You are not far from the kingdom of God

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him. 

 

- Mark 12:28–34 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus is now in Jerusalem (the setting is what we call Holy Week), they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  so they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him. Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment."   And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.  In Christ's response to one of the scribes, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is the greatest Jewish confession of faith.  This is called the shema' (meaning "hear," which is the first word of the confession).  As the second, He quotes from Leviticus 19:18.  Thus, my study Bible remarks, Jesus combines what is already present in the Old Testament to create a new understanding for us:  love of neighbor is an expression of love of God.  

 

It's beautiful that we have this concept from Jesus regarding the two greatest commandments in the Law, and how they frame the gospel message.  Jesus has put it in different words in other readings, especially when He spoke to the disciples about receiving even a little child as if they are receiving Him -- and not only Him, but also the Father who sent Him (see this reading and commentary).  In that teaching, Jesus taught us to see others as icons; in this instance He was teaching the disciples (meaning all of those who would follow as well) that in His Church they are to see all as icons of both Himself and of the Father.  Today's reading and Christ's teaching asks us in a sense to love as if we saw others as icons of ourselves.  That is, we're not to love others the same way we love ourselves, but rather the meaning here is to love others as we would like to be loved ourselves.  There's an important -- possibly even immense -- world of difference in these two things.  If I may copy a note from my study Bible for my readers, it notes as follows:  "Rather, we are called to love our neighbor as being of the same nature as we ourselves are, as being created in God’s image and likeness just as we are. As the Fathers teach, we find our true self in loving our neighbor."  It's important to understand, also, that Jesus gives this as the second command, but the first is to love the LORD our God "with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."  For if we are honest, it is in learning to love God in the ways described here that we learn how to love in the first place, for God is love.  None of us is born perfectly knowing how to love.  Some might think that love means indulgence, never discipline or punishment.  But, for example, to love a child is also to teach that child discipline, to take proper care of itself and its health.  If we're honest with ourselves, neither are we perfect -- and to love us as we need to be loved, as we would prefer to be loved, would be to lovingly let us know when we're making mistakes, and going down the wrong path.  If this were not so, Christ would have quite a different ministry than the one we know from the Gospels, in which He was unafraid to speak out against what was evil.  In John 7:7, He says, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil."  Unfortunately this also implies that there are all kinds of things that sound good, or may be done with good intentions, but which have evil effects.  Not without reason is there a popular saying, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."  If we recall one most striking example, when St. Peter proposed that Jesus should never be killed, Jesus' response to him was harsh indeed:  "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" (see Matthew 16:21-23).  Certainly all of us can sympathize with St. Peter's call that Jesus should not be killed, and yet we know Jesus' striking response, meant to convey precisely this notion that not all that sounds good is good, but to follow the will of God is the true good.  In this we come fully around to the wisdom of Christ's teachings here, and which commandment comes first and which comes second.  For without God's love and guidance, we don't truly know the good, and we can't truly know what love is and how to live it.  We need that discernment to understand the difference between what God wants of us, and what we, on the other hand, may think is good, or sounds good to us.  Let us pray for the discernment to follow Christ's way, to love the LORD our God as fully and deeply and completely as the promise in this passage and confession of faith states, and in so doing learn to truly love one's neighbor as oneself.   For Jesus says Himself, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (John 7:13-14).  He is the narrow gate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are not far from the kingdom of God

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.

 

- Mark 12:28-34 

 

Yesterday we read that the religious leaders in Jerusalem sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him. Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.  My study Bible says that, in response to one of the scribes, Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is the greatest Jewish confession of faith.  It is called the shema' (meaning "hear," from the first word of the confession).  He then quotes from Leviticus 19:18, thereby combining what is already present in the Old Testament to create a new understanding.  My study Bible says this new understanding declares love of neighbor to be an expression of love of God.    The Pharisees, it says, had found 613 commandments in the Scriptures and they constantly debated which was central, thus this question appears to be something with which they'd always be preoccupied.  Jesus summarizes the Law with these two.  My study Bible makes clear that the latter commandment means that we're called to love others as of the same nature as ourselves, created in God's image and likeness as are we.  It says that as the Fathers and Mothers of the Church have taught, we find our true selves in loving our neighbor. 

How can we find our true selves in loving our neighbor?  One thing is clear, if we take a look at Christ's parable of judgment, the one of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46), we read that the supreme rule is one of active compassion.  It is in this sense that we can see, defined for us, what it looks like when we love neighbor as ourselves.  In that parable Jesus says that the sheep on His right are the ones who made acts of compassion for Himself.   When He's asked when these acts occurred, He says, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."  The same is true in the negative for the goats, who failed to do those acts, to whom Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me." Of course, in Mark's Gospel, we've already read Jesus' teaching to the disciples, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  This comes in response to the disciples' disputing who would be the greatest among them. See Mark 9:33-37.  Each of these examples given to us teaches us how Jesus views the inter-relatedness implicit in coupling these two laws of Moses together.  In terms of how we are to conduct ourselves in His Church, we're to couple these two things together in our own conduct:  that we first love God with all our mind, soul, heart, and strength.  There is no place in us exempt from this devotion, this love of God we're asked for.  But that is extended also to the love of neighbor as oneself -- we're not to be endlessly disputing who is greater.  Instead we have a deeply loving relationship to God that will claim everything within ourselves, and within that depth we know that others are in the same category, that we are all equally called to that love and share in this endeavor.  It's there we find ourselves, and it's in that place that genuine love will teach us who we are.  We are called to live our lives with that understanding, that we're all called to the same faith and to the love that faith asks of us.  Such a perspective gives us one in which we're blessed to help others along the way and to share in the bounty of that love God calls us to in the first place.  Clearly the scribe in today's reading comes to understand Christ and to recognize His teaching.  Thus, Jesus tells him, in a sense welcoming him to the life He offers:  "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

 

 

 

You are not far from the kingdom of God

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:   'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him. 

 

- Mark 12:28-34 

 

Currently, we are reading through the events of what is known to us as Holy Week, the final week of Jesus' earthly life.  Yesterday we read that the ruling Council sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him. Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 

  Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:   'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.  Here Jesus responds to one of the scribes, who seems to be asking his question in earnest.  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is the greatest Jewish confession of faith, called the shema' (which means "hear," the first word of the confession).  But Jesus doesn't stop there.  To complete His answer, He adds Leviticus 19:18.  In this way, as my study Bible notes, Jesus combines what is already present in the Old Testament to create a new understanding:  love of neighbor is an expression of love of God.  

When Jesus answers this scribe (or lawyer) in Matthew's Gospel, He caps off His giving of these commandments with the statement, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:40).  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus turns the question back upon the one who asks, in what we might call a Socratic manner, and asks the lawyer what his reading of the law is.  The lawyer then responds with these two commands.  But not content with that, the lawyer asks, "And who is my neighbor?"  To this question, Jesus responds by giving the parable of the Good Samaritan, an illustration of what it is to be a neighbor. (St. Luke's Gospel is the only place where we find the parable of the Good Samaritan; see Luke 10:25-37).  From these slightly varied versions of this story, we get a full feel for where Jesus is headed in His teaching, for what is important here is the fullness of the Law in the sense of the full communication of its aims.  For at the heart of these two commandments put together is a teaching on love, inseparable from the compassion of the Good Samaritan.  "What does it mean to be a neighbor?" or "Who is my neighbor?" become key questions because at the heart of Christ's teachings is the heart of God who longs to be and to create the very center of our community here in the world.  God, who is love, in this sense defines what it is to be a neighbor, or how we know who is a neighbor, and how to be a neighbor.  For in this sense, we cannot truly participate in community without God -- who is love -- at the center of community and indwelling that community through each of us.  The aim of the Law and the Prophets, therefore, is the establishment of true community, and in this way we know our Lord longs to be with us and among us in the center of that community, and teaching love as we learn also to be a neighbor and to participate in community God's way.  It's quite easy to think that we can have this all worked out in our own sense of what love is, or what compassion is.  It's simple to conjecture that we all know how we'd like others to treat us, so we can just figure this all out by ourselves.  But then comes a day when one finds that indulgence of whatever our particular desire is does not actually constitute love, or perhaps we see that for others who are stuck in the throes of addiction, or other self-destructive behaviors.  Comes the day as well when we learn that to say "no" to something is the only way to preserve our own well-being, and perhaps that of the community at large.  Love becomes not the simple four-letter-word we tend to think of it as being.  Love then becomes something complicated, something requiring wisdom, and a wisdom that can come only from the true Source of love who truly knows what is best for us and for community.  Then we get into a far more complicated area indeed, as love ultimately becomes recognized as a mystery, that can only be learned through experience with God who desires to lead us to great union with that mystery, with God who is love.  So let us ponder Christ's answer, for in it is the secret of what we are doing in the world, and the secret of the wisdom and knowledge God would have us learn through lifetimes of struggle to learn and to grow through our own deficiencies and unknowing, and even wrong-knowing.  Let us consider God's love, for in that love God welcomes us to become truly neighbors, among those who can love with all their heart.  For this is what it means to dwell in the Kingdom, and even to see God (Matthew 5:8).

 

 

Which is the first commandment of all?

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.

 

- Mark 12:28–34 

 

Yesterday we read that the chief priests, scribes, and elders sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him.  Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.   In today's reading, one of the scribes comes to question Jesus, as he perceives that He had answered the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees well (in yesterday's reading; see above).   In Jesus' response, He quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is the greatest Jewish confession of faith.  This is called the Shema' (which means "hear," the first word of the confession).  The second commandment He quotes is from Leviticus 19:18.  Thereby Jesus combines what is already present in the Old Testament to create a new understanding:  that the love of neighbor is an expression of the love of God.  Indeed, in Jesus' teaching, the two are not separable.  

 

 My study Bible comments that the second commandment expressed by Christ (from Leviticus 19:18) is frequently misinterpreted.  It says that it must be understood as written:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself; or more clearly, "as being yourself."  It is often misinterpreted to be understood as "You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself," which is not true to the force of the statement.  How much we love ourselves isn't the standard by which Christ calls us to love others.  My study Bible explains that we are called to love our neighbor as being of the same nature as we are ourselves -- as being created in God's image and likeness just as we are.   Moreover, if we look at the precise commandment, it leads us into an interesting perspective in its fullness:  "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."  Its first impetus is a prohibition against vengeance, and against bearing grudges within community.  That is, it is foundational to Christ's injunction regarding the practice of mutual forgiveness.  In Monday's reading, Jesus spoke about the power of faith and prayer.  But when He spoke of prayer, He added this statement:  "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  There are many things that open up here for our understanding.  The first is that to love neighbor as oneself is to see an injury to neighbor as to oneself; these are commandments regarding community, after all.   The original commandment also sheds light on the meaning of forgiveness:  that it does not preclude justice or the normal understanding of appropriate conduct in the face of harmful behavior.  But it does preclude vengeance and the exercise of holding a grudge; it limits tit-for-tat harm or injury, and it gives us a context for Christ's teachings on forgiveness -- that we give up our "debts" or "trespasses" to God, first, because community comes from God and our love of God in the first place.  It helps us to more fully understand Christ's teachings on community, and the kind of community He wants His Church to be; that is, the community of His followers, those who belong to Him.  Moreover, to love neighbor as oneself suggests a kind of love that is like a good parent for a child:  it does not imply harmful overindulgence, a nurturing of selfishness or self-destructive behavior.  But rather it implies that whatever discipline is good for us and healthful on any level, this also applies to how we love others.  To love another is not to encourage nor tolerate bad behavior, but to nurture what we believe is good for ourselves and therefore for others.  It supports Christ's notion of mutual correction in the Church found in Matthew 18:15-35.  In that passage, Jesus also speaks famously of forgiveness,  telling Peter to forgive "seventy times seven."  But this teaching is couched in a means of correction, giving us a way to reconcile injury, while at the same time upholding the teachings in Leviticus 19:18 against vengeance and nursing a grudge.  In Christ's important combination of these two commandments, we come to understand that everything begins and ends with the love of God.  We turn to love of God in prayer to help us to reconcile our own sense of injury and the command to forgive; we seek God's love for us to teach us how we are to behave in community, in the world.  We "turn over" our debts to God the metaphorical central Banker, and we find how to conduct our lives free of vengeance and grudge-holding, in order to find our peace and by extension that of community.  Life is full of injury, because life is full of sin and selfishness.  But Christ asks us to find the best way to make our way through this world within the loving embrace of God and the teachings of God, not as frustrated individuals lost without community.  Christ's great emphasis is the centrality of God to our own identity and understanding of community.  Connecting it to Psalm 27, we might say, according to the Septuagint translation in my study Bible:  "For my father and my mother forsook me, but the Lord laid hold of me" (verse 10).  It is in keeping with the understanding that although sin or abuse may interfere with relations in this world, we can still find community in God, the good teachings that will see us through life.  This is the kind of community that Christ offers to us through His teachings.  They are not teachings of self-centeredness or selfishness, but they are teachings for health of self and in community, teachings of true self-love and therein true discipline, offering us what's good for us, like a truly good parent should.  Let us take to heart that Christ's way is both the way of truth and the way of peace:  these are so often hard to reconcile on human terms, but, as the psalm says, the Lord will care for us and teach us the way in our lives.  Everything begins and ends with the love of God, for it is God's kingdom in which we seek to dwell.

 

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

- Matthew 13:44-52

On Saturday we read that a ruler of the synagogue came and worshiped Jesus, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."  Today's reading continues from the teaching of the parable of the Sower (see this reading and this one) and various other parables (see 13:24-43).  My study bible comments that the parable of the treasure hidden in a field illustrates those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and Christ's Church, but then nevertheless receive Him with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price, it says, illustrates those people who've been searching in their hearts, and finally find Christ.  The other pearls give an image of all the various teachings and philosophies of the world:  good and true yet not with the fullness of the Gospel.   The treasures are are hidden in that they are not recognized nor even valued by people immersed in worldliness.  In other parables, my study bible points out, receiving the treasure requires that everything else has to be sold.  We surrender all things to Christ, and receive back a transformed and transforming understanding of ourselves and our world.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."   This image of the fishing net which gathers some of every kind, both good and bad, is compared as similar to the one of the wheat and tares (verses 36-43) by my study bible.  It comments that this parable of the dragnet further emphasizes that even those who are gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."   Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom here, who notes that Jesus doesn't exclude the Old Testament in His assessment of what's good, but also praises it as treasure.  It says that those who truly write or speak of the kingdom of heaven will draw from the unity of the new and old Testaments, as both are holy -- and the New is a fulfillment of the Old.  This is even affirmed by the way that Matthew composed his gospel, as we repeatedly read the formula "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" (1:22; 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).

What is wisdom and how do we know it?  What is truth?  Moreover, what is it worth in our lives?  The truths in the Bible have clearly stood the test of time.  But then again, they mean nothing in our own lives if we don't treasure them, live by them, and learn for ourselves through experience what value they have.  Jesus emphasizes this in His teachings in today's reading by referring to them as treasure, and speaking of a pearl of great price.  Interestingly, into the middle of these parables He reminds us of judgment (just as earlier in the chapter He gives the parable of the Wheat and the Tares in the middle of other parables of the Kingdom; see 13:24-43).  Here there is a correlation between "some of every kind" and the "wicked and the just," implying that those who are just in this world are also treasure.   Therefore a lived truth is especially important in our understanding of Christ's parables of the Kingdom, for this Kingdom must be a living thing among us, alive and vibrant and growing.  Truth isn't just static, timelessness implies something different, a wisdom applied and lived and renewed through the experience of each generation.  In 2 Corinthians 3, St. Paul writes, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  He compares the living faithful to an epistle of Christ written on the heart by the Spirit.   And it is this living spirit of truth -- lived by us through the hidden work of the Spirit -- that makes true treasure and true wisdom.  It must be active and living, fleshed out and fulfilled and present to us in experience, and this is where we go today in a discussion about real treasure and the Kingdom.  So for today, let us read these lessons -- all of Jesus' parables -- and consider what our treasure really is.  If it doesn't live within us and it's not lived in our lives, what is it?  What we cherish becomes a part of us.  What we live makes things real, and renewed in the world.  Let us distinguish what is good and be active and adamant about cherishing that pearl of great price that is worth the cost of everything else.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field

Christ Pantocrator (detail from Deisis mosaic).  1261, Haghia Sophia cathedral, Constantinople (Istanbul)

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he has found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

- Matthew 13:44-52

Yesterday we read that, after preaching several parables,  Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he has found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."  My study bible takes these two parables together in a commentary.  It explains that the parable of the treasure hidden in a field is an illustration of those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, but nevertheless receive Christ with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price is an illustration of those who have been searching in their hearts for Christ, and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls give a picture of all the varied teachings and philosophies of the world.  These treasures are hidden in the fact that they are not recognized nor valued by the people who are immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, to receive the treasure asks of the purchaser that everything else must be sold.  In other words, a person surrenders everything else in order to receive Christ.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."    My study bible comments that the image of the fishing net, which gathers the good and wicked together, is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares.  (See yesterday's reading, above, in which Jesus gives His interpretation of that parable to the disciples; and also His original telling of the parable in this reading from last week.)   However, the parable of the fishing net further emphasizes that even those who are gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom here, who comments that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament, but rather praises it as a treasure.  Those who truly write or speak of the kingdom of heaven, my study bible says, will draw from the unity of the new and old Testaments, as both are holy, with the New being the fulfillment of the Old.   This, in fact, is how Matthew composed his gospel, in which we frequently read of events which happened that it might be fulfilled which was spoken (see 1:22; 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).

So, what is treasure to you?  What constitutes treasure?  A treasure is something more prized above all else.  It is something coveted, and zealously guarded, as that which brings and adds value to us and to our lives.  A treasure is something which is loved, held highest in value, given esteem in some sense.  A treasure is also something which we will go out of our way and make the greatest effort to preserve and to protect, even to enhance its value if possible.  All of these qualities Jesus ascribes to the kingdom of heaven, teaching those who would be His followers about how they should prize what He offers, and what they might participate in and be a part of through His ministry.  In the parables of the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great price, we're told that this one prized thing is worthy of the sacrifice of everything else in order to have it.  The treasure hidden in the field reminds us of the secret and hidden nature of this treasure as well.  It's in the prayers we say in secret to our Father in the secret place, and who hears in secret (Matthew 6:6).   The very word mystery, so frequently given to us as part of the Church and all of her sacraments, means "hidden" or "secret" -- and so we are given yet another understanding of this Kingdom.  It may not appear to all, nor be apparent to anyone else, but becomes real and present to us through faith.   The parables of the mustard seed and leaven also gave us hints of the hidden mystery of the Kingdom.  The leaven was hidden in the meal until it transformed the whole thing through an inner, mysterious action.  The tiniest of seeds produced a great tree.  The pearl of great price is the parable most often cited when we're speaking about the value and worth of this mystery of the Kingdom.  But even such a pearl and its value would not be obvious to everyone.  It would take a kind of expertise, and one who has searched such treasures with a long experience, to know it when he or she found it.  Again, the parable speaks of a kind of mystery that only some will know and understand.  Perhaps in looking at these parables and the "hiddenness" that we find in them, we come to understand another important facet of our faith and about the Kingdom.  Not everybody is going to love this or understanding it.  Not everybody is going to value it, or be aware of its value.  Each parable asks us to be aware of what it is that we are being offered, and even if no one else knows or understands what treasure we have, we are to value it as priceless, and above all other things.  Finally, in today's reading, Jesus gives us yet another parable invoking the image of judgment.  We will find in this world both good and bad, valuable and worthless, all somehow bound up together.  But that is not to be our concern except for our need for discernment.  This is the way that things must be, and only God's judgment is to separate good from bad, and that will come at the end of the age.  Our work is to hear His commandments, to value what He offers, and to be the best disciples that we can be, even in the midst of a confusing world where not everyone is going to value the same things that we do.  Finally Jesus speaks once again of treasure:  "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  We have a long, long tradition of treasures, and each year, each century, every saint, and every faithful person, brings more to this treasure.  New or old makes no difference to the value of the treasure -- each one adds to the other.  Let us consider the frame of mind which Jesus asks of us:  we are to learn to discern true value, and live by such an understanding.  We place the treasure of this Kingdom first, and we recognize its value and the worthiness of all parts of it, both old and new.  This isn't a fad and it isn't a fashion.  It's not the "latest thing" -- but it is the greatest thing.  Let us live in accordance with the vast value He places upon this treasure.  In the icon above, which is the center of a mosaic in Haghia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom"), the cathedral of Constantinople, we see Christ as ruler of all.  He is pictured holding the Gospel, the living word.  We notice its bejeweled and golden cover, indicating that it is the true treasure.  It almost looks like a treasure box.  But let us remember that the treasure is "hidden" within, in His living word to us and given for us -- even as He is also the "Living Word" who gave His life for ours.

There is no other commandment greater than these

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.

- Mark 12:28-34

 Yesterday we read that as Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, the leaders sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him.  Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves is wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.  In His response to one of the scribes, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which my study bible says is the greatest Jewish confession of faith, called the shema' (meaning "hear," which is the first word of the confession).  Jesus compounds this confession with another command, Leviticus 19:18, and combines what is already present in the Old Testament in order to build a new understanding:  the love of neighbor is an expression of the love of God.  Let us note, in keeping with observations in yesterday's commentary that there are those righteous among the leaders, that this scribe asks Jesus an honest question, as he has heard He and the Pharisees and Herodians reasoning together, and perceived that He had answered them well.   My study bible also comments that Jesus' mention of the second commandment is frequently misunderstood.  It does not teach us to love our neighbors with the same measure of love we have for ourselves; rather it teaches us to love neighbor as of the same nature of ourselves, being created in God's image and likeness as are we.  This is very similar to the teaching on marriage, if we think about it -- that "the two shall become one flesh."  Thus, we find our true self in loving others, and in particular rooted first in loving God.

If we look at the fullness of the second command Jesus gives (Leviticus 19:18), it begins with the teaching, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people. . .."  This enforces the understanding of loving neighbor as oneself, in the sense in which my study bible comments, above, as we are to understand that the purpose of righteousness -- as taught by these commands -- is community.  In other words, God's teachings and intent of the law, as given through Moses, is to create community.  If we recognize that each is of the same nature, a creature of God, then we start with the understanding built in to our approach to life that we live in a world created and given to us by Creator, and each person is a fellow offspring of Creator.  Jesus puts these two commands together to give us a kind of universal enveloping understanding of how we stand in right relatedness both to Creator and to one another as creatures.  These commands do not preclude justice, but are meant to enhance justice within the fullness of an understanding of who we are and who God is; moreover, that understanding is couched in the true nature of relationship with both.  In the Greek, the word for neighbor is rooted in the word for close or near, it means the one who is nearby.  This can be understood in a very particular way from the story Jesus tells to illustrate the point in Luke's Gospel; that is, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).  In Jesus' parable, it is literally the one who happens upon an injured man and helps him who is the true neighbor, and happens to be a Samaritan, and not a Jew.  This, to my way of thinking, is a very personal way of understanding Jesus' teachings -- that so much depends upon our personal encounters with others.  This is not a grand statement of simply general ethics, principles, or abstract thinking.  It is anything but a teaching that allows us to make a political statement or slogan based on its teachings, and then treat our perceived enemies with no-holds-barred ruthlessness.  The command is all about the personal, and our personal encounters with others, even our intimate behavior, if you will.  We are called to actively love in a way that promotes peace and minimizes needless conflict and endless recrimination in a cycle of violence or hostility.  We are called to act with forbearance and prudence with others, a kind of public respect that doesn't violate certain boundaries.  It is the basis for what has rather quaintly come down to us today as "good manners,"  but in fact took root as a profound and revolutionary social teaching.   It is, in particular to my mind, a personal commitment Jesus speaks to here -- to remember God's presence within and among each of our other encounters with those who are "nearby."  And this is indeed a way to remember God, an invitation to a prayerful way of living our lives.  We remember that the commitment is first to love of God, our Creator, and that from this loving relationship to a loving Creator flows our proper relationship to neighbor, to those who are "close," whom we may encounter and with whom we interact in our lives.  That means every one.  These are the true roots of community, a personal commitment regarding our conduct to all whom we meet wherever we find ourselves.  It calls upon us to learn discipleship, even as the apostles were taught to be wise as serpents and guileless as doves.  On the page of my blog titled Prayers, I have included an Orthodox Prayer for the Beginning of the Day.  Part of it reads, "Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all.  In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.  In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by You.  Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others."  The words of this prayer do indeed embody the teachings of Christ in today's reading, the two commandments He puts together as one in response to the scribe.  Let us endeavor to do -- to act, think, work, and live -- as He teaches.  May God's grace be with us to do so, as the prayer also includes:  "Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.  Direct my will, teach me to pray.  And, Yourself, pray in me.  Amen."

A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took our two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

- Luke 10:25-37

Yesterday we read that, after being sent out on their first mission, the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  A lawyer is an expert in the Mosaic Law and the traditional practices built up around it, likely a scribe, but here in this passage the emphasis on an understanding of the religious law is important.  Jesus, as He so often does, turns the question back on the one who asks.  The lawyer gives the same answer Jesus Himself gives elsewhere (see Matthew 22:37-40), quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  The lawyer then takes his turn to ask Christ yet again another question -- and this one goes to the heart of the matter.  How does one interpret neighbor?  Perhaps, in seeking to justify himself, the lawyer is considering what that truly means for himself, and this is an honest question, for Christ gives him an honest answer designed to help him think about the question.  The parable of the Good Samaritan that follows, we should note, is found only in Luke.

"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."  Throughout the history of the Church, the patristic writers have viewed this parable as allegorical to the Church itself.  Jerusalem is understood as a place of peace, which is symbolic of communion with God.  But Jericho, by contrast, was renowned as a place of sin (see 19:1).   To fall among thieves, my study bible says, speaks to the natural consequence of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  In a certain sense, this journey is through a "valley of the shadow of death," as Psalm 23 reads.  Jericho, therefore, as understood by St. Ambrose of Milan, is an image of the world through which we all pass.

"Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side."  My study bible comments here that titles and positions are meaningless in the sight of God when good deeds don't accompany them.  Cyril of Alexandria writes, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  That the priest and the Levite do not help the man also indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin. 

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."  The Samaritan is a despised foreigner from a region between Judea and Galilee, whose doctrines and beliefs retain many of the same bases of the faith of the Jews, but differ in certain points of contention.   He is an image of Christ (John 8:48), as He "came down from heaven" (Creed) to save even those in rebellion against Him.

"And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took our two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'"   Bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images, my study bible comments.  Bandages give us the image of the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil of chrismation gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  The communion of divine blood, as figured in the wine, leads to eternal life, the basis of the lawyer's question in the first place.  That the Samaritan set him on his own animal, it says, indicates Christ bearing our sins in His own body.  The inn reveals the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Jesus pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).   When Christ comes again, at the judgment of the righteous, those who practice mercy and compassion ("take care") will be repaid.

So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  Christ's words are for all of us, but in particular those in the Church who seek to be His followers.

If we read the complete law which teaches to love one's neighbor as oneself (Leviticus 19:18), it begins with the admonition, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people . . .."  The emphasis here is on refraining from vengeance, and from a cherished anger or hatred, enmity.   Certainly between the Samaritans and the Jews such enmity existed, and so the image of the Samaritan is important to the story.   It is the Samaritan who, through his actions and choices, redeems relationship, and chooses to be neighbor by showing mercy on the one hurt by the thieves.  If we view this parable as it has been historically seen by Church Fathers, especially in the early centuries of the Church, we see the redemption of Christ's mercy at work, which seeks to teach that all are neighbors of one another, but that this can only exist through faith in the work of Christ and the redemptive power of the gospel and the gifts given to us for unity in the love of God, such as baptism, the Eucharist, the gift of the Holy Spirit -- all of which enable and activate the practice of mercy as spiritual good and healing property.  These elements do not merely address the external, but rather the internal wounds of sin that separates us from God and one another -- and in particular the environment of a world permeated with error, hostility, enmity, and misleading teachings that harm rather than doing good (John 16:2).  Here we are, in this world, this "valley of the shadow of death," that seems to be, quite often, the same as it ever was.  In a modern point of view, we may take scientific, legal, and other forms of advances as proof that our world is simply not the same as it was, and so these advances -- when they do indeed come in the form of compassion, care, and mercy -- do form a kind of help for us all, an improvement in the lot of the world.  But healing is more than physical, and this is a parable meant to teach about the gift of eternal life, the life of the soul.  And in this context, we need to look again at what Jesus teaches.  In the care of the soul, there is no separation between what we do and who we are.  For the pure in heart (Matthew 5:8) there is no difference between the inside of the cup and the outside (Matthew 23:26).  It is this practice of mercy, in which we rely on God to teach us its depth of practice and to transfigure us into the image that Christ has of us, in which the world is transformed from stranger to neighbor.  For this practice deep in the soul, these things begin in the heart, with what we nourish and what we cherish as our greatest treasure and blessing, and that is where "neighbor" begins.  This is not merely a story about outward acts, nor is it a teaching only about a conviction or principle.  It is, rather, a story about active faith -- about how the choices we make will reflect the love of God (Who is love) which we actively cultivate and cherish within ourselves, especially through the methods and practices offered to us to participate in this Kingdom and the love of Christ.  The fullness of belonging to this Samaritan who takes on the burden of care for a hurting world is the fullness of life everlasting for each of us.  Christ teaches us not merely about outward acts, but also about the depths of love that can be at work in us, that there is no real measure of how deeply we can proceed and participate in this love, even as we walk through this valley of the shadow of death, so long as the Lord our Shepherd is with us, as the Psalm teaches.  Jesus, through this parable, gives us an image of the world.  Our lives, and all the circumstances through which we pass, may not be perfect.  We may be beset by the thieves who would steal away and destroy this love that means peace in the perfect heavenly Jerusalem, the place of our root and origin.  But we each have the chance to participate actively in God's compassion through the gifts we're given via Christ's Incarnation.  The gift is before us, even as Jesus travels to Jerusalem and His own hour of glory, to the Cross and to Resurrection.  Let us consider that transforming work in our own lives today.   Let us also consider the times in which we may find ourselves "wounded" and left "half dead," perhaps literally, but quite often figuratively.  It is for those times that we call on the Lord and His way of compassion and the cross, to see us through with the care we need, to get us to the place we need to be.

You are not far from the kingdom of God

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.

- Mark 12:28-34

Yesterday we read that they sent to Jesus some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words as He taught in the temple.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him.  Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.  Jesus answers the question of the scribe by quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which is the greatest Jewish confession of faith.  It is called the shema', which means "hear," the first word of the confession.  He then quotes Leviticus 19:18, creating a combination in order to forge a new understanding.  Consistent with His teaching to the apostles regarding the care of the littlest and their use of power (see all the readings from last week), and with His teachings on prayer and forgiveness (see Tuesday's reading), Jesus expresses through what is already present in the Old Testament a new lesson:  that love of neighbor is an expression of love of God.  Let us note that this scribe, a lawyer, is told by Jesus that he is "not far from the kingdom of God."  The Gospels give us a sense that among the leadership there are those who become faithful followers of Christ, including the Pharisee Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man of Jerusalem, both members of the ruling Council.

It's important that we understand that despite what is to come, Jesus' condemnation by the Council, the Gospels teach us that all members of the Council are not alike.  Rather, the picture we get is one of manipulation from the powerful at the top through wrong use of power, violations of their own law and procedure, and for reasons of envy.  But all in leadership do not agree, and there are those who are clearly not merely sympathetic to Jesus, but who also at great risk to themselves become disciples and supporters.  This is important because the Gospels teach that there are no assumptions to be made based on a social or community identity; what is truly important is just what Christ teaches in today's reading:  who are those who keep these two great commandments, understanding that they go hand in hand?  Throughout Mark's Gospel, Jesus has set out the difference between using power as a manipulative and coercive tool, and using power and authority in ways that create and practice love and compassion.  He has Himself set the example for this.  Here, in His answer to the scribe's question, Jesus sets out the correct juxtaposition of the two greatest commandments of the Law, that in effect sum up His own teachings.  First, one must love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  Coupled with this first and greatest commandment Jesus deliberately adds a second:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  Jesus teaches us about compassion.  In Matthew's Gospel, when He sums up the Judgment that will come at the end of the age, He speaks of the separation of sheep and goats, using them as images for the ways of life that people practice.  The separation takes place on the basis of the showing of compassion, and this is the summing up Jesus presents us with in these two greatest commandments.  We note the importance of the fact that one comes first.  It is God who is arbiter of all things, and God who is love, and from whom we learn concepts of love, of justice, of truth, of mercy.  It is in this model of loving God through communion that we learn how to love neighbor, how to use discernment, how to find true righteousness that does not shrink from truth about our condition and that of our neighbor.  Let us consider how we fulfill these two great commandments, and in what order of magnitude we need to understand them.  What are we to make of Jesus' reply to the scribe?  Perhaps it is the understanding that to fully live these commands is to draw the Kingdom near to us.

One pearl of great price

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they threw to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

- Matthew 13:44-52

On Saturday we read that, after having taught with several parables (see this reading with the parable of the tares of the field, and this one), Jesus sent the crowd away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."   These parables illustrate the incomparably precious and singularly rare quality of the Kingdom for human beings.  My study bible comments on the desire shown us in these two parables.   The parable of the treasure hidden in a field illustrates those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, but yet receive Him with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price illustrates, on the other hand, those who have been searching in their hearts for Him and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls, it says, represent all the various teachings and philosophies of the world.  These treasures, moreover, are hidden in that they are neither recognized nor valued by those immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, receiving the treasure requires that everything else must be sold.  That is, a person must surrender all things to receive Christ.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they threw to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."   In this image of the fishing net which gathers the good and wicked together, we find again Jesus' reference to good and bad together, as in the parable of the wheat and the tares (see Saturday's reading, above).  My study bible says that the parable further emphasizes that even those gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  St. John Chrysostom comments that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament, but rather praises it as a treasure, my study bible says.  To truly write or speak about the kingdom of heaven means one draws upon the unity of both new and old Testaments.  Both are holy, and the New is fulfillment of the Old.  This is how Matthew composed his gospel, and we frequently read the formula that it might be fulfilled which was spoken (2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).

Jesus has spoken of Himself as one who has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (5:17).  In John's Gospel, we learn that He is the Word (John 1:1-18).  The Bible itself is called the living Word, as it is inseparable from our understanding of Christ, and in His teachings today He gives us a sense of the incomparable treasure we have in Him, in the Scriptures, and in the living Kingdom that truly comprises the Church.  Also in John's Gospel, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that "the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).  Therefore this living treasure, the Kingdom which is with us and within us (Luke 17:20-21), lives and works and is present to us in all of these things, in ways that permeate our lives and are at work in the world, particularly through the Holy Spirit, who speaks not of Himself but gives us the truth of the living Word (John 16:13-15).  Therefore the reality of this treasure is ever-present to us; what was working through the events of the Old Testament comes to us today in spirit and in truth, what Christ taught to the disciples is ever with us in our own lives and as it may nurture and feed us in spirit and in truth.  When we forget that this treasure is living and present, and assume that it is something merely of the past, we lose sight of what we need and the reality of true worship.  What we can see and observe of the world around us,  moreover, teaches us about the significance of love for every human being.  Psychology shows us that even animals need a sense of belonging or they are damaged as creatures, terribly wounded in their own capacity for survival and self-care.  John the Evangelist also gives us the essential understanding that God is love (1 John 4), that the reality of the Church is love, that whatever spirit is against love is that which is against God.  Ultimately, this living treasure that lives through love in spirit and in truth, calls us to love.  It gives us what is good for us in the love of God.  We are called back to Creator, because whatever is going to truly heal and make us whole is that from which we are created in the first place -- and that Source is love.   It is our treasure, because without it we are incomplete, unhealed, not whole.  So Christ calls us to the kingdom of heaven as the great and incomparable treasure, worth every other sacrifice it may ask of us.  This treasure offers us a living love with which we are connected, even when the love we receive in the world is imperfect or damaged or even absent.