Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

 

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." 

 

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven."  So he said to them, "How is it that you do not understand?"   

 

- Mark 8:11–21 

 

On Saturday, we read that in those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

  Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."   A sign from heaven, my study Bible explains, means a spectacular display of power.  It says that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but the Pharisees have not recognized the sign already being performed by Jesus, because their hearts were hardened.  They thus ignored the works happening all around them.  A sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God, my study Bible adds.  

 

 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven."  So he said to them, "How is it that you do not understand?"    My study Bible explains that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  In Scripture, it notes, leaven is used both positively (as in Matthew 13:33) and negatively, as it is here.  In either case, it explains, leaven symbolizes a force powerful enough -- and frequently subtle enough -- to permeate and affect everything around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8).  

 

In today's reading, we have two kinds of "hard-heartedness" or lack of belief that we read about.  One is of the Pharisees and Herod.  They seek a sign, and it must somehow be proven to them that Jesus is a truly holy man, let alone the Christ.  It doesn't matter how many "signs" are present in Christ's ministry, doesn't matter how much of what He does is a reflection of God the Father, they won't believe.  Clearly, they don't want to, and have particular interests to guard that might be threatened by the holiness of Christ and His ministry.   Essentially, they want to be "manipulated" into faith, shall we say; that is, forced into it by some spectacular act that will leave no doubt.  But this is not Christ's mission nor ministry.  He seeks those with eyes to see and ears to hear (Isaiah 6:9-10).   What we call hard-heartedness seems to take on two forms.  There is first of all the kind of hardness of heart that Jesus refers to when He speaks to the disciples in today's reading, asking them, "Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?"   This is based on a Scriptural understanding of "the heart" as the seat of understanding and perception.  This "heart" is the door upon which Christ knocks when we read, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20).  In this sense, a hardened heart is one that will not open to truth, will not open to the perception of spiritual truth and understanding to receive Christ, who is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  Then there is the "hardness of heart" that has developed as an understanding of the passage given in St. Mark's 3rd chapter, when Jesus is challenged over healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath.  The text tells us that Jesus entered the synagogue, watched over by the Pharisees to see whether or not He would heal on the Sabbath, something they had already faulted.  Jesus asked them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they kept silent.  Then we're told that Jesus look around at them with anger, and was grieved by the hardness of their hearts.  This incident led to the Pharisees plotting with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (see Mark 3:1-6).  This hardness of heart has come to mean a kind of cruelty, that in a modern secular usage seems to be divorced from the things of God.  But, in essence, we're speaking about quite similar things.  The message seems to be that a heart divorced of the things of God, will be divorced from even what is naturally good to us, like the healing of a man with a withered hand.  So, hard-heartedness in today's reading takes the form of this demand by the Pharisees whom Jesus condemns in their asking for some great sign -- but also in the form of Christ's questioning of His own disciples, when they fail to grasp what He tells them about "the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod."  They, the disciples, have certainly seen enough to know that He would not be complaining to them for lack of bread!  Here is the place where we have affirmed that the feeding of five thousand, and later of four thousand (see Saturday's reading, above), are clearly two separate incidents, in Jesus' words here to the disciples.  But the near-incredulity we can read into Christ's questions to the disciples teaches us that even He seems somewhat mystified at their lack of understanding, as if these feeding miracles had never happened.  We can think of at least one reason that might explain their repeated lack of understanding, and that is the encroachment of a threat from the religious authorities and the state against Christ.  It will be a long road toward their acceptance and understanding of what is to come ultimately in Christ's ministry, in His Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection.  So let us consider "hard-heartedness" as a term that means a lack of perception of the things that belong to God, the natural goodness of human beings, and the love that we know is of God (1 John 4:8).  For the text shows us that although we might stumble as human beings, there is redemption in the long road of faith, as for the disciples -- while there are still others who have no sense of repentance nevertheless.  Let us ask ourselves where our own hearts are hardened, and what thing we may need to learn to accept today, even if it is difficult for us.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat

 

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

- Matthew 15:29-39 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus departed to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desire."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  My study Bible comments that Christ's healing of the multitudes here shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman (of yesterday's reading; see above).  St. John Chrysostom notes that Christ healed that woman's daughter "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delays with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."

 

 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.   Jesus has already fed a multitude in Matthew 14:22-33.  That feeding was for a crowd of five thousand men and more women and children.  Here, there are four thousand men, besides women and children.  So these are separate and distinct miracles.  My study Bible comments that the variance in the number of loaves is significant.  In the first feeding, there were five loaves, which symbolizes the Law.  Here, there are seven.  Seven symbolizes completeness, a fullness -- here it indicates spiritual perfection.  So, in the first instance, Christ revealed Himself as fulfilling the Law, while here He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  My study Bible also notes that these crowds had been with Christ for three days, the number of days that He will rest in the tomb.  It says that participation in Christ's perfection can only come through being united to His death (see Romans 6:3-5). 

 

What do we feed ourselves with?  Jesus calls Himself the bread of heaven, and the "bread of God" (John 6:33, 50-51).  When we take the Eucharist, from the earliest times of the Church it was understood that we feed ourselves with Him (John 6:51-56).  So the notion of food, and of feeding, is central to our faith and our concepts of our faith in Christ, as offered to us by Him.  These separate feeding miracles of the five thousand and four thousand are central to the Gospels.  They are images of God from the Old Testament, who fed the Israelites as they followed Moses in the wilderness, going (or we might even say meandering) toward the Promised Land.  The "bread from heaven" of the Old Testament (Exodus 6) is a landmark event, and so are these two feedings by Jesus in the wilderness.  The first (Matthew 14:13-21) took place among a distinctly Jewish population, and has overtones (as explained in the notes from my study Bible quoted above) of the Torah, the giving of the Law.  The miracle in today's reading takes place after Jesus has praised the faith of a Canaanite woman (see yesterday's reading, above), and in a region of mixed populations of Gentiles and Jews (although those who follow Jesus we presume are Jews).  But the numbers, as my study Bible noted above, suggest more symbolism and meaning.  There is first of all the seven loaves, and seven has been explained as a number of fullness or completion.   There is also the number four thousand, a large number based on four which suggests the four points of the compass, all the world -- and also the four points of the Cross, which will go out to the world.  When we put these meanings together, we should think of the understanding that there is one place where we go which can feed the entire world, one Person to whom we turn who can give us the bread of heaven that is meant for all people.  There is One who can serve a world with the completeness of what spiritual perfection is and means -- and who may continue to offer that to all people.  There is One in whom we find that fullness, for -- as He has said in speaking of Himself as the bread of heaven -- He has given His flesh for the life of the world (John 6:33, 51), and He continues to give us the true food for the life of the world.  Because His is completion, perfection, an "end" which means that absolutely all things are included, His work continues and His food continues to feed us, for He is the beginning and the end, who is and was and is to come (Revelation 1:8).  His is the perfection we seek, the place we go in our need.  In a consumerist world, in which we are offered so many choices of what we will consume --  what news, what entertainment, what beliefs, what slogans, what information, what politics, what attitudes, and all manner of mores, ethics, values -- let us be discerning about what it is we choose to take in, what it is we feed on.  Christ has already offered us Himself, and He keeps on giving.   He should be our first stop, the One from whom we are guided through all the rest of what we think we need, and what really nurtures our lives.  He is our compassionate Savior, who loves us enough to give His life for us, and for the world. 

 

 

 

Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother

Virgin and Child.  Mosaic, 1315-1321.  Holy Savior in Chora Church, Constantinople (Istanbul)

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

- Matthew 12:43-50

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' continuing encounter with the Pharisees, after their accusation that He cast out demons by the power of demons.  He said, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  My study bible comments that when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they did not repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (Deuteronomy 31:20; Psalm 105:34-39).  Therefore, we are taught to guard our hearts.  Without true repentance and the invitation of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the heart of a person, my study bible says, an expelled demon will return with others reoccupy its abode.  This serves to emphasize the need for vigilance in the inner life, and also constant prayer.  Our faith is not a one-time declaration, but an ongoing commitment, a practice of struggle for awareness, growth, and dynamic internal movement. 

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."  My study bible suggests that Christ's relatives haven't yet understood His identity and mission.  Jesus points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of My Father.  My study bible also reminds us that in Jewish usage (and for that matter, still today across the Middle and Near East), brother can indicate any number of relations.  In some examples from Scripture, Abram called his nephew Lot "brothers (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3), and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  The Church by tradition upholds that Jesus Himself had no blood brothers, for Mary had only one Son.  The brothers, therefore, who are mentioned here are either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by an earlier marriage), or cousins.  As further evidence of this, Jesus commits His mother to the care of His disciple at the Cross (John 19:25-27), an unthinkable gesture if Mary had other children to care for her.

Jesus began His present discourse to the Pharisees after they had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, whom they refer to as the "ruler of the demons" (see Friday's reading).  Jesus' initial response was to teach that to blaspheme the Spirit -- in other words, their calling the work of the Spirit in Christ's ministry "evil" -- is to participate in a kind of sin that must be repented.  To criticize Him personally is one thing, but to call the holy work of the Spirit in the world "evil" is another.  Here in today's reading, He continues that train of thought, teaching that true spiritual commitment requires an ongoing awareness and vigilance about who we are and what we are, and especially paying attention to the heart and the words that come out of our mouths.  All of these things are connected.  Jesus teaches that "when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."   It is an illustration of a paradigm, an understanding that spiritual life is always in motion, and not stagnant.  We don't make a decision one day and say that we belong to Christ, and then fail to act on that decision every day, in the moments of our lives in which we elect to remember this and act on it -- or not.  In other words, there is a kind of vigilance that belongs to spiritual endeavor.  It is a matter of guarding the heart, of recognizing who we are and to whom we belong, and of exercising this discipline of commitment.  We're not "neutral" according to Jesus' illustration.  As a psychologist once put it to me, we're either going in one direction or the other.   Jesus speaks of a kind of continuum, a constant process toward something or away from it.  In the second part of today's reading, He teaches us what precisely it is He asks us to be going toward:  a union of love for God the Father by seeking to live God's will for us, and in turn we are also united toward others within that same "family."  This goal or end point gives us a full set of relations, a network based in faith, love, and trust of God.  And in Jesus' statement today, we can read that it transcends even our closest relationships based on other types of commonality, even blood family.  Let us note that Jesus is not rejecting family.  What He speaks about is a union of relationship within a spiritual bond to God who is love.  Within that bond, we have a definition of what true relationship is like, a goal toward which it goes, a definition and measuring stick of what constitutes love and goodness and health.  Let us consider Jesus' emphasis on a constant vigilance regarding our priorities, our commitment to what is good and true.  Where does God ask you to begin today?  How do you affirm this, even for a moment?  Do you have an old hurt that needs to be redressed under the protection of the Holy Spirit and prayer?  Take time to remember God, take time for prayer, even in the midst of your day.  You never know how you might help others, or what the power of that prayer will be for yourself.  Let us note once again this is an active process; when we take even a minute for prayer to seek Gods' will, so we participate as He asks.

He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven"

 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And he sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
 
- Mark 8:1-10

Yesterday we read that, after a confrontation with the Pharisees and some scribes who had come from Jerusalem, Jesus departed from His ministry's "home territory," and went to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, north of Galilee.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then he said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  

 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And he sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.   This is a second feeding in the wilderness, and is not meant to be confused with the first, as there are significant details to note.   They are two distinct miracles.  My study bible calls the difference in the number of loaves significant.  In the first miracle, there were five, which symbolizes the Law (the Pentateuch, or Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament).  Here in this feeding in the wilderness there are seven loaves.  Seven is a number symbolizing completeness or fullness; here, my study bible says, it indicates spiritual perfection.  So, in the first feeding miracle, Christ reveals Himself as fulfilling the Law.  Here in the Decapolis, in this mixed region of Gentiles and Jews, He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  My study bible notes also that these crowds had been with Christ for three days, the same number of days He would rest in the tomb.  To participate in Christ's perfection, my study bible notes, can only come through being united to His death (see Romans 6:3-5).  Here there are four thousand, a large number symbolizing the world, as in its four directions.  We note once again the details that suggest the Eucharist, as Jesus gave thanks (the meaning of the Greek root from which we derive "Eucharist"), Himself breaking the loaves and distributing them through His disciples.  That there are seven large baskets leftover is once again significant of completion or fullness, that this is the bread that is given for the life of the entire created order, for the world (John 6:51).

As the hostility of the religious leadership begins to be manifest, and the open conflicts with Jesus begin to show as well (see this reading), Jesus withdraws into Gentile territory and seeks to get away from public attention and controversy.  First He went north into Tyre and Sidon, a Gentile region north of Galilee, where He didn't want anyone to know He was there.  But He simply cannot be hidden, and we read of His encounter with the Syro-Phoenician woman there in yesterday's reading, above.  He returned to Galilee by way of the Decapolis, a Greek-speaking region (its name meaning "Ten Cities" in Greek) of Greek and Roman culture, and mixed Jewish and Gentile populations.  We can see small changes in His ministry that begin here:  there is first of all the faith and persistence of the Syro-Phoenician woman, although Jesus initially refuses her, making it clear that He was sent to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel"  (Matthew 10:5-6; 15:24).  But we remember that the wind of the Holy Spirit blows where it wishes (John 3:8).   While it is the clear that salvation is of the Jews (John 4:22), the Holy Spirit of God moves among all the people of the world.   This is clearly meant not only for all the people of the world, but the Greek word "cosmos" covers the whole of the created order of things, both visible and invisible.  The sense of completeness or perfection of the  Lord of lords and King of kings (Deuteronomy 10:17; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14, 19:16) cannot be limited.   What may come from the Jews is meant for all of creation.  This is the working of God's Spirit in the world and the direction begun to be taken in Christ's ministry.  That mysterious wind we can't limit or control rather comes to us, and takes us along with it, if we but respond with our faith.   And faith is the real path of that Spirit and that ministry:  Christ takes root in hearts which are receptive, those who have spiritual eyes and ears, and who hunger and thirst for what He offers.  The feedings in the wilderness give us an image, in the understanding of the Gospels, of people who are like sheep having no shepherd (Mark 6:34), of those who deeply need what He offers, a world in need of  His healing and the food He gives.  The real question becomes whether or not we can recognize that need, or our own woundedness or incompletion, imperfection -- or do we grasp onto other things in our self-declared notions of perfection?  If maturity can be said to be the recognition of our own imperfection, then our response to that maturity is the courage to accept this mystery, this wind, this movement of the Holy Spirit that teaches us a path, a surprising way to go, the places we need to travel to fulfill what is possible through His name and the righteousness He offers.  We may always be surprised at what that kind of perfection looks like, the strangeness of the saints, the deep love of devotion we find in the Scriptures -- but it is meant for each of us, and to find in our own hearts.

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, "I will return to my house from which I came"

 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

- Luke 11:14-26

On Saturday we read that, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So He said to them, "When you pray, say:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us day by day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.  So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you,  will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the the demons."    Beelzebub was a name used by the Jews, meant to be satirical and derogatory, for a pagan god of their enemies, Baal.  (Beelzebub means "the Lord of the Flies.")  But here the name is used as a direct reference for Satan.  Those who accuse Jesus are most likely scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 12:24).

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. Repeatedly in the Gospels, Jesus is asked for a sign.  This is usually to prove His authority to the religious leadership.  But a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see 4:9-12).

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges."   Exorcism was, of course, known and practiced in the Jewish tradition.  Jesus replies to their charges with something quite logical:  Why would Satan cast out Satan?  And if I do this by the power of Beelzebub, then how do your own exorcists cast them out?

"But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  My study bible explains that the finger of God is the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  Here is another argument by Christ, refuting claims that He casts out demons by the power of demons.  The strong man in his example is Satan, and it is only a stronger -- Christ -- who is able to defeat him, take from him all his armor in which he trusted (all of his weapons and battle gear for protection), and then divides his spoils.  Satan, my study bible says, holds sway over the fallen human race (as "the ruler of this world"), but Christ is more powerful (see 1 John 4:4).

 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  Jesus' statement here is a categorical one regarding His supreme and central authority. and spiritual power.  My study bible says that it is the work of Christ to gather the children of God, while those who scatter are in direct opposition to Him.  It continues that those who work in opposition to Christ are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose, but are not yet united to the Church (see 9:46-50). 

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."  The Old Testament prophets repeatedly worked to cast out rebelliousness among the people in preparation for Christ.  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, in saying that those who refuse to receive Him are left open to the wickedness of seven other spirits or demons.  We should remember that seven is a number symbolizing completion, of fully going over into evil.

Jesus' final statement in today's reading is a rather extraordinary one, but it is a telling psychological insight about repentance, about personal change.  We can't do it if it's not voluntary.  Christ is speaking in the context of exorcism and the influence of the demonic on human beings.  He first categorizes Himself as the "stronger man" with regard to the demonic, all that is under the influence of Satan.  In truth, it seems, we can't clearly know the effects of Christ's Incarnation in terms of the susceptibility of human beings to the influence of the demonic.  Clearly, He here claims His power as greater.  But human beings are still susceptible to influence from what is around them, to loneliness, to personal and hidden selfishness, secret vices, and a host of "treasures" that have to do with inner demands not met in the rigorous light of faith.  What Jesus suggests is that without a true repentance, even if an exorcism should be done, the last state of that person is worse than the first.  It's a suggestion that holds true psychologically if we observe with experience, that the things we really haven't dealt with might be externally "shown" to be gone, but without real repentance or "change of mind" (as the Greek word metanoia literally means), there will be a sort of doubling down on old behaviors, habits, beliefs.  We remain blind to ourselves and blind to what is better.  To truly change, there is a powerful ally at hand, and that is found in the grace of God.  Here is where Christ's ministry brings what is truly powerful in our lives:  a sense of humility before God, the help of forgiveness and mercy, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the commands of Christ for living our good life in communion with Him.  Without this kind of rigorous honesty with ourselves and our own need for help and insight, how do we find what personal transformation really means?  In my perspective, we need all the help we can get to find ways of seeing that are different from what we know, a point of view that is capable of reflecting what the "Stronger Man" can help us to see from His perspective.   Without such internal work, Jesus warns us through the Gospels, we are left with the dangers of hypocrisy against which He rails:  those who are like "whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27).  We seek the renewal of the Christ, the One who constantly makes all things new.  Let us look around at our world and observe what works and what doesn't, what changes and what does not.  Let us also note the times we see human behavior in a state decidedly worse than the past, and ask ourselves why.

Who is My mother and who are My brothers?

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who had told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

- Matthew 12:43-50

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His reply to the Pharisees after they accused Him of casting out demons by the power of demons (see Monday's reading):   "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  My study bible notes that when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they did not repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (Deuteronomy 31:20; Psalm 105:34-39).  Therefore it is important, essential that we guard our hearts.  Unless there is full repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, my study bible tells us, an expelled demon will return with others and reoccupy its above.  Jesus reminds us of the importance of the concept of repentance; our choices count for something, one way or the other, and we always have the choice to continue down a bad road but not without consequence.  In this particular case, He's still speaking to the Pharisees and scribes, continued from yesterday's reading, above.  The number seven is symbolic of completeness, indicating that going from bad to worse may mean our entire being is affected (see 6:23).

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who had told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And he stretched out His hand toward His disciples ad said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."   Jesus' relatives haven't yet understood His identity or His mission.  Christ points all of us toward a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of My Father.  It's important to understand, also, that brother can refer to any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14).  Boaz referred to his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3), and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).   From the earliest understanding, it has been maintained that Christ had no blood brothers, for Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  These brothers mentioned in this passage are either stepbrothers (sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or they are cousins.  The fact that Jesus, from the Cross, commits His mother to the care of John (John 19:25-27) substantiates this understanding.  If Mary had had other children to care for her, my study bible says, it would have been unthinkable to do so.

Jesus teaches us that His love is extended to us through something quite different than the usual ways we think of as creating family:  through the soul.  As God is the Creator of the soul, our return to God is rightful place, and true adjustment to identity.  It is in this identity that we find the kind of family that Christ speaks about.  A return to Creator is inseparable from a desire to live the will of God -- "My Father in heaven."  There is no contradiction in this:  we know the same will is shared between the Three Persons of the Trinity.  But in the same sense, so we also come to desire and build and participate in communion with God.  In some particular sense, Christ's mission into the world is to bring human beings into that communion.  Hence, we become His mother and sister and brother.  The ways in which this happens link us up to the previous verses in today's reading:  the warning about the unclean spirit and an outcome worse than the first instance.  "Unclean" is a translation from a word that more closely means "impure" in the sense of adulterated or mixed with something else; that is, sinful.  Because it is the Holy Spirit who is at work in us to create a life based on the values of Christ's ministry, that is, on this seeking of the "will of My Father in heaven," so we have as active in us this Spirit that brings us into all truth, and illumines the ministry of Christ for human beings.  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our "Comforter" -- or rather, the word Paraclete, which in Greek means "the one who comes when called."   This meaning is akin to a defender, a counselor, an advocate.  This is the One whom we need in order to stay in the right place, to deal with an adversary, to continue a life based on the teachings of Christ, to guard the heart.   We are taught that we all have a guardian angel, and so the forces that array to help us in this "good fight" are many, even myriad.  Let us remember, however, Christ's warning, and also His offer.  He gives us a family, one based on the truth of God and the reality of Creator, the true place from which we all come and where we find a home in His love.

The last state of that man is worse than the first

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

- Matthew 12:43-50

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His reply the Pharisees after they claimed His signs and healings were the result of demonic activity.  He said,  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  My study bible tells us that when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they didn't repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (see Deuteronomy 31:20; Psalm 106:34-39).  Thus, it teaches, we guard our hearts.  Unless there is a full repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a  person, an expelled demon will return with others and reoccupy its abode.  What it seems that Jesus is teaching us, especially as continuation of yesterday's reading, is that without repentance and a real "guarding of the heart" -- a deliberate practice of self-awareness -- we're on a trajectory.  We don't stay neutral and in one place.  We're either going in one direction or another, and therefore what remains in deliberate error or sin becomes worse.  It's an argument about consciousness.  Jesus will teach a similar principle when He tells the Pharisees (in 23:15), "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."   Seven is frequently used as a number symbolic of completeness.  What Jesus is discussing here is a pattern and growth of personal corruption.

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."  Christ's family, says my study bible, haven't yet understood His identity and His mission.  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of My Father.  In this we're reminded of the prayer He's given us in the Sermon on the Mount, in which we pray to God the Father, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  Jesus' brothers are extended family; "brothers" is still a common way to refer to cousins or stepbrothers in the Middle East.

Importantly, in today's reading, Jesus claims kinship with "whoever does the will of My Father in heaven."   It's an important principle.  Here Jesus specifically applies it to members of His own family, but we can see the point in the continuation of His teachings and rebuke to the Pharisees in the past two readings.  He has warned them that they will be judged by foreigners, the non-Jews who heard God's word and obeyed or cherished what they were given although not prepared by the whole spiritual history of Israel, the people of God.  He mentioned those at Nineveh who repented at Jonah's preaching, and the queen of the South who came to hear the wisdom God gave to Solomon.  He's challenging the ways in which we see kinship and blood relationship and community, and telling us about community based on something other than flesh and blood.  Those who stray far from God stray outside of that kinship and family.  He's looking for disciples, those who will 'work the work of faith.'  A sincere prayer that "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" is the prayer of one in this family, in His family.   Jesus underscores the importance of our understanding of this point when He preaches about the unclean spirit that brings seven more with it back to the same place; even though it is in order, it's not really enough.  Repentance asks for a kind of commitment, a particular direction of service to something, an active faith so that we go in another direction.  It seems that our failure to understand repentance and commitment, how faith works, is a failure to understand a part of our nature as human beings.  We're always serving something, whether we realize it or not.  We're made for worship, and we can turn anything into an idol.  The real nature of our minds and hearts requires consciousness, self-awareness, deliberate choice.  Neither Jesus nor God the Father acts to coerce without our internal assent, and this practice of "guarding the heart" is part of that assent, that desire to accept God's love.  This is active faith.  It's not just about following certain rules; each is made to manifest and grow in the love of God and image of God in the depth of faith.  Every saint is a unique and full personality.  As Jesus has taught, "Wisdom is justified by her children."  But we remember His words from yesterday's reading, as He gives us the 'flipside':  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."  And today, His warning is more dire: without this work at making the tree and its fruit good, it may be on the way to being seven times worse.  Our choice here is what is essential, and in teaching about who are His brother and sister and mother, He gives us the crucial choice.