Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you

 

 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

 

- Matthew 17:22-27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the three disciples, James, John, and Peter had come down from the Mount of the Transfiguration to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

 

  Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful.  This is the second time that Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection (see also this reading for the first, which immediately followed Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God).   My study Bible comments that this is done to show the disciples that He is going to His Passion freely, and not being taken against His will. 

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."  My study Bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (with the exception of priests) over twelve years old, for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  As Jesus is the Son of God, it says, He is both High Priest and also "proprietor" of the temple, and therefore is exempt from the temple tax.  But He pays it anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense, and also to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind.

I'm quite intrigued about the story of the temple tax.  Yes, there is a seemingly "magical" element to it, if that is even an appropriate term.  Let us call it mystical, and an aspect of Christ's dominion over all things that there is a coin in the mouth of the first fish Peter the fisherman can catch, and Christ means it to be paid for the temple tax.  Let us go to the question, instead, of the approach of those whose job it is to collect the tax.  It seems to me that the question, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" is designed to embarrass Peter, and to cause him shame over Jesus.  Let us bear in mind that this is his community, and so shame becomes a particularly important element of the story.  Of course, shame and scandal will become a key component of the Passion.  We often forget when discussing Christ's Crucifixion that this singular event affects all of us, everybody.  It is not Christ alone who is involved, but all who witness, then and now -- both for those who reject Jesus and the Gospel, and for those who are the followers of Christ.  Let us imagine the impact of the Passion on His immediate followers, such as Peter and the rest of the disciples.  Of course, we know Peter's denial of Christ on the night Jesus was arrested, and his subsequent return to Christ and to the other disciples.  So this particular stumbling block of shame, with observation, does become something of an important thread in the story of Peter as a disciple to Christ.  Here, Jesus makes it perfectly clear that "the sons are free."  But nevertheless, Jesus divinely gifts Peter with the money for the temple tax from the coin in the mouth of the fish, "lest we offend them."  This seems at once to be a concession to avoid an unnecessary conflict, and also an act of compassion for Peter within his community.  There will be time soon enough when Peter's own concern for what might be scandalous will test him (see Matthew 26:33-35, 69-75).  It seems this same sort of test among community will be referred to again when St. Paul raises the issue in Galatians 2 and 3 regarding Peter's conduct within the early Christian community of both Gentiles and Jews.  There, St. Paul also raises this question to Peter in light of Christ's crucifixion, saying to him, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" (Galatians 2:20-21).  For if we are truly crucified with Christ, if we also participate in His Passion, then there will be questions that arise in our lives also where we might "bear a little shame" (to use the words of Fr. Stephen Freeman, who frequently writes about this topic on his blog, Glory to God for All Things), for the sake of the place to which Christ calls us, even in the face of our own communities.  Are we called to befriend the stranger whom others shun?  Can we really befriend the person singled out as scapegoat or for bullying?  These questions will come up again and again in whatever nominal "group" we're a part of, from the intimacy of family to large groups of Church and wider community of all kinds.  Here, Christ seems to wish to avoid a conflict for Peter and within a community in which His ministry has a kind of headquarters, and one which is not a part of the necessary clash to come with the religious leaders in Jerusalem.  But He takes care to teach Peter in private, and make His point clear nonetheless, affirming His divinity in the process.  As Fr. Freeman points out about this passage, Christ seems to "cover" Peter's shame with the miraculous coin.  After all, Peter has already answered the men from the temple in the affirmative, having taken upon himself to speak for Christ as one of His followers when he answers "Yes" to their question.  In so many ways, Christ seems to teach us both discernment and compassion, when it is time to bear shame or scandal for His sake, and when it is not.  In today's reading, it is He who graciously condescends to us, as one of us, for Peter and for the community.  In all ways, it is His personal love and compassion from which we truly learn, and let us again bear this in mind as we approach the season of His Nativity.

 

 

 

 

I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. 

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

- Luke 15:1-10

Yesterday we read that at this point in His ministry, great multitudes went with Jesus.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.  Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  My study bible notes that fellowship with sinners defiled pious Jews.    That this event comes so closely to Jesus' dinner at the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees gives us an illustration of the parable He told there:  of the man who gave a great supper and invited many, but then began to hear excuses (see Monday's reading).  Finally, Jesus taught, he gave orders to his servants:  "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind."  These possibly repentant sinners are likened spiritually to the poor, maimed, lame, and blind who truly desire the supper -- and spiritual healing -- Christ offers.

So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  In response to the criticism of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus tells three parables -- two of which are given in today's reading.   In the three parables are a man (in this one), a woman (the next verses), and the father (in tomorrow's lectionary reading).  My study bible cites Ambrose of Milan, who sees the three as representing Christ, the Church, and God the Father:  "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."  In the spiritual interpretation traditional among Church Fathers, the hundred sheep are representative of all rational creation.  The one who goes astray symbolizes humankind, while the ninety-nine represent the angelic realm.  The image, however, is clear:  if those who are "perfect" feel they have no need of repentance or Christ's ministry, He will go to those who were lost, the repentant sinners who flock to Him.

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  My study bible explains here that ten silver coins comprise a single necklace worn by a married woman, a bride, which is an image of the Church (Ephesians 5:32).  The lost coin (Greek drachma) had an image of the king upon it.  It symbolizes human beings, who, although bearing the image of God, fell from grace.  Through the Church, my study bible says, Christ enlightens the world, sweeps away sin, and finds His lost creation.  Once again, we notice the emphasis by Jesus on even "one sinner who repents," giving the scribes and Pharisees their answer. 

What a fascinating ministry.  Christ has taught throughout the cities and towns of Galilee, and is so well-known by now that great multitudes follow Him.  In fact, His ministry is drawing to a close, as He has already set His face for Jerusalem.  He has also told His apostles that He will be rejected, and suffer, be killed, and on the third day rise again.  The plan for His "exodus" has already been set.  In the past several readings, Jesus has let it be known in the home of one of the rulers of the Pharisees that He understands He will be rejected, but that Judgment belongs to the One whom they do not recognize.  He has warned them of the importance of humility, which they lack.  Jesus' words in the parable of the Great Supper regarding the seeking out of the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind come to fruition in His ministry, as now "all the tax collectors and the sinners" draw near to Him to hear Him.  What kind of ministry is this, that it is the imperfect and the "less than" who draw near to hear Him?  That such notorious sinners as tax collectors, seen as betraying their own people and using unjust methods of extortion and violence in their ways of making money, should follow Him would seem a kind of embarrassment, a scandal.  But embarrassment and scandal are strangely an intrinsic part of Christ's mission and ministry.  The greatest scandal, of course, will be the Cross itself, and Jesus rejected and given up to the Romans by the religious establishment, the leaders of the people.  But there are other ways to think of scandal and shame, and Jesus names something very particular when He speaks of discipleship.  Strange to contrast Jesus' strict words about discipleship in yesterday's reading (above), and the drawing to Him of sinners and tax collectors.  But discipleship is the spiritual cure for spiritual ailments.  In chapter 9, after speaking about taking up one's own cross, Jesus teaches, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels."  The emphasis on humility is clear, and the shame that may be assigned to Him and His ministry named openly.  Those who would seek to gain the whole world are not those whom He expects to remain with Him.  Rather He calls us to the Cross, to our own crosses, to a different life in which humility is key, as there will always be some "shame" to be borne of those who find they must turn away from the worldly things one could sacrifice one's life for in order to find that life He offers.  These sinners and tax collectors who draw near to hear Jesus perhaps understand better than those who've never stumbled what it is to lose something precious, while Jesus offers them His sense that they themselves are precious to Him, to God.  It is a strange paradox indeed, that in losing our lives we save them, and in taking up our own crosses, we imitate Him in His hour of glory (see John 12:23-26).  It is in this place of "shame" that God's love is expressed through Christ, in that salvation is held out to those who were lost, those who may recognize their need for repentance and change, and the supreme gift in the offer of Christ for redemption and above all, God's love and value.  Jesus wisely teaches, "To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little" (see 7:36-50).  But then, if we are already perfect and have no shame, we have so little to forgive.   Let us understand that we are all little children before an exceedingly loving Creator who bears our shame for us -- regardless of what form that may take in human society -- so that we may be always with Him.

And He was numbered with the transgressors

 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above:

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha!  You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. 

- Matthew 15:22-32

Yesterday we read that Pilate answered and said to the crowd again, "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"  So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!" Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?"  But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!"  So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.  Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.  And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.  Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above:  THE KING OF THE JEWS.  This accusation (and mockery) becomes instead a triumphant symbol of Christ.  In yet another inadvertently prophetic act in the story of Christ, Pilate's inscription of Jesus' accusation above the Cross becomes a title, and shows that the people had risen against their own King, and that the cross was the means by which Christ established His Kingdom.  The third hour is nine o'clock in the morning. 

 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha!  You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.  That Christ was crucified between two robbers not only fulfills the Scripture (Isaiah 53:12), but it also shows that He is completely identifying with sinful humanity.  As the prophetic verse from Isaiah reads, He is in the unique position to make "intercession for the transgressors" and to be Judge.  We observe His humiliation and the shame imposed upon Him, all of which He bears as "the sin of many."  It is a comment on this scene that even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him:  He is considered lower than the robbers.

When we consider Christ as sole Judge, we must consider what we see here in this scene in today's reading:  the innocent man, crucified, with all the sins and shame of the world piled onto Him.  He is the "lowest of the low," in the worldly sense of that phrase, where even those crucified with Him revile Him.  It is a telling scene that in our world this can take place.  It is something that must make us aware of ourselves, of our own tendency to project our sinfulness onto someone else, our capacity for denial and derision in an attempt to mirror onto others things we need to examine within ourselves.  Jesus serves permanently as Savior not only because He liberates all of us from sin, but because He serves as this One who has been lifted onto the Cross in order to lift us all with Him.  This is the act that breaks the barrier of death for each of us, because death and sin are intertwined in meaning and effect -- and because His life is stronger than the death that is imposed upon Him (see Luke 11:20-23).  It is that life that transcends all things that Jesus shares with us by voluntarily going upon that Cross, and accepting the mission that has been given to Him.  He is uniquely the One who is able to Judge because of the completeness of this mission.  The Creator becomes the creature, and experiences the evils which can be put upon us by that which seeks to enslave through lies, thus defeating death.  If this is a strange thing to grasp, consider what He asks of us in following Him.  We are each to take up our own crosses.  What that means is that whatever burdens we may come up against in life, our crosses also belong to Him and to His experience, and that we follow Him in giving over that burden to Him in exchange for the ways in which He teaches us to bear it, or not.  Jesus tells us, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).  To bear our cross with Him is to follow His way, to find the light of the Spirit to lead us and be active in our lives, to learn who we are and what we can become in bearing fruit He asks of us.  In this transcendent way, the "prince of this world" is defeated, because we participate in His victory, His way.  The "death of death" is what we witness here at the Cross, although to our worldly sight it appears to be something quite different.  It is a lesson to all of us that seeing is not necessarily believing, that what we think we see isn't always going to be correct, and may in fact be entirely missing the mark.  It's the truth of the heart in Christ we seek, and His meaning that we need to give what we see and seek in life.  There are those who see only a "loser" to spit on and ridicule here.  What do you see?  And how does He see you?

Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him. 

- Mark 14:1-11

In yesterday's reading, Jesus completed His discourse on the times of the destruction of the temple and of His Return:  "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins with the Passover meal on the evening of 15 Nisan on the Jewish calendar.  It lasts seven days (see Exodus 12:12-20).  Both feasts together commemorate the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt.  Passover refers to the "passing over" of Hebrew homes by the angel of death when striking the firstborn of the Egyptians, the Jews having put lamb's blood on their doorposts as a sign (Exodus 12:13).   The unleavened bread, as part of the Passover meal, is a reminder of the immediate haste required the flight from Egypt (Exodus 12:39).  This Passover, my study bible tells us, was fulfilled in Christ, whose blood was shed to free humanity from bondage to sin and death.

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   My study bible points out that Simon the leper must have been a man healed by Christ, as lepers were forbidden to live in towns.  This woman's great faith and love for Christ is such that he promises her act of grace perpetual public memory, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world.   It's also noted that there is no consensus across the tradition of the Church as to who exactly this woman is in relation to accounts of similar events in the other Gospels (Matthew 26:5-13, Luke 7:36-38, John 12:1-8).  Some Fathers say that there were three different women in the four accounts, others that there were only two.  John's Gospel tells us specifically that it was Judas Iscariot (and names him Simon's son) who criticized the gift of this woman (John 12:4-7), and who was rebuked by Christ.

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.   My study bible says that Judas on his own initiative seeks to betray Jesus.  While his motivation has been historically debated, John tells us that his underlying motive was greed (John 12:4-7), being particularly upset about the "waste" of myrrh in the story of the woman who anointed Christ above, because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).    We may contrast, as do many traditional hymns for Wednesday of Holy Week, the greed of Judas with the generosity of the woman.

A rebuke from Christ is an act of love, intended for correction.  Proverbs 27:6 tells us "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful," illuminating quite starkly the future actions of Judas, although telling us a truth about human beings.  If, as John's Gospel seems to indicate, Judas openly criticized this woman at a dinner in his father's home, and was in return openly rebuked by Christ (who usually reserved correction for private times with the disciples), perhaps it was not only greed but also the open exposure of his motives that is at play here.  One can respond to a rebuke by Christ with acceptance, or with refusal to hear or listen or see one's own flaw.  The latter results in deeper problem, as the person "digs in" more deeply in the direction of the flaw.  This we can see quite clearly in Judas.  He has an opportunity for repentance, but does not take it.  Neither does he come to Christ or his fellow disciples with his problem.  He responds to the generous gift of this woman with a problematic censure:  it is her expression of great love that he has a problem with, focusing instead on the money.  The Gospels teach us all about the personal.  While we are instructed to love God and neighbor as friends of Christ, and as expression of our love for Christ, the abstract does not substitute for the personal.  What one sees in one's immediate circle that needs redress, attention, and love is often the tougher road of repentance and growth in our faith and following of Christ.  We look at Jesus' healings, and they are always personal.  They involve faith, and connection, relationship and participation in His love and person.  To seek to do acts of charity for others is always laudable, but repentance takes place in the heart not in the abstract but the personal level.  A response to injustice is more greatly challenged if it requires us to stand up to our own particular social circle, particularly those whose opinions of ourselves we regard as important.  In some sense, Jesus invites us into this challenge directly when He teaches, at the home of  an important Pharisee, that one should take the lowest place at a wedding feast, and be invited up.  Then He goes further by teaching, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  (See Luke 14:7-14).  Each of these acts is personal, requiring a deep shift in our relations with those of our own immediate social circle.  They require a kind of repentance, challenge our own hearts and the nature of the ways in which we operate within relationship.   They involve shame, and the willingness to bear that shame, as Christ says specifically in Luke 14:9.  In Mark 8:34-38, Jesus again links shame to service and love of Himself and His teachings, and couples it with Judgment.  He says, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."   This sort of shame is one that teaches us about humility and position within a social context.  Judas responds to Christ's rebuke not with humility, but rather with a rejection of this teaching.  Perhaps his father's home in Bethany suggests even more deeply a kind of humiliation among a social hierarchy, a position within the ruling or upper classes in Bethany near Jerusalem, a cross to bear that each of us might find quite difficult -- but called to bear that shame of rebuke he was, and he failed to accept it.  To bear shame for the love of Christ is our highest order, our greatest sacrifice.  The woman in this story is willing to humiliate herself for His love.  This does not involve diminishment of ourselves as persons; it is instead an exchange of one type of life for another that is greater, an expansion of ourselves.  This is the great truth of the Cross -- of each of our crosses -- which a worldly social construct will hide and has to be found in the personal, when we truly follow Him.  In order to understand this humility, we must contrast shame with guilt, and also with the service or obedience to any false idol, which are entirely different matters.  Jesus lauds this woman; in contrast to the others, He defends and praises her with highest honors, even ageless memory -- wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world.  Let us remember His love and what it teaches us.

You are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel

 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

- Luke 22:24-30

Yesterday we read that when the hour had come, Jesus sat down at the Last Supper -- the Passover supper, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.

Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves."  My study bible says that this small-minded dispute is out of place in the context of the mysteries Christ has just revealed.  Clearly the disciples do not grasp the fullness of what has just been given to them.  Perhaps their minds have seized on His statement that He "will no longer eat of [the Passover] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God," and they misunderstand, thinking that the manifestation of His kingdom is imminent.  Jesus corrects the disciples by first comparing them to the power-hungry Gentiles, whom they consider to be an abomination.  Jesus contrasts their behavior to His own, as He serves all although He is Lord of all.

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  My study bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan here:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  The judgment Christ is speaking of here isn't earthly judgment, but rather judgment by the witness of the very lives of the apostles.  God's kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ; thereby this authority has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth, my study bible tells us (see Matthew 16:19, John 20:23).  Contrast the desire for worldly power with the faith that these men have displayed as they have "continued with Me in My trials."  Perhaps there is one among them for whom a kind of worldly power outweighs following the Master through humiliation and death, but he is the one who will betray Him.  It is faith that bears witness and gives testimony that renders judgment.

"But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials."  This statement conveys an enormous amount of information about these apostles, upon whom Christ says will be bestowed "a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."   Somehow it is continuing with Him in His trials that conveys the full impact here, gives us something to grasp and to understand about judgment, and about authority, and about the Kingdom.  Elsewhere Jesus also juxtaposes the desire for worldly power (in various forms) and the humility necessary to be one of His true followers:  "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels" (9:25-26).   Let us consider the concept of shame invoked here, and the necessary qualification of humility to be fully faithful to Him.  Considering the images we read in the Gospels, both of Christ in His life and mission, and of the apostles who would follow, humility -- and the capacity to bear shame given by the world -- is a necessary ingredient to our full faith.  Christ calls us to places where we have to stand up for something that is unpopular, or for those who are outcast in some sense, excluded.  It doesn't matter the form.  Such challenges can come in infinite ways.  But it seems that as we go along in this journey of faith, there will be times we are called upon to stand up for something others don't like, or that which looks like it's simply not the best appearance to make, the one thing necessary that sets us apart and makes us sort of strange, or somehow not in keeping with the worldly goals of those who are the "kings of the world," even those who take care to appear as "benefactors."  And this, perhaps paradoxically, is what makes the apostles fit to be judges -- because they have continued with Him even in the times of His trials, and because they will continue in the time of greatest humiliation, the shame of the Cross, His death, and the persecutions to come.  Without the Resurrection, this would not have the meaning that it does, and these humiliations cannot be separated from the glory of the Cross and of Resurrection.  They are all part of a whole.  But what is indicated here is simply the great struggle of faith in its completeness -- and our need to keep all in the perspective He asks of us.  We don't have faith in order to find position and worldly glory.  Faith will challenge us to be bigger than that, transcendent, and to transform all the worldly images of what it means to be a success into something deeper and with not only loftier but more powerful and responsible goals than that.  Faith asks us to become like Christ, to develop the virtues He shows us, His faith and His courage and His capacity for sacrifice.  Faith asks us to take on a perspective of priorities that aren't necessarily in sync with what the world will claim is all-good.  It asks us to make choices, and perhaps to endure shame and humiliation.  But these things are temporal and fleeting, and they don't transcend the joy of God's love nor the depth to which we are valued and cherished and taught to become much more than we could expect of ourselves.  The Kingdom is here and we may always be a part of it.  But let us remember the testimony of a true witness, and that of our faith -- and endurance -- which speak volumes beyond words.

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me

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

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

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

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."   My study bible tells us that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  But Jesus' question to the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" is the ultimate question in Scripture and in theology.  My study bible suggests that how this question is answered defines the universe.  Christ (Messiah in Hebrew) means "Anointed One."  Peter's declaration as stated here separates the identity of Christ from that of anointed king of prophet.  He is, rather, the awaited Savior.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Immediately upon confession that He is the Christ, Jesus teaches the disciples about what is to come.  This isn't going to be a "golden age" ushered in for Israel nor for His followers.  He's not going to be a king in a conventional sense.  On the contrary, He will suffer many things, be rejected, and killed -- but raised the third day.  The disciples can have no way of understanding what this means.  Perhaps up until the end, they suspect that resurrection means, indeed, a manifestation of a material kingdom.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  But Jesus goes further than simply to teach about what will happen to Him.  His followers will also be subject to testing, they will also have to take up the cross as He does, daily.  There will be a choice for each one about what one loves best, most.  It's not going to be easy.  And His hints here are clear:  those who will follow Him will also be subject to social stigma, even persecution, and they will have to make a choice.  My study bible says that the burden in this world is different for each person; each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and for those around oneself. 

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study bible tells us that this is a reference to the Transfiguration (tomorrow's reading) -- but also to those in every generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom for themselves.

What does it mean to take up one's cross daily?  How can these disciples possibly know what He is talking about at this point in Christ's ministry?  They have just confessed, through Peter who often speaks for the rest in the Gospels, that He is the "Christ of God."  What can they possibly expect from this understanding besides the things they've heard about the time of the Messiah?  Life will be exceedingly different from what they may have been led to expect, from what the people of Israel await.  This particular Liberator is not going to be one like a traditional king with a great army, throwing off political enemies, conquering lands, and bringing home great wealth for all the people.  This kind of liberation comes from elsewhere and otherwise; He's a spiritual Liberator for all of us.  He will be a Redeemer, one who pays a ransom to set captives free.  These are great mysteries, unknown to these men, but they are things they will come to know and to learn, and to teach to the world.  One thing is clear:  Jesus makes it perfectly plain to all of them that He will suffer, and that He will die.  Connected to all of this is also Resurrection.  And, once again, they can't really know what He means; they can't know what to expect.  The truly important and essential thing here is that He is  their leader and teacher, and His disciples cannot expect less than the Master.  Anyone who follows Him, He says, must be prepared to take up their own cross daily.  They may need to sacrifice a life of security in order to follow Him.  Even the whole world is worth the sacrifice demanded by loyalty to Him.  Those are extremely strong and stark terms in which He puts their mission of following Him, of being His disciples.  But wherever He may ask us to go, He goes first.  He does what we cannot, as the One who will transform suffering into something with a kind of purpose for the Kingdom, transfiguring the world and the lives of those who follow.   The choice He offers is one of very strong terms, not nuanced.  When it comes right down to it, we just might find that choice on offer in every kind of decision we have to make, in every dilemma.  And He mentions shame:  shame will figure prominently in what follows. There is the shame and scandal of the Cross, and the social stigmatization that goes with it or being the follower of One who dies in such a way.  2,000 years of Christian life and all its history cannot remove this important choice from us.  We may find ways in which we are called to stand up for something that makes us outcast or shamed, and that, too, is something to prepare for.  That might mean, for instance, standing up for someone who's bullied, or taking on an unpopular cause.   It is a part of the life of taking up the Cross.  It hasn't gone away, even as we await His return.    His words are still important for us to hear.

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many thins, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."  And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." 

- Mark 8:27-9:1

Yesterday, we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, 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 you do not understand?"  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  Here is the central question:  "Who do you say that I am?"  What we believe about Christ will fix our understanding of our relationship to God and to our faith.  My study bible suggests that Jesus draws out other opinions ("Who do men say that I am?") in order to expose and identify incorrect ideas, and false teachings that my arise from them.  To say that "You are the Christ" (Messiah, or Anointed One) is possible only through faith (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).  We note that Peter speaks not just for himself, but for all of the disciples.   The Messianic secret is so huge, and so open to misunderstanding and false expectations, that the disciples are strictly warned that they should tell no one.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many thins, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."   Here is the revelation of the shocking true nature of Jesus' messiahship.  In complete contradistinction to expectations of the time, Jesus gives an account of the Passion to come.  My study bible tells us that it was expected that the Messiah would reign forever.  The idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter, and would remain scandalous to the Jews after the Resurrection, as we know from St Paul (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan in the sense that the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission, salvation and liberation of mankind through suffering and death.

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."  And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." Jesus does not just present the disciples with the image of Messiah as One who will suffer and die, and rise from the dead.  He also gives them the instruction that they are to "follow Him."  Jesus transformed the cross -- dreaded Roman instrument of death and punishment -- into a symbol of transformation, hope, and Resurrection.  We imitate Christ by also taking up our individual crosses.  For each of us who are faithful, He transforms our own suffering and self-denial for the sake of God and love of the Gospel into that which also transcends and gives hope and resurrection.  These are not punishment, but rather means to overcome a fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom, love of God, a fuller and expanded sense of life itself, and the power of love.  Everything else falls into this context and is changed and redeemed and transformed for each one of us and our own moments of challenge and acceptance.  In these verses, Jesus offers us an extraordinary choice, and demands that we weigh the importance of one side or the other.  Those who will see the kingdom of God present with power are thought to be the disciples who will will witness the Transfiguration (our next reading), as well as those in each generation who experience for themselves the presence of God's Kingdom.

Jesus asks us to weigh our priorities, our options.  "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  Tied to this central question, He speaks of shame.  "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."  What is shame?  Shame is a public form of humiliation, assigned to us by the group, the society.  It's different from guilt, in which one may feel appropriately remorseful for an act one has committed.  There is also inappropriate and morbid guilt, which is frequently connected to feelings of shame we may or may not be aware of.  The kind of shame Jesus tells us to bear is one that is a result of scandal, the same kind of scandal that the Cross is.  There may be times in our lives when we are asked to choose between a kind of social shame for standing up for faith in the gospel of the Kingdom, making a choice, that is not compatible with the views of our "group" or society or social environment.  For this we may become "scandal," and bear shame.  Jesus asks us to weigh the importance when facing such questions and decisions between the precious measure of our own souls, and saving a kind of reputation that may have us "fitting in" but denying where our soul may need to go.  This isn't an easy question, and it's not given in an easy or simple context.  Jesus knows very well how frightening it is, what scandal is and means.  No one will sacrifice more than He, nor His disciples in losing their Master in the flesh.  It's not an easy statement, and it's not given to us as another way of shaming us when we weigh the choices for ourselves.  It is a teaching, something we need to think about, to consider.  Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross enters us into a new world of choices, where shame and scandal may become something to endure for the sake of the Gospel, and for the sake of saving our own souls.  This is a hard paradox, a completely different reality than one can understand by simply following the rules and the social proprieties.  Shame, in Jesus' context, becomes a part of the journey, something we have to weigh on the other side of the shame we may find in the presence of Christ in the "glory of his Father with the holy angels."    The word for shame in the Greek has roots that imply a disgrace for siding with the wrong element, wrongly aligning with something, following a lie.  Let us consider what Jesus is asking of us, the choices He makes and will encourage us to make in following Him.  He asks us to be capable of complicated decisions, He pulls us out of our environments -- even that we may choose what is right when those all around will tell us or treat us as if we are wrong.