Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  

 

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  

 

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  for in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."   

 

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He  stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

- John 4:27–42 

 

Yesterday, we continued to read the story of Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (see the first reading here).  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain and  you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  My study Bible explains that the disciples marveled not only that Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with an unaccompanied woman, which was potentially scandalous.  For more instances of Christ's dealings with women, see John 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).  

 

 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  This Samaritan woman becomes an early evangelist, according to my study Bible.  Here she testifies to the advent of Christ and brings others to Him.  According to an early tradition, after the Resurrection she was baptized with the name Photini, meaning "the enlightened one."  Together with her two sons and five daughters, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later she and her family were martyred under the emperor Nero, by being thrown into a well.  On March 20 the Church remembers her and celebrates her feast day.  

 

 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Here is yet another instance of misunderstanding in John's Gospel, which opens for Jesus another opportunity to teach.  My study Bible explains that Christ fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father; so, therefore, this is His food.  It also teaches us that we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares.  

 

 "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, Christ commands the disciples to "Behold!" because the townspeople were approaching, ready and eager to believe in Jesus.  Christ compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) to fields ready for harvest.  This command, my study Bible adds, is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone wanting to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity. 

 

 "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  for in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."   According to St. John Chrysostom, those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles, respectively. My study Bible explains that the prophets sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, but they did not see His coming and so did not reap.  The apostles did not do the preparation, but would draw thousands to Christ in their own lifetimes.

 

 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He  stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  That these foreigners are among the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world shows us that the gospel is for all people in every nation, my study Bible notes here.

 

 This unlikely woman becomes a great apostle, and is venerated until today in the Church.  Her name, by which she's known as a saint, is "Photini."  The Greek root of this name is phos, meaning "light."  This name is generally translated as meaning "Enlightened" or "the enlightened one" (as it is above).  But what's important about the root of the name is that it comes from "light," as meaning one who carries light, or is infused by the light, shining, illumined.  What that light implies, of course, is the light of Christ, one who embodies the teaching of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount, when He taught to us, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).  In the great mystery of this revelation by Christ to this woman, and her acceptance and understanding of His teaching and His identity as Messiah, is the mystery of illumination, what it means to be enlightened or illumined by Christ.  Regarding the concept of divinization, or theosis, there is often taught an analogy or example of just how we as human beings are capable of adopting the qualities of God through grace.  It is likened to a piece of metal being shaped in a fire, such as a sword.  The metal thrust into the fire takes on the properties of heat and even light, but it doesn't become fire, it remains metal.  So those illumined by God may take on properties of Christ's light, the illumination of the Holy Spirit, to reflect into the world this grace, this gift of holiness however it manifests in them.  In the case of this woman, her receptivity to Christ and her immediate faith captivated a whole town, and became a fire or light which she'd carry to other people and other nations, like the example of the lamp Christ preaches in the Sermon on the Mount.  We could even think of this name as describing someone who is radiant, but no doubt it bears greater similarity to the nimbus or halo of light portrayed around saints or images of the divine. This Samaritan woman, given to us in this Gospel of light by St. John, forms for us an image of our faith, of what salvation really means. The radiant life of Christ, through faith and grace, so permeates her life that she takes on its name. May that light remain shining in all of us so that we share it as she did.  

 

 

 

He who has ears, let him hear!

 

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued speaking with the scribes and Pharisees who demanded a sign from Him.  He said,  "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."

 

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear!"  My study Bible comments here that, in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5; Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14), because this was part of daily life.  These are things with which all people were familiar.  Here, Jesus is revealing Himself as the promised Messiah, who is the sower in the earth, the One foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

 

Here is a turning point in Christ's ministry, and we can see that it comes as He now speaks to great multitudes.   What is the direction of this "turning point?"  It's quite interesting that He begins speaking in parables.  That is, He's telling a story about His story, about His ministry, but it's up to those who hear to understand and receive what they can from this story, this parable.  Jesus says, "He who has ears, let him hear!" echoing warnings known to the people from the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 6:9-10; Ezekiel 3:27; Jeremiah 5:21; Deuteronomy 29:4).  If we follow closely the events of Christ's ministry, Jesus has just been responding to a demand from the scribes and Pharisees that He produce a miracle on demand, in order to prove His identity.  They have demanded a "sign" from Him (see Saturday's reading).  Before that, they accused Him of casting out demons (performing exorcism) by the power of the ruler of the demons (see Friday's reading).  So, after Jesus condemned this request, saying, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks  after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah," and claiming that others who come from outside Israel will rise in judgment against them, Jesus has responded not with trying to appease these religious rulers who now seek to destroy Him, but by doing the opposite.  He now expands His ministry to the great multitudes who come to listen, and He does so not through explicit signs or even teachings, but through the introduction of preaching in parables.  It is perhaps hint, in hindsight, that Christ already senses that His message, His gospel of the Kingdom, will be taken to peoples far and wide, and not simply to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Parables are described as "word-pictures" by my study Bible, stories which reveal spiritual truth.  But they do this in a way that is hidden, not obvious.  The Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb," my study Bible says.  So, in listening to parables, people must be receptive to the hidden truths or mysteries that are revealed in them, in order to perceive what Christ is offering.  Hence, His command, "He who has ears, let him hear!"  Christ's seemingly paradoxical response to the demand for a sign by the scribes and Pharisees comes to us as an affirmation of our own need to truly desire what He offers, for He is not simply in the world to compel anyone to love Him, but to put out a call of love and faith, seeking those who can hear and respond.  We are used to being spoon-fed truths, so to speak, through platforms and international media.  But in a world of constantly competing information vying for our attention, Jesus still calls.  He remains the Sower, sowing the seeds of His gospel, and longs for those who will respond, and produce the fruits of the good harvest He desires. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you

 

 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

 

- Matthew 6:25-34 

 

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught His disciples, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.  If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness.  No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

 

  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?"  My study Bible explains that Jesus is warning against anxiety here, not against thoughtful planning.  Our physical well-being is directly dependent upon God, it says, and only indirectly on food, drink, and clothing.  It further remarks that to be anxious over earthly things demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care.  

 

 "So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."  Because the Gentiles served pagan idols, they remained dependent upon earthly things, my study Bible says.  Those who follow God can be freed from this dependence.  

 

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."  The kingdom of God is the central theme of Christ's teaching, and God's righteousness is the subject of the Sermon on the Mount, my study Bible notes.  It says that Jesus calls us to be free from anxiety about earthly things, and directs us to look to heaven -- secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings.  

 

So, what is God's righteousness?   The entire Sermon on the Mount is a way to express this, what life is like in living for the Kingdom.  We started with the Beatitudes, which taught us how to live and to view a blessed life.  From there we learned that believers are like salt and light, and carry these needful qualities with them in spiritual terms that help their societies and communities.  Deepening our understanding of the Law and its aims, Jesus teaches us about the reality of our interior lives, what it means to be part of this communion, and to take action to avoid sin at deeper levels within our own hearts.  In other words, true righteousness, and justice, even spiritual perfection.  Giving examples of this life, He teaches us how we should pray, and what to pray.  Yesterday, He taught us about the impossibility of serving two masters; we'll either be a slave to materialism or freed in true righteousness, embracing the life of the Kingdom (see above).  Moreover, in today's reading, Jesus elaborates on that freedom, asking us to become freed enough from attachment to our material desires so as to avoid excess anxiety, to stop making that the central focus of life and put God there instead -- "for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."  In other words, we don't divide life into two realms, but we do put one first, the one governed by God, under whom are all things, for God creates and upholds all of reality.  When we lose the righteousness -- the kingdom of God and His righteousness -- then we lose the reason for being, the ways of relationship to the world and even to our material possessions, how to use them, what they are for, and how they are provided for us.  In our lives we may work hard, we may find very creative ways to live material lives, but ultimately our well-being depends upon placing our faith in something that colors everything and transcends it.  In recognizing dependence upon God, we not only find this righteousness and this Kingdom for ourselves, we also find a healthy gratitude, an understanding of life that places in our laps the means by which we find values and priorities for all that we do.  Gratitude is so often the alternative, and therapy, for the times one feels depression or meaninglessness, so let us shape our lives by this understanding of dependence upon God.  Even the sad parts of life, the things we experience as loss, pain, or suffering, gain meaning through God's righteousness, and relationship to Creator, including insights on how we go forward through difficulties.  So let us depend upon Christ and free ourselves from the anxieties that make us unbalanced and unreceptive to the righteousness and communion we can find.  Today's passage contains some of the most beautiful imagery found in all of Scripture.  It's not for nothing that Jesus reminds us of the stunning beauty of nature ("even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these"), of the things created by God, the dependency even of the birds of the air for God's care ("Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?"), and most especially how futile our worry and anxiety are ("Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?").  In this context, faith becomes the way of life that is not simply preferable, but needful, and for all of us as human beings.  In the modern world, we feel that we are constantly bombarded with things to worry about; we are constantly fed information guaranteed to stoke anxiety.  Jesus acknowledges that we have needs, and we also have troubles, but He puts them into context for us.  Perhaps it was always like this, but nonetheless even in our present age it remains true, that "tomorrow will worry about its own things -- and sufficient for the day is its own trouble."  Let us take Jesus at His word, for unlike some who preach all kinds of systems or philosophies or even faiths, He doesn't scare us with fear, but quite the opposite.  He teaches us that a focus on worry and anxiety avail us nothing; only faith changes everything and is the place we should take our stand and root ourselves in life.  Let us remember the beauty and wisdom He teaches to us. We are called to a particular Kingdom, and a particular righteousness.  The whole world may urgently chase the material life ("For after all these things the Gentiles seek"), but we are called to a different way.  In a world increasingly obsessed with security, let us consider how we may seek first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness.

 

 

 

 

We ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  

 

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

- John 4:27–42 

 

In our recent readings, the Gospel has given us the story of Christ's encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.  The story begin with Thursday's reading.  Yesterday (Friday), we read that Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."   The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."   

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The disciples marveled, my study Bible notes, not only that Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with an unaccompanied woman -- something which was potentially scandalous. My study Bible also cites further instances of the Lord's dealings with women, all of which are uncharacteristic of the mores of His time:  see John 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18; see also Luke 8:1-3.

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.   Here is the early bloom of the product of Christ's interaction with this woman:  she becomes an early evangelist, and testifies to the advent of Christ, even bringing others to Him.  According to an early Church tradition, after Christ's Resurrection, this woman was baptized with the name Photini, which means "the enlightened one" (φως/phos means "light" in Greek).  This name can even be thought of as meaning "shining."  Together with her two sons and five daughters, the history goes, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later, she was martyred with her family under the emperor Nero by being thrown into a well.  In the Orthodox Church, she is remembered on March 20.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Once again we observe what we understand to be a common happenstance in John's Gospel:  Jesus uses everyday language that -- through misunderstandings -- is elucidated and drawn out to higher meanings that convey spiritual realities.  Jesus fulfills His role as Messiah through doing the will of the Father.  Therefore, this is His food.  My study Bible adds that this also teaches us we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares (see John 6:27; also Matthew 4:4; 6:25-33).

 

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible reports, Christ's command to behold was given because the townspeople were approaching, and they were ready and eager to believe in Jesus.  (To this day, the remaining descendants of this Samaritan community dress in white for their ceremonies.)  My study Bible comments that Christ compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) to fields ready for harvest, seeming to refer to the light color a wheatfield takes on when ready for harvest.   This command, it adds, is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone wanting to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity. 

 

  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom here, who teaches that those who sow are the prophets of the Old Testament, and those who reap are the apostles.  The prophets sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, but they did not see His coming, and therefore did not reap.  The apostles did not do the preparation, but they are the ones who would draw thousands to Christ in their own lifetimes.  

 

 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."   That these foreigners are among the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world, my study Bible comments, shows that the gospel is for all people in every nation.  

This remarkable woman -- an unlikely person even to be speaking with Christ in the first place -- is an early evangelist, as my study Bible says.  She brings her people to Jesus, who singled her out when He requested of her to give Him a drink at Jacob's well (see Thursday's reading).  How did Jesus know the person she would be?  In our theology we're taught that the image of Christ is planted within us, and our own "unfolding" of true self is finding and fulfilling, manifesting that image given to us -- our identity in Christ.  So in this sense we can assume that Jesus knew this woman at the well, before they even spoke.  In the legends of the Church, she is recorded as an early missionary and martyr, along with her children.  A hagiography of greater detail can be found at this site.  St. Photini's life, and her enduring meaning and significance especially to Eastern Orthodox Christians, teach us something powerful about those called by Christ.  She remains a figure of mission and endurance, and good works.  Her influence extended beyond herself to her family and community, and even beyond.  While the minute details of her life are not known in certainty, there is one thing that she does stand for, and quite powerfully, that of endurance and persistence in faith.  We can see this displayed from Christ's encounter with her in the gospel.  She does not shrink from embarassment, she does not walk away from the strangeness of the Jewish Man, Christ, asking her for a drink, and neither does she balk at the strange sayings He begins to use in order to draw her into the mysteries of the Christian life.  She does something different; she comes forward all the more strongly to ask Christ what He is talking about, and to tell Him she would like some of that "living water" He tells her about.  She reaches with both hands, so to speak, to grab at this strange good news Christ is sharing with her.   What we can indeed say about St. Photini is that her influence in various parts of the world persists, and it inspires.  Not only was she instrumental in establishing the early Church, she became a figure of inspiration for Christians who struggled afterward, and continue to struggle in these regions where she lived and preached the gospel.  Let us consider with Photini how much significance one person can have, have much influence, and how much good one person can do far beyond their nominal lives and places of living.  For this is an aspect of St. Photini's life that is not limited to her, but rather characteristic of many saints, both male and female.  In an age where women were not considered to be socially powerful without a strong connection to a ruling family, St. Photini nonetheless, through her own persistence, became a figure who continues to inspire thousands of years after her life in this world.  We recall that it is Jesus who singled her out, asking for a drink of water -- and taught her about the living water He had to offer, which becomes "a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  Thanks to St. Photini, the townspeople declare that "we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."   As if in affirmation of their powerful testimony, Jesus consents to stay with them two days, a rare occurrence in the Gospels.  May the light of St. Photini shine also for each of us, and the Savior of the world remain with all of us.

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow"

 

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes who had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of demons:  "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."   

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  My study Bible comments on today's reading that in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5; Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14).  This is because such activity was part of daily life for the people.  Here, Jesus reveals Himself as the promised Messiah.  He is the sower in the earth, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

In today's reading, Jesus introduces parables into His ministry.  He begins with this key parable to all the rest of them, the parable of the Sower.  Above, we note that my study Bible explains the Sower is Christ Himself.  He sows His word.  In our following readings, Jesus Himself will be explaining the parable to His disciples.  But let's consider the setting.  As He goes and preaches by the sea, we're told, great multitudes were gathered together to Him.  So much so, that He got into a boat and sat to speak to them.  His position of sitting while the crowds listen standing on the shore is significant, for this is a position of a teacher.  But the great question is, why in parables?  And why now?  Certainly yesterday's reading holds one clue for us.  He spoke to the Pharisees and the scribes about an unclean spirit cast out of a person, an unclean spirit who can't find rest in the "dry places" he goes to afterward.  So he returns to the person who's like a house empty, swept, and put in order -- but takes seven spirits more wicked than himself.  If we understand Christ's teaching, He's telling the Pharisees (and us) that it's of no use merely to meet the basic standards of "clean" life, if we are not actively pursuing a deeper faith with God.  We want an indwelling of the Holy Spirit, an active and deepening journey of faith in which we pursue God for such depth and closeness.  We want to draw near to God with our hearts, not just our lips, so to speak.  So today, as these great multitudes now come to Him, Jesus effectively challenges the crowds.  They're going to have to make an effort to discern what He's talking about.  He's not going to simply feed people with mysteries and meanings and revelations if they're not committed to such a gift in the first place.  They have to have ears to hear.  That is, God wants us to have spiritual ears to hear with, to deeply desire what is offered so that we cultivate this kind of perception, as best we can.  My study Bible describes parables as stories in word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  They give us seemingly simple pictures of daily life, but represent and communicate the deep things of God.  It notes, "Parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9)."  The images in parables give us stories, as Christ understood human beings to need stories.  They reveal truth through a responsive heart that will ponder past the "entrance" and into the reality of God's Kingdom.  They are things that we can chew on, think about through the periods of our lives, and experience as revelatory from a number of angles as we do.  So let us be drawn in.  Everybody loves a story, and these stories come from Christ so that we might be drawn in to listen to Him, and reap a harvest of the Kingdom.  

Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  

 

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "he told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

- John 4:27–42 

 

On Saturday we read that when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one who you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"   My study bible comments that the disciples marveled not only that Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with an unaccompanied woman, something that was potentially scandalous.  John's Gospel, in a way similar to Luke's, gives us a glimpse of Jesus' sympathetic dealings with women:  see John 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (also Luke 8:1-3).

 

 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  My study bible remarks that this Samaritan woman, becomes an early evangelist.  She testifies to the advent of Christ, and she brings others to Him as well.  According to an early tradition, after the Resurrection, she was baptized and given the name Photini, which literally means "the enlightened one" (phos means "light" in Greek).   Together with her two sons and five daughters, tradition has it that she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  (Carthage was a city in what is today Tunisia, a wealthy city thanks to historic Mediterranean trade, and in Christ's time an important city of the Roman Empire.)   St. Photini was later martyred with her family under the emperor Nero by being thrown into a well.  

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."   Here is another classic example of how misunderstandings using common language appear in John's Gospel in order to open our eyes to deeper truths of Christ's message.  My study bible comments that as Jesus fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father, this is therefore His food.   It notes that this also teaches us we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares (John 6:27; see also Matthew 4:4, 6:25-33).  

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  According to commentary by St. John Chrysostom, the command to Behold is given because the townspeople were approaching, and they were ready and eager to believe in Christ.  Jesus compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) to fields which are ready for harvest.   This command, my study bible says, is also to all believers to look around us and to share the gospel with anyone who wants to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity. 

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  My study bible once again cites St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles, respectively.  The prophets sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  But they did not see Christ's coming, and therefore did not reap the harvest.  The apostles did not do the preparation, but they would draw thousands to Christ within their own lifetimes.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "he told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  My study bible says that, as these foreigners are among the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world, it shows the gospel is for all people in every nation.  

It's interesting that Jesus remarks, upon seeing the Samaritan townspeople approaching and ready to believe, "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  There are those who teach that the traditional clothing of the Samaritans is all white.  Indeed, there are modern-day Samaritans who still worship in the Old Testament tradition on Mt. Gerizim, and they do so in all-white garments (see, for example, this article on the present-day Samaritan community in Nablus).  Indeed, there are other groups of Christians descended from ancient populations who also worship in white garments, such as the Ethiopian Orthodox (see, for example, this article about the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration of the Feast of the Holy Cross).  In the Middle East, there is an expression for one pure in heart, and that is to have a "white heart."   That is, white is the absence of any stain, indicating an unadulterated composition, a person who has no ulterior or hidden motivation, who is willing to let all come to the light (see John 3:20-21).   When Jesus finds Nathanael, He expresses something touching upon this, when He says, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" (John 1:47).   This may be contrasted with the negative image of leaven, which taints the whole, in Jesus' statement to the disciples, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod!" (Mark 8:15).   In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).  So to consider what this all means symbolically, in the field of white ready for harvest, is something quite important.  I once was taught a beautiful image of purity in a natural pearl.  That is, one not "cultured" (that is, stimulated by the introduction of a foreign substance to start the pearl at its core), but naturally found and made of pure nacre, without internal or external adulteration.  To be the same from inside to out is an image of purity of heart, of one with "no deceit," and who is willing to come to the light of God.  So, in the image of the Samaritans coming toward Christ, and brought by St. Photini, the Enlightened One, let us consider what it is to have a pure heart.  The pure in heart are those who simply are ready for the things of God, and have no hidden motive standing in the way.  Most importantly in the observations about our reading for today (and Saturday's), there is nothing that stands in the way of purity of heart except what is inside of a person.   The Samaritan woman is the least likely to be the one to whom Jesus revealed Himself as Messiah, but her heart was clearly ready to receive this message and to receive "the Savior of the world" in truth.   There are no barriers to purity of heart, save the ones we cling to ourselves.  This image, therefore, becomes one to which we all may aspire, so that we, too, may "see God."

For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'   Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and his your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

- Matthew 25:14-30

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming!; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'   He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  And I was afraid, and went and his your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"   When we think about this parable, it's important to understand that even one talent (which was a measurement of weight of silver or gold) was a considerable sum of money.  In the parable, it represents the goodness that God has bestowed on each person.  It is through this parable that the word "talent" has come to mean what it means to us today:  a gift or ability.  My study bible says that the amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  There is no partiality shown in the ultimate reward, as all are invited to share in the same joy of the lord.   My study bible adds that the wicked and lazy servant could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent, as idleness (or a sin of omission) is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  To bury the talent in the ground, according to commentary by Pope St. Gregory the Great, is to use one's gifts for purely earthly pursuits, and to omit the spiritual.  The bankers are other faithful people to whom one can turn to entrust the use of talents wisely, and to give help and advice.  Since help was available to this man in the Church, there is no excuse.

So what does it mean to use a talent, or a skill, or any of the blessings we have in life?  We assume that all that belongs to us, in any sense, is ultimately a gift from God.  From there, in a sacramental type of life, we return those gifts to God by consecrating them for God's use.  That can happen in prayer when we ask for guidance and direction for our lives.  What should we do?  How do we need to apply ourselves, or use our assets in life?  There are often hidden things we don't expect awaiting our desire to put into use some of the things that we have.  Sometimes a small gesture, like gracing a lovely garden with our care and possibly placing a small statue of Mary, the Mother of God in one corner, can be enough to signal to others a love of God's beauty and grace, and to then feed and inspire others through this gesture of beauty.  We might take any possession, such as a room in our homes, and decorate a simple corner with a few icons of Christ or of saints who are meaningful to us.  These gestures remind us that we can "repurpose" anything in our lives to reflect our faith, to remind us of our spiritual connection to God, and how that is at work through our worldly lives in our devotion.  Of course all kinds of talents can be used in all kinds of ways, whether we might have financial expertise and help our Church with wise expenditures or investments, or we have construction or painting abilities and help to build or repair, or possibly we contribute a singing voice to a choir.  There is no gift from God that cannot be used in service, to make the profit on the talent that the Master our Lord is looking for.  It's important to note that this Master relies on us to do His work in the world, to create the profits and fruitfulness He hopes for.  In that we become more consciously aware that Christ truly works through us -- we don't wait for the God somewhere "out there" to do something; through prayer we connect with our Lord and seek guidance for how to live our lives, and this can also happen through the "bankers" in the parable, those in the Church, be it through prayer with the saints or our fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers in the Church.  As such this Kingdom truly works in us and among us, for as we know and have been promised, God is within us and so works through us.  There is no limit to what a talent may do or be; from the time of the earliest monastics in the deserts, prayer itself has been understood as something which creates enormous good in the world.  Simply by committing to a daily prayer practice, one creates spiritual wealth that we can't necessarily know or see at work -- but we should be assured of the good that it does, even for those whom we don't know who benefit spiritually through our prayer that we add to the world.  Let us remember, also, that this parable is given within the context of Jesus' teachings about the end times and His Second Coming, and also in the context of the judgment that accompanies His return.  We are to think about the end product of our lives as that which we can look back upon and consider how we contribute spiritually to the world -- how whatever gifts we have might be something that adds to the spiritual treasure which Christ invested in all of us -- and in the world -- through His Incarnation and life in the world.  Any spiritual investment that we make, then, becomes a part of the gospel going out to all the world, and we enter into the work begun by others.  We all enter into others' labors (John 4:38), and continue this great work begun long before we were conceived.  St. Paul writes, "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?" (Romans 8:22-24).  We enter into a new creation, with a hope that still burns for a future we don't and cannot see.  And yet, looking to the return of the Master, we invest in His name, we work in His name, we hope for more fruitfulness in His name, and we trust to God's indwelling in us and among our communities.  He entrusts us with this great work in how we use His gifts, so that even the whole of the creation is part of this great work, even a liturgy of creation praising Creator.  Our worst experiences, in this context, become even occasions for fruitfulness, as we repurpose and rededicate whatever we have in life to the service of God.  In this way the world is transformed and is sacrament.  It all depends on how we use the gifts and "talents" we're given, and to what purpose we dedicate our lives for the Master.  All of it is precious in His sight.

Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." 

- John 4:27-42

On Saturday we read that when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"   Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."   The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  The disciples were in the town seeking food, while Jesus had remained at Jacob's well, where He began speaking to the Samaritan woman.  The disciples are apparently so confounded not only that He should be speaking to a woman alone, but even a Samaritan woman, that they simply can say nothing to Him.  Christ's encounters with women defy the social restrictions of His time to teach us about His love for all of His children and our reciprocity in faith to Him (see John 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 -- also Luke 8:1-3).  This is the Gospel written by the disciple who would become entrusted son to Christ's mother after His death (19:26); one cannot help but feel that the view the Gospel gives us into Jesus' relationships with women reflects this experience and subsequent understanding.  Meanwhile, the Samaritan woman, who is to be called St. Photini ("the enlightened one" in Greek) later on in the Church, becomes a kind of evangelist herself, going to her own townspeople to tell them about Jesus.  My study bible notes that along with her two sons and five daughters, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later on she was martyred with her family under the emperor Nero, by being thrown into well.  In the Eastern Churches she is remembered on March 20.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Here is another example of how misunderstanding is used in John's Gospel to illumine and create understanding; common expressions open the way to spiritual understanding as Christ uses them.  Jesus fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father.  Therefore, this is His food.  My study bible adds that this passage teaches us that we are to perform the will of God in our own lives without being distracted by earthly cares (6:27; see also Matthew 4:4; 6:25-33). 

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  According to St. John Chrysostom, cited by my study bible, Christ's command to behold and look is given as the townpeople are approaching, and they are ready and eager to believe in Him and His message.  Jesus compares these foreigners (Samaritans, enemies of the Jews) to fields which are ready for harvest.  My study bible adds that this command is also to all believers, to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone who wants to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity.

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  Again, St. Chrysostom's commentary is cited here.  He teaches that those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles, respectively.  The prophets sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  But they did not see His coming and therefore did not reap.  The apostles did not do the preparation, but they will draw thousands to Christ within their own lifetimes and through their own labors and entering into the labors of others.   By the same token, we today are not alone in our faith, but enter into an entire communion of saints and their labors, reaping where they have sown in our faith.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  My study bible notes that as these foreigners are among the very first to recognize Christ as the Savior of the world, it shows us that the gospel is for all people in every nation.

These Samaritans do what each of us must do in our faith.  They hear about Christ, and then they come and hear Him for themselves; this is how they know that Christ is the Savior of the world.  In the first chapter of John's Gospel, when Jesus' very first disciples were taught by John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God," Jesus' response to them is to "come and see" for themselves (John 1:35-42).  On the following day, when Philip and Nathanael are called, Nathanael says to Philip, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  And Philip tells Nathanael, "Come and see" (John 1:43-51).  So it is with each of us.  We may hear about Christ and read about Him.  We may find all kinds of sources to teach us about Him.  But each encounter must finally be brought home to ourselves and our experience of our faith, and even our own personal experience of Christ.  We enter into a communion and more; we participate in the life of Christ through the practices of the Church, in particular, through the Eucharist.    In chapter 6, Jesus teaches, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (see 6:53-58).  In chapter 15, He teaches, "Abide in Me, and I in you" (15:4).   Certainly in the Eucharist we find a complete fulfillment of His words and teachings.  What Christ asks us to do is enter into the deepest communion with Him, on all levels.  It is the work of the Holy Spirit that makes this possible.  We are each called to "come and see" for ourselves, and in the language of the Scriptures, to "abide with Him."   Our work of faith requires a kind of close communion that brings us into union with Him.  This is not merely an intellectual understanding of the faith He offers and the teachings He gives.  It isn't even a kind of obedience to a set of rules or commands.  It is rather a closeness so close there can be no closer.  We are to live this relationship of communion and to experience it for ourselves.  In our prayer we are not called to "speak with ourselves" as did the Pharisee in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).  We are instead called to enter into a dialogue with God.  What we find is an integration of body, soul, and spirit, which will call us both to sacrifice and to commands within the body of the Church and in a communion which also includes our own hearts.  Each one of us must live this journey for ourselves, must bear our own crosses for ourselves.  Without such encounter, faith is not full, for love is all about communion and depth of encounter.   Indeed, when Jesus speaks in today's reading of entering into others' labors, and reaping what we do not sow, He is clearly illustrating what it means to be a part of such a communion.  In Revelation 3:20, we are told, "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."  This is the fulfillment of the words, "Come and see," and it is a knock and a call for each one of us.

For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him

 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  ("But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')  For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"

- Luke 19:11-27

Yesterday we read that Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."  Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  The text explains to us the attitude and expectations of those with Jesus.  They believe in the contemporary understanding of what the Messiah would do, and surely Jerusalem was the place for the Messiah to enter as king.  So, their expectations of are an immediate manifestation of the kingdom of God, and the worldly reign of the Christ over Israel.

"A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.  So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'"  Jesus, of course, tells this parable about Himself as the nobleman, who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and was initially rejected by those over whom He would rule.  This is a parable about the time when He will be away, before He returns to the fullness of His kingdom at the Second Coming.  In Matthew's Gospel, this parable is told using a unit of money called a talent.  Both the talent and the mina were measures of weight, to which value was attached as weight of gold or silver, and later coins.   Our modern English understanding of the word "talent" comes from the interpretation of this parable.  Although a talent was worth far more than a mina, the understanding is the same.  The minas represent talents or gifts given by God.  They represent the goodness which God has bestowed on each person.  That would include the qualities we may possess from character, skill, intelligence, capability -- and more specifically, our capacity for spiritual gifts.   My study bible says that the amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  It adds that God does not show partiality in the ultimate reward, for all are invited to share the same joy.   It is interesting that the master who returns tells those who have traded, "Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over . . ." because this parallels Jesus' saying when He spoke of choosing between God and mammon.  After telling the parable of the Unjust Steward, Jesus told the Pharisees, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" (see this reading).  If we think of talents, gifts, and capabilities as wealth, then we understand what it is to be faithful in little; that is, how we choose to live our lives in accordance with the Lord's teachings, regardless of what area of life we're talking about or what we are doing.  In this case, what was given to each was put to use, traded, even invested in something.  

Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  ("But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.')  For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'"  This wicked servant, my study bible says, could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent (or mina) as idleness is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  The bank represents the body of the Church, where others can help to bring out and make the most of whatever it is we may contribute.   As there is help available at this bank, there is no excuse.  To keep the money put away in a handkerchief seems to indicate a careless way to keep the money, and one heedless of its value.  The handkerchief is of course for personal use for wiping perspiration away or cleaning one's nose.  But another use for this particular piece of cloth is as a head binding for a corpse (John 11:44, 20:7).  Either way seems to indicate an ignorance of the things of God, and a devaluing of them.  Moreover, this suggests the burial of the talents as told in this story in Matthew's Gospel; a pursuit of the purely earthly.

How do we use what we have for the purposes of the Kingdom?  How do we glorify God by the lives we lead?  What do we consider wealth?  We first of all should consider what it is to be faithful, and remind ourselves of this saying of Jesus, asking what it means to be "faithful in a very little."  Jesus is perhaps contrasting the things of this world (those which are very little) with the greater things of heaven.  We must consider that whatever we have -- our bodies, our gifts and skills and talents, our intelligence, all that we have -- are gifts of God, including spiritual gifts.  To be faithful in this word in the Gospel is to be trustworthy, reliable, loyal, a kind of fullness of faith.  Its root is the Greek word for trust.  So, it seems to me, to invest our lives in the faith of Christ is to entrust whatever skills and talents we have to the Lord's direction.  The man who put away his money in a handkerchief, or a face-covering for a corpse, invested or entrusted his gifts to that which is dead and has no life, something used for that which is cast off or cast away.  But when we give ourselves and our lives to faith, we are entrusting ourselves in what is, in fact, eternal and timeless.  To be faithful in a little, then, is to invest ourselves in something that pays off in the long run, that rewards us with timeless gifts.  In guiding the ruler who came to Him to ask about eternal life, Jesus teaches him, "You still lack one thing.  Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me"  (see this reading).  The point is that whatever it is we truly invest ourselves in will determine what we reap, the "treasure in heaven" we possess or not.  In that sense, if the rich ruler had considered giving his money to the poor, this would have been an investment that gained him treasure in heaven.   There are all kinds of things in which we can invest ourselves in life and in this world.  There are a million ways to follow fashion, to entrust ourselves to one ideology or abstract philosophy or another.  There is the pursuit of worldly wealth -- of any sort -- as our number one goal or achievement.  But whatever it is we gain, we should consider this image of the handkerchief which is also used as a shroud for the head of a corpse.  In what do we invest that is of immeasurable value?  How do we live our lives as an investment in the faith of Christ?   Our choices become guided by whatever it is that we put our heart and soul into.  As Jesus puts it in naming the first and greatest commandment, it's what we choose to love with all our heart and soul and mind (see Matthew 22:35-40).  This then guides our relationships to everything else:  what we choose to do in life, how we choose to treat or love others, what we do with all that is available to us, personal wealth or talent or skill or character capacity.  So think about where you invest what you have.  What do you really put your trust in? What is it that is worthy of this precious thing that is your life, or your soul?  What direction do you want to guide you through all things and choices?  Where do you invest yourself?  Moreover and beyond, who exactly is most worthy of that trust?