant in an earthly sense.  Rather, we gain the fathers and mothers of the Church, brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

 

How do we approach today's lesson in this story of the rich young ruler who goes away disappointed in what Jesus is telling him?  (We know that he is rich from this story, which appears in the other Synoptic Gospels as well.  St. Luke tells us also that he is a ruler, meaning he belongs to one of the religious ruling classes in the temple, as well as young; see Luke 18:18-29.)  It's first of all very important to understand that when Jesus tells him, "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me," that Jesus is speaking out of love.  St. Mark has gone to particular lengths to tell us this plainly, that Jesus, looking at him, loved him before He spoke.  This is not a penalty, and it's not meant as sacrifice for the sake of sacrifice.  This particular sacrifice is meant out of the love Christ has for him, to save his soul, and so that he might become a disciple and find the eternal life with Christ that he seeks.  This wealthy young man has come to Christ in sincerity, asking Him explicitly, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" And Jesus gets very particular in responding, telling him exactly what he must do.  First of all, to follow the commandments known from the Old Testament Scriptures.  This the young man has done.  Jesus, loving him, then tells him there is another thing he must do:  "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  What does his wealth have to do with his capacity to follow Christ, to have treasure in heaven, take up the cross, and follow Christ?  In this case, we are given to understand, even through such great figures of the early Church as St. John Chrysostom, that this is particular advice for this particular young man and his own spiritual state, in the context of his own life and circumstances.  We know he's rich, and he's a ruler.  Jesus is in Judea, so he is likely from a powerful and well-known family.  Equally possible is that his wealth is inherited, and he belongs to what was understood as an aristocratic background within the Jewish community of the temple in Jerusalem.  So his identity as a person, we may assume, is bound up in his possessions.  But the real problem here is not those possessions; it is his attachment to them.  And we see that; we read in the story that even the prospect of eternal life, held out by Christ, cannot take the place of that wealth for this young man.  In our modern world, especially those of us in the West, but truly all of us connected to the world wide web, live in a context of consumerism.  We see objects before us that we would like, we read of delicious foods, we look at images of people we call stars who live in glamorous homes and with great wealth.  The images we choose to watch and look at on social media also form a part of the things which we consume.  And if identity was bound up in wealth and possessions for this young man, it is equally bound up and sold to us as consumers in the modern marketplace, which is now everywhere.  People may buy a type of sneaker because a famous person wears that shoe.  A priest in one of my local parishes once told me he was in the United States Air Force stationed in Iceland, when he realized the power of sales and the worldwide reach of social media.  At that time, the American basketball star Michael Jordan shaved his head.  All around him in Iceland, he immediately saw young men with shaved heads in response.  This is the power of the consumption of images and products with which we choose to identify ourselves; we seek images that convey something to others, and in the world of media in which we all live, such images are often sold to us as products.  Even in choosing a church, many people approach the problem in a kind of consumerist mindset; we decide what we want and don't want, what features we'll accept and not accept.  But Christ presents the opposite.  He presents sacrifice.  Perhaps the ancient world, before the type of development existing in our world today, understood sacrifice better than popular culture does now.  But sacrifice remains essential to our formation as Christians.  We learn to do without the things that tempt us, that harm us spiritually because -- like this rich young ruler -- we become too dependent upon them even if they harm our souls because of this attachment.  We place them before God, before what is actually better for us.  The whole notion of holiness, of what is sacred, comes from the context of being set apart from the world, consecrated for God's purposes.  There are things we need to keep away from in life because they jeopardize our relationship with God, and through God our relationship with the rest of the world.  Addictions of all kinds (including to shopping or gambling, for example) come to mind.  Toxic relationships that take us away from the things God wants us to focus on also are things we might have to sacrifice, just as my study Bible points out above.  In fasting, we learn what we can do without, that we can make disciplined choices to seek God first before other things we might think we simply can't live without.  We learn to resist temptation, and the delusion that tells us we need a particular thing outside the purposes of God in order to be whole.  Fasting teaches us to focus on an internal life, and be filled from the depth of consecration to God, first, and then all things can be added to us (Matthew 6:33).  We learn to refrain from acting out, to master our impulses, for strength under control is the true gentleness and meekness Christ describes, what we need to understand as grace and gracious behavior.  Here is where patience and humility are things we cultivate in order to better follow Christ and expand the true feeding of our souls and our communities.  The disciples recognize where Jesus has led them, saying that they have left all behind for His sake, and He promises a hundredfold of return of what they have left behind.  So it is with us, but that life as an exchange means we have to be willing to grow, to learn His discipline, to find His life that He has in store for us.  Temptation may sometimes seem as if all of this is simply impossible, a too-difficult struggle.  But, as Jesus says, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  There will always be new ways God calls us forward.  Let us look to that call for the better things of life He offers, and the freedom to be found in His teachings. 

 

 

 

 

 

For God so loved the world

 

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

 

- John 3:16-21 

 

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

 

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  My study Bible comments that to show the reason the Son must be crucified ("lifted up" as in verse 14, in yesterday's reading above), Jesus here declares God's great love -- which is not only for Israel, but for the world.  This single verse is an expression of the whole of the message of the Gospel of St. John -- and of all of salvation history.

 

 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe in condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  My study Bible says that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  So, therefore, people can reject this gift, and become condemned by one's own rejection, left out of God's plan of salvation.  Here the Gospel returns to the themes of light and darkness found in its beginning verses (John 1:4-5).  

 

If we turn again to the beginning of this Gospel, we find additional illumination regarding notions of salvation and condemnation.  St. John writes of Christ the Lord:  "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:10-13).  Here we have an understanding of what salvation is and means, and what it means to participate in this life-giving light brought into the world:  to become a child of God; to be born as such "not of blood, nor the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God."  That is, through the grace of God received through the Spirit and faith.  To quote a Church Father (this quotation found to the left of the page on my blog):  "The light of God is the grace that passes into creation through the Spirit, by which we are refashioned to God through faith" (St. Cyril of Alexandria, commentary on the Gospel of John 3:5).  His memory, together with St. Athanasius, was celebrated on January 18.  As noted in yesterday's reading and commentary, Holy Baptism is the beginning of this journey, and throughout the Bible, and in the life of the Church (especially through its saints) we understand the working of grace and its gifts to us as we participate in the life of Christ, especially the Eucharist and other sacraments.  All of our faith life, including reading Scripture, our prayers both personal and in worship services, and the whole history of the Church, teaches us about salvation and the ongoing work of the Spirit.  St. Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  This transformation we might observe in ourselves and others is called "theosis" in the Orthodox tradition.  St. Athanasius of Alexandria, whose feast day occurs together with St. Cyril, is frequently noted as saying, "God became man so that man could become [a] god," and this transformation in the grace of the Spirit through faith is what this means, that we human beings may take on qualities we associate with the holy, with God, which are divine (see St. Paul's fruit of the Spirit).  But St. John's Gospel also reminds us that we are not compelled -- forced -- by Christ to accept this salvation, and to participate in the life He offers to us.  As human beings, we are free to reject grace, and thereby to reject the life of salvation He offers.  This is what is described as "condemnation," being left to a different reality, outside of God's saving life for us.  We are always faced with this choice, at every moment of our lives.  To practice repentance, therefore, becomes an ongoing offer:  we may turn to Christ at any given moment, and continue on that path, or turn the opposite way and reject Him and the light He offers us.  What will it be?  Jesus says that everything in salvation, "all the law and the prophets," hang on two commands found in the Old Testament Scriptures:  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5); and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). Let us note that these commands are positive, and they are all about love.  St. John the Evangelist writes in his first Epistle, "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).  This remains true for us as it was for the disciple.  Everything begins with returning the love God has for us, and turning to God to seek the way God desires for us, so that we may learn and grow.  Where is your heart at this time?  What do you love? Whom do you love?

 

 

 

 

He who endures to the end shall be saved

 

 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  

 

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,  Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.  But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

 

- Mark 13:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple in Jerusalem, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,  the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

 

  Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."   Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed by the Romans, my study Bible reminds us.  This prophecy was quite literally true, as all that remained of the temple was one retaining wall, today called the Western Wall, and historically called the Wailing Wall for the prayer which pilgrims through the centuries would come to pray, as they do still today. 

 

 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple,  Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"   Note that these disciples who come to ask Christ privately about the destruction of the temple are those closest to Him, the two sets of brothers, James and John, and Peter and Andrew, the first-called disciples.  Peter, James, and John were referred to by St. Paul as the "pillars" for their profound faith (Galatians 2:9).

 

 And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many."   Let us note that Jesus' first warning, in beginning this prophecy of "end times" is on deception.  In St. Matthew's Gospel as well, the warnings against deception are given the most emphasis.  In particular, this warning is against following a false Christ, which Jesus will warn against yet again, and with even greater specificity, in verses 21-22.

 

"But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows."  My study Bible comments that the Scriptures describe the end times in a variety of ways, so that no precise chronology can be determined (see Daniel 7 - 12; Matthew 24; Luke 21; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10; and the Book of Revelation).  Christ's emphasis, it notes, is on watchfulness and the practice of virtue rather than constructing timetables of things that have not yet happened.   The wars here refer first and and foremost to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, but also include subsequent wars, my study Bible says.  Wars, we're told, are not a sign of the imminent end, but of the opposite -- the end is not yet.  In addition, there are calamities of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, famines, and troubles; but these are the beginnings of sorrows.  

 

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.    Here again, the emphasis is on watchfulness, and a warning of tribulation to come.  But all these calamities and all this opposition, my study Bible notes, cannot stop the spread of the gospel, which will be preached to all nations.  It says that, according to St. John Chrysostom, this truth was evident already at his time, for he marveled that while the Romans subdued countless Jews in a political uprising, they could not prevail over twelve Jews unarmed with anything except the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

 

"But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."   Midst these persecutions, we're also given a great blessing.  This is the gift of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Helper, who will give us what we need to speak, our testimony. Amid devastating -- even deadly -- betrayals, turmoil, hatred, and persecutions, we are to rely upon God.  The watchword with Christ also is always on endurance, persistence, forbearance -- for he who endures to the end shall be saved.  This is about endurance in our faithfulness. 

 

 Jesus says, "You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them."  This wording is quite striking, because it can be read in at least two different ways.  Jesus says that His followers will be brought before kings and rulers for His sake.  First of all, one may take it that this indicates that it is because believers are followers of Christ, they will be brought before rulers and kings.  But there's another way to read this, and perhaps the text -- as often happens -- is purposefully ambiguous so that both meanings become important.  It is Christ who wants us to testify, and this, too, is what can be meant by, "for My sake."  For testimony is clearly important, not simply perhaps to courts, kings, rulers, dictators, tyrants, and other hostile powers.  But one would say no, it's not important to persecutors.  Testimony is clearly important to Christ, necessary to the Gospel.  For we are witnessing as part of the very crux of our faith, and the missions of all the disciples and others sent out over the centuries and in living their faith, in practicing one's faithfulness.  "Testimony" in the Greek is μαρτύριον/martyrion, and "witness" is μάρτυρ/martyr.   From this, clearly, we get our English word "martyr," and we must know and understand the powerful necessity of such martyrs -- again, throughout the centuries including the most recent periods in places around the world, even today (see here, and here) -- and the role they play in the Church.  Of course, Christ is our great, first Witness and Martyr, even as our Savior.  But to take up our own crosses, and follow Him might also mean to meet Him in this place of sacrifice and even death.  In our modern, prosperous countries where religious freedom is often taken for granted, we are perhaps more used to a certain way of life, an expectation perhaps of goodness and blessedness even in material terms.  We forget about how essential and important to our faith testimony is, and that its root also includes that meaning even of martyrdom.  Most of us, perhaps, do not make such a sacrifice, but nonetheless Jesus' words remind us once again that our faith calls us to a kind of heroism, to sacrifice, to witnessing.  Testimony is important, and essential to our faith, for there would be no Church without it, no struggle for faith without it, no examples of great saints with tremendous courage, and inspiring knowledge for everyday people and common believers who struggle to find faith in their lives and to, indeed, endure in that faith.  For that is the true picture of the reality where we all are, if we would but know it and turn to Christ and His teachings, for the world remains as it was despite the spread of the gospel.  New forms of opposition to the truth of Christ happen everywhere, and we can see them with our own eyes around us.  We remain, no matter where we are, in a spiritual battleground in which "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  The "end times" began with Christ and we remain in those "end times" until the end of the age, at the time of His return.  Let us remain faithful and true witnesses to our faith, in simply living our lives and being true to Him and what He teaches.  For all that we do in His name becomes a testimony to Him, glorifying God. 

 

 

 

 

What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." 

 

- Luke 13:18–30 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."   My study Bible comments that the mustard plant grows to a height of about ten feet in Palestine.   It notes that both the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples who, according to Theophylact, began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  These also stand, it says, for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul can become godlike and receive even angels (the birds of the air).

 

 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."   My study Bible points out that the description of the two ways was widespread in Judaism (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:17-18, 12:28, 15:23; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17) and in early Christian writings such as the Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas.  Here in Luke's version, this sense is more eschatological than in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 7:13-14), and refers to the end of the age (as is evident from the parable that follows).  My study Bible comments that, because we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), entering the Kingdom is the more difficult way. 

"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." My study Bible asserts here that neither verbal confessions (Lord, Lord) nor sacramental experiences (we ate and drank in Your presence and You taught in our streets) avail anything, unless we also do the works of faith (see Luke 6:46-49).  In terms of the last and the first, Theophylact sees the first who becomes last as not only faithless Jews, but also those in the Church who "from infancy have put on Christ and have been taught the Word, but who become last by transgressing against it."   Note that Christ's teaching consistently places more responsibility upon those who already know the gospel, as opposed to those who do not (Luke 12:47-48).

Let us study the language of Christ's parables of the Kingdom, and the great beauty He inspires from so few amazingly well-chosen words.  Jesus teaches, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  This extraordinarily simple parable fills us with images that explode with a vivid illustration of growth.   The tininess of the mustard seed already speaks to us of something extremely small and compact, from which one will observe growth that surprises.  My study Bible speaks of the growth produced from the mustard seed in the region from which Christ came, that they are not just the bushes we might be familiar with, but trees which can grow to ten feet.  But Christ's parable takes us on an added journey, by remarking upon the birds of the air that nested in its branches.  These birds of the air resemble for us angels, which can accompany those who grow in the holiness of the Kingdom and expand the energies of God which work through their lives, the activity of the Holy Spirit in our world.  One can simply think of the kind of growth Christ describes here, and think of the possibilities it arouses in our imagination from the parable.  Through such growth in our world has been produced countless hospitals and charities, over the time of history, universities, and beautiful art and architecture from so many periods, in so many styles, across the world.  One can simply reflect on the aspect of creativity that accompanies such type of growth, and understand that the work of the Kingdom is one that is attributed to the unlimited creative potential in God the Holy Spirit, the Creator of life (Nicene Creed).  The kind of growth described in this image of the mustard seed become a tree which can nurture and house life gives us a sense of broad expansion, and support that offers shelter for those who can nest in it, including the messengers of the air (the angels).  In the parable that follows, we receive a highly significant image of a different kind of growth, one that is equally mysterious (how does the great tree come from the tiny seed?), and also internal, but one of which we take cognizance when we recognize the transformation it produces.  This is the mysterious process of a natural yeast leavening a lump of dough, working its natural enzymes to the point where all of the dough is changed, transformed.  This is also the power of the Holy Spirit, working to transfigure us, from the inside out.  Indeed, if we study the word for leaven in the Greek, ζύμη/zyme, we'll get a closer picture of this kind of action.  Zyme/ζύμη (pronounced "ZEEmee" in modern Greek) is the root of our modern English word enzyme.  Its action speaks to us of a powerful but compact dynamic activity, working in a way through the interior of the smallest components of life, speeding up chemical reactions within the cells that comprise organisms.  In fact, according to one definition, enzymes are catalysts that do so without being consumed or altered by the reaction.  They are a kind of activation energy.  This is the evolution from the root understanding of Christ's words here, the use of language and its evolution from the Master, our Teacher, who is the Word Himself.  While we ponder how the activities of the Kingdom and the action of the Holy Spirit take place both among us and within us, let us marvel at the great gift of language and teaching we're given in the Gospels, from the word of Christ, thankfully with us always. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!

 

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' "   And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 

- Mark 10:17-31 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus arose from Capernaum in Galilee and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'   For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.   Therefore what God has joined  together, let not man separate."  In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."  Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

 

  Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.' "   And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."   My study Bible comments that this man does not come to test Jesus, but to seek advice from one he considers to be no more than a good Teacher.  Jesus' response is not to deny that He is God, but rather to lead the rich man to that knowledge.   Note also that formal observance of commandments does not make one righteous before God; however, as my study Bible suggests here, this man had an earnest desire for eternal life and sensed that he still lacked something.  Therefore, in such a context, he continue to press Christ for the answer. 

 

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.   It's important that the text tells us specifically that Jesus loved him.   My study Bible comments that to be perfect ("one thing you lack") one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  It adds that nothing is gained unless this sacrifice is given freely.  But the specifics of how a person follows Christ will vary for each one.  In this case, wealth had a great grip on this rich man and his identity, so his only hope was to sell and give away his possessions.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, to give away his possessions is the least of Christ's instructions to this man.  To follow Jesus in all things is a much greater and more difficult calling.  

 

 Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  My study Bible cites various interpretations which have been suggested for this impossible image of a camel to go through the eye of a needle.  One suggestion has been that the word wasn't "camel" but an Aramaic word that sounds alike and, in fact, means "rope."  Another has been offered that the "eye of a needle" was actually the name of a very narrow city gate, through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were unloaded of all of its baggage (symbolizing wealth).  There is an expression in the Talmud, "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  In any case, the image shows the impossibility of salvation for those attached to riches.  And the key is really in the understanding of what it is to be "attached" in this sense.  My study Bible says that this is made clear by the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?"  But by God's grace, even things which are impossible for us of our own efforts alone can come to pass.

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  My study Bible remarks that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children here.  Again, it cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who explains this as referring to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Moreover, here believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but rather in a spiritual one.  That is, the fathers and mothers of the Church, sisters and brothers in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.  

Of course this story is always somewhat shocking, no matter how many times we have heard it before.  Imagine being asked to give up everything one owns.  The concept is striking, for in our lives we seem to depend upon accumulating, saving, amassing things we need -- and not only for ourselves but for our families.  It is imaginable here that these possessions aren't really things this young man has accumulated by himself, but that he has inherited from his family.  In Matthew's Gospel, we're told that this is a young man (Matthew 19:20), and even in this story here in Mark's Gospel, we can see from the way he seeks out Christ, and the way Christ advises him, the youth in this person.  The idea that Jesus loves him tells  us about a kind of tenderness toward a young person who sincerely seeks the good.  But to give up wealth and possessions, particularly what we may assume is family wealth, and likely inherited property (as this society is not the upwardly mobile industrial period we know), speaks to how difficult this command might really be for the young man.  To give up these possessions likely means giving up family identity, for inherited wealth played a great role in this society, especially on the Council (particularly among the Sadducees).  Luke tells us, in fact, that this young man is a ruler, and so likely occupies an important and possibly inherited place in the society (Luke 18:18).  All of these things combine to tell us of the difficulties, hurdles, and obstacles this young man (whom Jesus loved, let us remember) had to struggle with in order to follow Christ's command to sell whatever he had and give it to the poor.  But those things illuminate struggles that may come our way, too, if our faith leads us to follow a different set of values than our parents or family would prefer.  Perhaps we also are led to follow a path where our lives are not dominated by the struggle for wealth, or to gain social position or status.  For these pursuits still play a great role in our world, in the status and esteem in which we're held by others, and in the ambitions parents, family, and loved ones -- even friends -- may have for us or wish to share.  In yesterday's commentary, we explored to an extent what it means to "make your eye single" in the command Jesus gives in Matthew 6:22.  That is the language of the King James Version, which is much closer to the Greek.  In the same passage (and also in the Sermon on the Plain in Luke's Gospel), Jesus continues with this illustration of single-minded focus by teaching, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).  In this context, we can see how the demands placed upon this young man by his wealth and possessions can get in the way of following Christ with a single-minded focus.  His family ties, his inherited position, his place as a ruler linked to to his wealth -- all of these would easily create a conflict of interest with the discipleship required by Christ of His followers, particularly at this time.  We can imagine the struggle ahead as Christ's ministry becomes one perceived with hostility by the religious rulers, and Christ is persecuted and killed, as His followers will become persecuted in the synagogues.  We know that Christ had other followers with a wealthy or prominent background, such as Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea, but in the tradition of the Church it is assumed they left these things behind to follow Christ and instead played significant roles in the early Church.  St. Paul is the other great example we have of a man who left everything behind, including his life as a Pharisee, to follow Christ.  In today's passage, the disciples themselves speak of all the things they have left behind to dedicate themselves to following Christ as they are led by Him to do so.  All of these things should combine to sober us to the possibilities regarding where Christ will lead us, to the things we might even be led to give up ourselves.  As. St. Chrysostom teaches, the ways in which we are taught to give up things in our lives that stand in the way of following Christ in a single-minded and fully committed manner will be different for each.  We don't all share the same task, the same pursuit which Christ asks of us.  Neither do we share the same types of attachments to let go.  But one thing He asks for is our full hearts, with nothing kept back.  The process of faith is that lifelong honing down by casting aside the things that stand in the way of its growth, the things we don't need, and taking up instead the way He asks of us.  With sober hearts, let us consider where He teaches us to go, and what it means to grow into the fullness of the life He offers.

 

The ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

'Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.'

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

 

- Luke 8:1-15 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  My study Bible comments that these women were faithful to Christ to the end (Luke 23:49, 55), and they were also the first to receive and proclaim the news of His Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  In the Scriptures, my study Bible explains, the number seven is often a symbol of totality and completeness; therefore this indicates that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing.  It is essential to consider that what sort of demonic influence this was is unknown; for the Eastern Church, she was never associated with prostitution.  The woman who anointed Christ with the oil from her alabaster flask in yesterday's reading (above) seems likely to have been one among them.

 

 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  At this stage, Jesus gives His foundational parable, as reported in all the Synoptic Gospels (see also Matthew 13:1–23; Mark 4:1–20).  This is the parable of the Sower.  Christ is the sower Himself (as He explains in the following verses), and as such He fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 55:10-13.   

 

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10, beginning above, in His final word in teaching the parable (Isaiah 6:9), and then here in response to His disciples (Isaiah 6:10).  My study Bible explains that mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but rather the presence of the Kingdom of God, which cannot be defined.   It says that a person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of Christ's Kingdom.  It cites St. John Chrysostom, who writes, "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will."  To do so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."

 

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."  My study Bible asks us to note in Christ's explanation here, that while some might teach that a person is permanently saved at the moment he professes faith -- a perspective never held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.  

My study Bible calls parables stories in word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  In Hebrew and Aramaic, the words for parable can also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb."  The Scriptures -- especially the Gospels -- are filled with parables, images drawn from daily life in the world in order to represent and communicate the deep things of God.  It notes that parables "give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways" (Isaiah 55:8-9).  But, as Jesus indicates, not everyone who hears understands.  One must have spiritual "ears to hear," and even then, the understanding is not all to the same degree.  Just as the mission of Isaiah was to open the eyes of Israel to see the acts of God, so Christ's parables seek to engage all to develop the "ears" to hear truth, which hopefully leads to the fruit of righteousness.  So parables are a challenge, and call for faith to perceive the mysteries of the kingdom of God Jesus speaks of in today's reading.  It often seems noteworthy that when Jesus begins to preach in parables, it seems to be an important turning point in His ministry.  He is well-known, and large crowds gather to Him.  He has also recently appointed twelve disciples to become also apostles, who now travel with Him preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  Today's reading also tells us of the women who traveled with Him, supported His ministry, and were indeed, faithful to the end.  So much so, that they would be the first to be told the news of the Resurrection (an example of what it means to "have ears to hear").  Luke's Gospel contains a number of Jesus' parables, including those we've already encountered such as the parable of the New and Old Wineskins, and the Wise and Foolish Builders.  Luke also contains a parable found exclusively in this Gospel, that of the Good Samaritan.  Regarding today's parable of the Sower, my study Bible has asked us to take note that, in Christ's explanation, it's clearly possible to receive the word with joy, and to believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  These are the products of the seed in the parable which fell on the rock, which immediately sprang up, but withered away because it lacked moisture.  If we read the parable as allegory here, we might consider the image connections Jesus makes between water and the Holy Spirit (for example, "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water," John 7:38).  In the Book of Jeremiah, God describes Himself as the "fountain of living waters" (see Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13).  And so, we can understand Jesus' teaching in this parable as denoting our need for nurturing of the seeds He planted, and especially with regard to our communion and the "waters" of the Holy Spirit, necessary for our growth and sustenance in a dynamic of faith.  The parable teaches us about what we need, conditions for nurturing, and hints at us how that nurturing happens, through the waters of the Holy Spirit, found in the Church and all of her resources.  Let us also look at Jesus speaking about the thorns:  "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity."  The parable doesn't just give us a strong flavor of what we need to seek out, but also what we need to contain, to set a limit to.  Cares, riches, and the pleasures of life can overwhelm and choke out all our time and attention, making us unfit to produce the good fruits He seeks.  We need to draw a boundary around our preoccupations and distractions, and make space instead for what nurtures.  In each of these ways, we are to consider how parables work, and how they encourage us to go further, to continue to nurture ourselves spiritually, while hand-in-hand we need the discipline to put a limit to what can overwhelm and harass our better goals, the "good part" of life that we must "seek first."  The women who follow Christ have chosen to do just that, to persist, to seek the Kingdom even after their healing, and to find that good part, following and supporting Him to the end, and beyond.  They remain for us examples of those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

 

 

 

 

What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I will say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.   They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."

 

- Luke 13:18-30 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?"  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  My study Bible comments that in Palestine, the mustard plant grows to a height of about ten feet.   It notes that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples.  According to Theophylact, they began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  These also stand for faith which enters a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul may become godlike and can receive even angels (the birds of the air).

 

 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I will say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."   In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus contrasts the narrow gate of salvation with the wide gate and broad way that leads to destruction.  This description of the two ways was widespread in Jerusalem, my study Bible comments (Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 1: Proverbs 4:18-19, 12:28, 15:21; Sirach 15:17), and also figures prominently in early Christian writings (Didache, Barnabas).  Luke's version, in today's reading, is the more eschatological, and refers to the end of the age.  Because we wrestle against sins and human weakness, as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), entering the Kingdom is the more difficult way.  

When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'"  My study Bible comments here that neither verbal confessions ("Lord, Lord"), nor sacramental experiences ("We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets") avail anything unless we also do the works of faith (see Luke 6:46-49).  

"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.   They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."   We see the clear eschatological reference to Judgment.  My study Bible cites Theophylact, who sees the first who becomes last as not only faithless Jews, but those in the Church who "from infancy have put on Christ and have been taught the Word, but who become last by transgressing against it."

In the middle of eschatological warnings about the time we have in our lives before we all face Judgment, Jesus gives us two famous parables about the Kingdom.  One of them is similar to the agricultural parables He gives, about the growth of a tremendous shrub, with all kinds of potentials (including providing a home for birds of the air, akin to angels), that grows from the tiniest of mustard seeds.  In the middle of warnings about what can go wrong when we're on the wrong path, Jesus gives us a couple of examples about how the path of the Kingdom works.  It's like the tiniest mustard seed -- the tiniest bit of faith or trust in God -- that has the capability for tremendous growth.  In today's reading, there is the very important theme about the "two ways."  One way is narrow and difficult, and this is the way of the Kingdom.  The other way (as described in the similar passage from Matthew) is broad and wide.  But if we take this "gardening" metaphor a little ways, in the theme of the mustard seed, we can see for ourselves how we need to tend our own garden of this narrow and difficult way.  To make a garden fruitful, to grow sturdy bushes with beautiful flowers and branches, takes vigilance.  We have to find ways that shoo off the pests without harming the good growth and potential of the mustard plant.  We need to trim it when it needs trimming, and remove the dead growth that takes up the energy of the plant.  We need to make sure it's nurtured with water and good soil, assisting that soil and its nutrients at regular intervals -- and we also need to weed out the plants that might harm the good growth we want.  This is similar to the narrow and harder way than the broad way of easy access where anything goes.  Then there is the parable of the leaven, which also teaches us about the "little bit" of faith we need -- and to allow that to permeate the rest.  If we extend this leaven metaphor to the garden, we know what beautiful things can come from effort that is continual, work that tends and nurtures, and does not give up nor allow things to go to seed.  This is the work that needs doing continually, the fruitful way we use the time of our lives as good servants and stewards of what we're given.  We stick with what we need to do, and let go of what is not our concern, not part of this narrow path.  Jesus gives stark warnings once again (as He has in the past several readings) about how we use the limited time of our lives, and the extreme consequences of neglect.  Let us use our time as we would in tending a good garden, being vigilant, and remembering what we are to be about.  This is what it is to be a good steward, to remember what it is the Master asks of us, and to be His good servants. 

 

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  

 

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  

 

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes is from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 

- John 10:1-18 

 

Our recent readings take place at the Feast of Tabernacles, during the final year of Christ's life.  He has healed a man blind from birth, giving us the sixth sign of seven in the Gospel of John.  Yesterday we read that the religious leaders did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."   So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.   Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains.

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.   As we begin chapter 10, there is really no break in the conversation carried over from yesterday's reading which ended chapter 9:  Christ's conversation with the Pharisees continues.  As noted above, all takes place at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, in the autumn of Christ's final year of earthly life.  My study Bible comments that Jesus here contrasts the leadership of the Pharisees with HIs own.  It says that they have failed as pastors of God's people ("pastor" coming from the Latin word for "shepherd").  Their leadership has been marked by deceit and pride and has lacked compassion.  But Jesus, on the other hand, fulfills all virtue.  Here in these verses, my study Bible points out, Christ speaks of His intimate knowledge of every person, showing therefore that true pastors in the Church strive to know their people by name, that is, personally.  Such pastors endeavor to understand each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, possessing Christlike compassion for each one (Hebrews 4:15).  In return, my study Bible continues, the people will respond to a true leader, trusting that he is a follower of Christ.  It quotes St. Ignatius of Antioch:  "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  It is the response of the faithful which is the best indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (John 7:47-49).  

 

 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them."   My study Bible comments that, according to St. John Chrysostom, the door is God's Word, indicating both the Scriptures and the Lord Himself, as the Scriptures reveal God the Word.  The one who tries to lead in a way that is neither in Christ nor according to the teaching of the Scriptures is a thief and a robber.  My study Bible says that the phrase all who ever came before Me does not refer to Moses or genuine prophets, but rather to people claiming to be the Messiah both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37).  

"I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."   Rather than using this door so all can see Christ's works openly, my study Bible says, false shepherds use underhanded means to control, steal, and manipulate people, ultimately destroying their souls.  By contrast, those pastors who lead according to Christ will find eternal life.  The ultimate thief, it says, is Satan, who spreads lies and heresies among the people of God, luring away both leaders and people.  Life means living in God's grace here on earth, while the more abundant life indicates the Kingdom to come.  

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  Christ reveals Himself as the good shepherd in the following ways, according to my study Bible:  First, He enters by the door; that is, He fulfills the Scriptures concerning Himself.  Second, He knows and is known by the Father.   Third, He knows His people personally, and therefore is known by them.  Finally, He gives His life for the sake of His people, a direct prophesy of Christ's coming Passion.  

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."  Other sheep, my study Bible explains, are the Gentiles.  They will be brought into one flock with the Jews under the one shepherd.  Therefore, for example, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the beginning, my study Bible continues, it has been the teaching that there can be one bishop serving a  city (Canon 8 of I Nicea), a principle which is affirmed in every generation.  Writing in the early second century to a Church that held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians, St. Ignatius taught, "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes is from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."   Jesus makes it clear ("I lay down My life") that His life-giving death will be voluntary.  Once again, an iteration that He does nothing apart from the will of His Father.  My study Bible adds that as He laid down His life for us, we lay own our lives for Him and for the sake of others.  

Jesus casts Himself here, repeatedly, in the role of the Good Shepherd.  As my study Bible pointed out, the word "pastor" comes from the Latin word for shepherd, and we should consider deeply what this means.  Christ is the Son who tends the flock of His Father.  He is not a hireling who will run when there is trouble, but He is rather the door, the gate that guards the sheepfold -- the enemy must come through Him to get to the sheep.  He is at once protector and guide.  He says that "the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."  Moreover, Christ emphasizes repeatedly that He will lay down His life for the sheep.  "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  There is this deep connection of knowing:   The sheep know His voice, just as the Father and the Son know one another.  In this knowing is a connection of love, for Christ will lay down His life for the sheep beloved of the Father, and given to the Son that He should not lose one of them (John 6:39).   And, more deeply powerful is the hidden context of all of this:  "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again."  The love of the Father is all-encompassing; it reaches to the Son who will lay down His life and take it up again, and that love reaches to the sheep, who, in that love, will all be made one flock, no matter who we are, where we come from, when we live in this world, when we come to faith.  We are His sheep, and our gratitude must be felt that we belong to this loving Shepherd, for "greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13).  To be a part of His flock is to know and to be known, to be embraced and held in a kind of protective love that surpasses what we understand of love, for it is absolute and it reaches to the infinite mystery that is God.  This love embraces us and fills us, and it heals us, and it will keep on teaching us how to live by its laws and guidance.  Let us consider this Good Shepherd, and be grateful He remains so, even to the end of the age, for us.