A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master

 

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 

 

 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also  confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

 

- Matthew 10:24-33 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has appointed the twelve disciples to become apostles, and has been preparing them for their first apostolic mission.  In yesterday's reading, He taught them: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 

  "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."  Jesus says, "Therefore do not fear them."  He's referring those who will persecute His followers (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible points out that Jesus repeats "Do not fear" three times in this preparatory discourse to the apostles (verses 26, 28, 31) in order to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity.  Christian believers, then and today, it says, must neither be intimated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach. 

 

  "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also  confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  That Jesus says there is no need to fear the killing of the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by grace, my study Bible tells us.  "Fear Him"  is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17), for only God has the power to judge the soul.  Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  Hell is literally "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices such as the sacrifice of children in fire (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to such practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By the time of Christ, this valley had become a garbage dump which smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of these associations Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.  

 

Jesus repeatedly preaches to His disciples, "Do not fear."  My study Bible notes, as stated above, that we are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  What is quite interesting in today's reading is the reference to Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom, which was a place where worshipers of Baal sacrificed children to that god (also referenced in this instantiation as Molech) by passing them through fire.  Baal was also considered to be the god of the underworld, the place of the dead.  Jesus here proclaims that such a god has no power either in heaven or in hell, for He instructs us to fear only Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Thus, Jesus is proclaiming that all power in heaven and earth, in all creation, belongs only to God.  In the tradition of the Church, it is Christ Himself, who, after His Crucifixion and before His Resurrection, destroys the gates of hades and frees those souls there, bringing the gospel even to that place.  Thus we are to fear only God, and Christ Himself is the One who will judge souls.  Thus He preaches to the disciples (and to us) fearless witness, with discretion ("be wise as serpents and gentle as doves"; see yesterday's reading, above).  Moreover, Jesus goes into great detail to make us aware not only of the power of God, but also its keen ever-presence and awareness of every detail of our lives, and the lives of God's creatures:  "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  In addition to God's awareness of our lives, Jesus moreover will represent those of us who confess Him before people in this world, as He will testify of us (confess) "before My Father who is in heaven."  As further testimony to His power of judgment, He adds, "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  So we are encouraged to put our faith in Christ and in His commands to us not simply as good, and true, and beautiful, but as representative of the will of the God of all things, in heaven and in earth, in all of creation, and for every aspect of our lives.  We witness on behalf of the One who will judge, who has the ultimate power we can know.  Let us understand that our lives in this world are impacted through such a mission and purpose so as to make them as that which serves the highest good, the truth of our very existence and creation, and that our souls are immortal.  What we do here will also continue with us into the afterlife, into the places where God is present, and Christ reigns.  Yet even for such a power, the very hairs of our head are numbered and precious, as are even the tiny sparrows of this world.  So, would we not gladly confess such a Father, and Christ Himself, who has come to us in the image of the Father, in love and compassion?  Let us be grateful for this great grace we have been given, to participate in His power, and share in His mission, as we serve our master.  

 

 

 

 

And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven

 

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. 

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

- Luke 11:53-12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that a certain Pharisee asked Jesus to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

 

  And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  By now, as Jesus has already set His face to go to Jerusalem, the Pharisees are now His enemy -- lying in wait and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."   My study Bible says that whom you should fear refers to God (Proverbs 9:10).  It comments that the body will die eventually, one way or another, noting that St. Ambrose even states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment.  Rather it marks the end of earthly punishments.  The soul continues for all eternity; since God is the judge of the soul, our efforts in this world are to please God alone.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  My study Bible notes that to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people before their conversion.   The scandal caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:23) makes this sin more easily forgiven.  The Holy Spirit, by contrast, is without bodily form and invisibly works divine goodness.  My study Bible further cites St. John Chrysostom -- as well as many other patristic teachers -- who say that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  It points out that Jesus never calls the sin itself "unforgivable."  Jesus makes this declaration, in fact, knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

So then, what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?  How can we perceive of the works accomplished in the Holy Spirit in this world?  Perhaps this is a clue why, over and over again, Jesus teaches us to take heed how we hear (Luke 8:18), and how we see, to cultivate spiritual discernment.  In Matthew 13, Jesus begins to preach in parables to the crowds.  When He is asked why by His disciples, He replies, "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them" (Matthew 13:13-15; quoting from Isaiah 6:10).  But so many people seem to have hearts that have dulled, spiritual eyes and ears that don't work and don't perceive.  Why this neglect, and why this blindness?  It seems that Jesus gives us this great hint as to a cause when He criticizes and warns His disciples about the Pharisees; but it's a warning not focused on the Pharisees themselves per se, rather it is about their way of life:  "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."   This ties in to yesterday's reading, and His criticism of the ways of the Pharisees and scribes (lawyers) that illuminate the ways of hypocrisy, and the blindness it causes.  Those who live by appearance and neglect the inner life become blind to it, blind to who they are and what they're doing, projecting the same onto others, failing to perceive and act upon the things of God, or turning in repentance to find the way to them.  But yet, nothing is hidden from God.  Jesus adds, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  To be a hypocrite, to live through appearances in the eyes of others, is to be enslaved to "the praise of men rather than the praise of God" (John 12:43).  It is to live in fear of the wrong things, and to stray from God, the only One whose power one should truly fear.  But we are beloved of God, who only wants us back.  But we have a limited time in this life for such repentance and return, and in today's reading Jesus also warns us about judgment:  "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God."  It's in this context that He warns about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit -- a teaching that emphasizes our capacity for spiritual understanding, our need to exercise our faculties of perception of what is spiritually good.   Emphasizing this important role and honoring of the Holy Spirit, Jesus also speaks of persecutions to come, explaining that the Holy Spirit is the One who provides testimony:  "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."   In a world that often lately seems to have forgotten all about these important spiritual realities, or desires to dismiss them, it is perhaps just as important today as it was in Christ's time to pay attention to these words, to cultivate our own capacity for spiritual insight and perception, to pray and gain this powerful reliance upon the Holy Spirit -- for it is there where our salvation lies.  It is there where we find the hope of the world, and the power of the judgment to come.  

 

 

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! Therefore do not fear them

 

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known. 

"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

 

- Matthew 10:24-33 

 

In our current reading, Jesus is preparing the Twelve for their first apostolic mission, before He sends them out (see this reading).  Yesterday, Jesus taught them, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known."  Jesus is teaching His disciples not to fear those who will persecute them (see yesterday's reading, above, for His warnings about persecutions to come).  

 

 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."   In today's reading, Jesus repeats the messages do not fear three times altogether.  My study Bible says that He does so in order to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity.  Christian believers, then and today, it says, must neither be intimidated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach.  Moreover, that there is no need to fear the killing of the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by grace.  Fear Him is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17).  Only God has the power to judge the soul, a power invoked here as Jesus speaks of His own confession "before My Father."  My study Bible comments that Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  Hell is literally "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, my study Bible explains, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to those practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By the time of Christ, the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered constantly.  Because of these associations, it notes, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.

Jesus teaches His disciples to fear God more than they would fear those who will be hostile to them.  This remains true now for us as much as it was then, and it would seem to be just as difficult for us to be mindful of such priorities.  But Christ is not inviting His disciples to court danger nor even to become involved with those who will seek to persecute them for His name's sake.  What He is emphasizing here, on the contrary, is a question of what priority they will serve in life.  Far more important to remember God, to keep in mind the essential value of the soul, than to consider temporal or worldly fears outweigh that in importance.  If we might put the question another way, it seems that we can ask ourselves what ranks in order of importance as to where our loyalty lies.  Do we respect, honor, and fear the people who would reject Christ and persecute His followers, or is it God who commands our respect, honor, and even fear -- fear in the sense that it is God who is the stronger, better power, and fear in the sense that it is God who is the Creator of all.  For that invites us to ask the question, what do we lose if we lose our relationship with God?  What do we lose if we are not in good order, or right relatedness to the One who lays the foundations of existence?  In that case, we have to fear not only the loss of our own priceless soul, but to fear an existence which is out of order with the cosmos itself, and far away and detached from God who is love and the root of love.  What would the qualities of our lives be like then, should we honor instead those who seek to persecute the ones who love Christ?  To what would we be bowing?  What would the qualities of our lives be like then?  It is an important question to answer, for to honor that fear of those who would persecute Christ is to honor a spirit of anti-Christ in some sense.  It is to give ourselves up to the fortune of the moment, the ire of those who hate, the worldly power of those whose practice is a kind of rage.  For us as Christians, it is important to draw this line -- an understanding that our worldly fears are not to be placed in significance above our love of God and Christ, for to do so is to dishonor the latter.  Christ asks His disciples to be exceptionally prudent:  to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  We are not to entertain danger nor to approach the realities of persecution with anything but awareness, shrewdness, and peace on our part.  Nonetheless, in whatever tribulation comes, we are prepared with devotion and an understanding of the sanctity of the soul and its precious value.  For in that understanding comes our highest loyalty. We must understand "fear" in this context as a kind of respect for enormous and unknown, unlimited power; in this sense, to fear God is wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).  To fear the persecutors pales in comparison, for to God our worth is also precious.  Let us weigh what is more precious to us, and where our values ultimately are to be found.

 

 

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy

 

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. 

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  

 

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

- Luke 11:53-12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke to the crowd, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

 

  And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.   We note now the level of hostility in the religious leaders.  Their response to His criticisms (in yesterday's reading, above) is simply to find a way to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."  Jesus takes His criticisms a step further, and warns the people against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  Note that this is not simply done in order to criticize the leadership, but on the contrary, to lead the people to a true way of practicing faith themselves.  His statement that there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nothing hidden that will not be known is a way of emphasizing that hypocrisy avails nothing when it comes to the truth of God's judgment and the real state of our souls.  Everything will be revealed and known to all.  Believers should proceed about their lives with this understanding in mind.

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."   Even as He criticizes the leadership who now seek to find something with which they can accuse Him, Jesus speaks of the One more powerful than those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  Again, this is another reference to God's judgment, as in the statements regarding hypocrisy He's just made.  Whom you should fear refers to God (Proverbs 9:10).  My study Bible comments that the body will die eventually, one way or another.  It notes that St. Ambrose even states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment; instead, it marks the end of earthly punishments.  But the soul continues for all eternity.  Since God is the judge of the soul, our efforts in this world are to please God alone.  But God's witness to all things, from the great to the tiniest -- a single sparrow, even each hair of our head -- are all in the awareness of the Father who holds us precious.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  My study Bible has a lengthy note on these verses.  It says that to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people before their conversion.  The scandal which was caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:23) makes this sin more easily forgiven.  On the other hand, the Holy Spirit does not have bodily form, and invisibly works divine goodness.  According to St. John Chrysostom and many other patristic teachers, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  My study Bible says that Jesus never calls the sin itself "unforgivable."  It notes that He makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that they are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

Today's reading marks a kind of turning point in Jesus' ministry.  While the scribes and Pharisees now attack Him in response to His criticisms of their hypocrisy, and they will seek to look for something with which they can accuse Him, Jesus becomes more public with His criticism.  In particular He attacks their hypocrisy, their way of practicing their faith with an eye to the outward appearance, fulfilling duties to keep their positions, but the love of God not touching their hearts, their inner lives.  Jesus goes forward with this teaching by declaring hypocrisy to be the enemy of spiritual life, and He takes this message directly to His disciples.  When the Gospel informs us that He begins to do so when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, it is a sign that -- although He is first addressing His disciples -- this teaching is going out to all the public and all the world.  In some sense, the teaching itself is calling out those who are prepared to become His followers and His disciples, who will follow His teachings.  Let us again note the importance of the emphasis on hypocrisy as the enemy of the spiritual life He teaches, and of the Kingdom which He preaches.  He is not simply preaching a kind of rebellion against the religious establishment, nor is He attacking the Law (which, in the sight of the Church, He as Lord has given).  He is attacking and condemning hypocrisy as the enemy of spiritual life, and in particular of the spiritual life that is the gospel of the kingdom He brings into the world.  He attacks not the Pharisees per se, but the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  He does not want His followers to imitate what they do (Matthew 23:3).  For in this Kingdom He brings into the world there is at work that which will reveal all, where "there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."   And we may ask why this is so, and Jesus provides the answer.  First of all, there is nothing that God does not know or see, and God's judgment will be active in the world.  Jesus gives vivid images of the small things of which we normally may take no notice -- the sparrows, even the number of hairs on our heads -- to express the vision and awareness of God in the least details of life.  But, even more powerfully, in this eschatology He brings, the life of the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit will be at work in the world, beginning a new age even in the midst of the present age.  Thus the God who led the Israelites to the promised land will be more fully present and at work in the world.  In John's Gospel, at the Last Supper, Jesus teaches that He must go away so that the Helper, the Holy Spirit comes.  "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (see the full passage at John 16:5-10).  Here it is the powerful testimony of the Holy Spirit that Jesus emphasizes when He says that "anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven."  This presence of the Spirit becomes even more greatly emphasized when Jesus includes the detail that when His disciples are brought "to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  This means that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will be present to all who are followers and disciples of Christ -- for, as St. Paul writes, in the faithfulness of Christ we are all "temples of God," for the Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16).  Christ is proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, and expressing more fully what it means that His disciples were sent out to proclaim that "the kingdom of God has come near you" (Luke 10:9-11).   He is giving us a powerful understanding of the reality of the kingdom of God and its "breaking in" upon us, so that we live in a world permeated at times by the reality of the age to come, even while we continue to live in the present age.  With the Incarnation of Christ, we entered what are called "end times," and that is the present age in which we live.  But He prepares us to be those in whom the Spirit can dwell, as temples of God, and also those who will help to manifest His kingdom in the world.  With His teachings against hypocrisy, He initiates the way we have to live, He teaches us what it means to be His disciples, and expresses how clearly we are known to a loving Father -- even as we are invited to become bearers of the Kingdom into the world by following what He teaches.  Let us note, most importantly in this context, the names Helper and Spirit of truth (John 16:13).  "Helper" is one translation for Παράκλητος/Paraclete.  In Greek, this literally means one who comes when called; and is characterized as an advocate, a counselor, one who may make a good judgment call and give solid truthful evidence.   In the present context, we can see the relation of a Counselor or Helper especially in times of trial and testimony.  And the Spirit of truth is that indispensable One who keeps us from hypocrisy, reminding us of Christ's words that nothing will be hidden, and helping to illuminate His teachings to keep us in His way (John 14:25-26).  Let us remember that, whether or not we are always aware of it, the Helper is always with us and at work, for the Kingdom is meant to dwell within us, even midst the present age.

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows

 

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

 

- Matthew 10:24-33 

 

In yesterday's reading, as Jesus was sending out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission, He taught them, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 

  "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."   Jesus refers to those who would persecute the disciples.  Earlier, after His public preaching, healing, and casting out demons, the Pharisees claimed that "He casts out demons by the ruler of demons."   Thus Jesus says here that they have called the master of the house Beezebub, and suggesting if they have gone this far to claim such against Him, "how much more will they call those of his household!"  But Jesus' message is "do not fear them."  Over the next few verses He will repeat this message three times.  My study Bible says that this is to embolden the witness of the gospel in the face of adversity.  It adds that Christian believers, then and today, must neither be intimidated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach.

"Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."   Jesus continues to encourage faithful witness, again repeating, "do not fear" the persecutors.  My study Bible notes that there is no need to fear the killing of the soul indicates the immortality of the human soul, which is ours by grace.  Fear Him, on the other hand, is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:40; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22, 1 Peter 2:17).  This is because only God has the power to judge the soul.  Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  Hell is literally "Gehenna" (rendered γεέννῃ in Greek).  In Jewish history, as my study Bible explains, Gehenna (the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  King Josiah put an end to these practices (2 Kings 23:10).  By Christ's time, this valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  Jesus assures the disciples, in the face of persecution to come, of their great, precious value in the eyes of God.

 

 "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  Here is the choice.  It is a kind of question posed to us:  to whom does our loyalty belong?

In modern life, there has always seemed to be popular teachings against going along with the crowd.  When this writer was young, as children we were admonished with the question, "If everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you do it too?"  Nowadays because of the popularity of the internet and the experience of online bullying, children are taught that they should either stand up to bullying, or at the very least not go along with it.  They are encouraged to befriend the person who is alone, or unpopular, or picked on in school settings.  Here in today's reading, Jesus is not speaking to children, but to grown men, who've come from other professions that demanded toughness and strength (such as the fishermen) and even shrewd use of material power (Matthew the former tax collector and author of this Gospel).  But now they are sent out to bear the gospel message into the world, to preach that the kingdom of heaven at hand.  This is a mission unlike anything else they have ever done.  For this mission, they are sent out "as sheep in the midst of wolves" (see yesterday's reading, above).  They will face a persecution unlike anything they have experienced in their lives, because they enter into a spiritual battle as disciples of Christ.  This is a different kind of engagement with the world.  In this mission, Jesus has already told them, "You will be hated by all for My name's sake" (again, see yesterday's reading above).  So the admonition to remain loyal to the mission, and not to go along with or fear the persecuting crowds, becomes one of absolute importance and even absolute power:  one may kill the body but cannot kill the soul, the other is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Jesus poses this as a question of whom to fear, a notion that is perhaps unpleasant and unfamiliar to us as those who live without such persecutions to face or to experience.  But the absolute importance and grave nature of this choice remains, nevertheless, although we do not much encounter it on these terms.  Our lives are sustained by God; maybe even more significantly, our souls are sustained by God.  Whether we live in a time of great and open persecution, or a more simple personal life in which we find ourselves forced to make hard decisions based on our faith, the Cross asks us to consider such choices with the gravity Christ gives to them.  This reality still exists:  that we will have pressure from the world to go along with the crowds, and our loyalty to Christ will remain a question of what is most precious to us.  Let us understand that whether or not we wish to perceive it, the gravity of choice remains with us, as is the power of God's love and awareness of each sparrow and every hair on our head.

 

 

And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do

 

And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.   

 

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

- Luke 11:53-12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that a certain Pharisee asked Jesus to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."   Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

 

And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  This is the first time we are given an indication in the Gospel that the scribes and Pharisees begin to seek ways to catch Jesus in something He might say, so that they might accuse Him.  It's a clear indication of hostility and danger present.

 

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  My study bible comments that whom you should fear refers to God (Proverbs 9:10).  Let us note that -- as commented in the paragraph above -- this is the first time in the Gospels we are distinctly told there is danger present to Jesus, in that the religious leaders now seek to find something for which they might bring an accusation against Him.  Therefore "whom you should fear" becomes a directive to His followers about where our real fear should be placed.  My study bible comments that the body will die eventually, one way or another.  It says that St. Ambrose even states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment, but rather it marks the end of earthly punishments.  The soul continues for all eternity.  Since God is the judge of the soul, our efforts even in this world are to please God alone.  Let us know also the tremendous assurance of God's love that Jesus gives here, that the very hairs of your head are all numbered."  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."   The five sparrows referred to by Christ indicate the sacrifice afforded to a poor person, and that not one of these least of all creatures which may be set apart for God is forgotten.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."   To say a word against the Son of Man is explained by my study bible as meaning to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  To many, He seemed to be a mere man, before their conversion.  It says that the scandal caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:23) makes this sin more easily forgiven.  On the other hand, the Holy Spirit, which is without bodily form, invisibly works divine goodness.  According to St. John Chrysostom and many other patristic figures, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus does not call this sin "unforgivable."  Rather, He makes this comment knowing that those who are blaspheming the Spirit are calling what is pure, divine goodness "evil," and that they are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

The image of the little sparrows sold for two copper coins is quite poignant for us.  Two copper coins is also the amount put into the treasury of the temple in the image spoken of by Jesus in the story of the poor widow (Mark 12:41-44).  Jesus magnifies what might seem small and broken to us into magnificent images of human dignity infused with God's power through faith.  We might consider the the power of five little sparrows given into the hands of God.  While we do not practice sacrifice as it was practiced in the temple, we nonetheless continue to understand the power of a life lived within the infusion of faith and God's power to give holiness, to sanctify.  What are the value of two copper coins, of five sparrows when given into the hands of God.  As illustrated in the story of the widow who put all she had in the treasury, God knows the extreme value of her gift.  When Jesus assures us both of the regard God has for the sparrows, and that even the very hairs of our head are numbered, He is speaking of the great value God places for each of us to be in communion with God.  If even those sparrows offered to God are precious, how much more precious are our lives in God's sight when we are willing to devote ourselves to God?  When we will to set ourselves apart -- even in a Christian sense of sacrament -- as devotion to God, then of what tremendous value can that gift be made through the power of God?  Today I heard of two young chaplains who died serving troops at the battlefront in a small Christian country defending itself against much bigger and more malicious aggressive foes.  Their lives were devoted to God, and they died in that service to God and to the world, their fellow human beings and brothers.  My study bible reminds us that each of us will die.  What does it mean that these young men passed while giving life and serving God for others, bringing the blessings of faith in battle?  How can we possibly estimate what our lives of service will do, or compare other ways to pass from this world?  Let us give careful thought what it means to serve and fear only God, for there is a place that each one of us must go to determine the great value of God placed upon our lives and what we choose -- for we are worth so much more than many sparrows.

 

 

 

Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

- Luke 11:53-12:12

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  Those you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.  And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  Jesus has just warned the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers about their hypocrisy, and how it masks a lack of mercy and justice.  This is their response to His words -- to seek a way to trap Him in something He might say, so that they might accuse Him. 

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."  The leaven of the Pharisees is hypocrisy.  The Gospel tells this plainly and clearly and directly, in the words of Jesus we're given.  Why does hypocrisy itself work against our better natures, our better interests?  Because it is a focus on externals, and allows us to be blind to what we really do, our interior and hidden motivations, desires, greed, and forms of selfishness.  Jesus warns that there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Hypocrisy is useless, powerless to give us true understanding or even good character, an inner worth.  Everything is eventually revealed.  This is a flat and powerful statement of truth, a promise from Christ.  It is a warning to all of us.  To live for the opinions of others, to be seen by others, is a trap.

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  My study bible tells us that whom you should fear refers to God (Proverbs 9:10).  One way or another, our bodies will die eventually.  According to St. Ambrose, my study bible notes, states that death of the body is not itself a punishment, but it does mark the end of earthly punishments.  The soul is eternal.  As God is the judge of our soul, our efforts while in this world must be to please God alone.  And clearly Jesus here teaches us the acute awareness, the intimate involvement, in each tiny detail of our lives by God -- so much so, that God's awareness of us is far more acute than we have of ourselves.  Not even one sparrow is forgotten before God; the very hairs of one's head are numbered!  Moreover, within this awareness, to God we are absolutely precious.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  My study bible explains that to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people before their conversion, it notes.  The scandal which was caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:23) makes this sin more easily forgiven.  The Holy Spirit, by contrast, is without bodily form and invisibly works divine goodness.  My study bible here cites St. John Chrysostom, as well as many other Church Fathers, who say that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  Jesus doesn't call the sin itself "unforgivable."  He makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the work fo the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that they are beyond repentance by their own choice.

Jesus is drawing for His followers at this point clear lines into which things will fall.  He has made such a statement, albeit without the understanding of His words in today's reading, when He told them, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters" (see Monday's reading).  But when the scribes, lawyers, and Pharisees respond to Him by searching for a way to catch Him in His words in order to make an accusation, the split between the religious establishment and Christ is clear.  Moreover, the religious establishment is backed by the Roman governors (at least at this point), the fearsome state power of Empire that really hasn't ever been equaled in the world since.  When the religious leadership seeks to make an accusation against Jesus, we are aware of the penalties this may carry with it, which will extend to Jesus' followers.  In this context, one hidden gem in Jesus' words today is the absolute faith that He places in His followers.  He doesn't promise them a bed of roses in this world.  Rather, He tells us all, "I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do."  He calls us to fearless witness, to follow Him.  Our fear should be directed to the One whom we always keep in mind in our lives and through all of our choices, God.  This fear is the kind of awe and respect due to our true Father in heaven.  For God in heaven is the One with the absolute power of life and death over our souls, where our true consciousness and life is centered.  Our conscious awareness of the things that guide our lives must be upon the work of God in the world, particularly in the Person of God the Holy Spirit.  Jesus gives us a picture of our worldly lives in which God is active and intertwined, participating with us always.  He even teaches us of God's acute awareness about every part of ourselves, even to the number of the hairs on our heads.  Even the littlest sparrow's fate is something upon which God's awareness is focused.  These are promises that Jesus gives us, and those in state or worldly power -- even religious authorities -- cannot claim the same awareness, power, nor hold upon even our souls.  Whatever it is that takes place in this world, it cannot be of the size and significance in our lives, our souls, our very awareness, of the presence of God to us.  Furthermore, the warnings against hypocrisy simply emphasize this point, that we must take heed where we place all our faith, and particularly who or what we fear most.  This is because hypocrisy places the greatest awareness on the opinions of other people, whom we seek to please with outward works, while we neglect the place where God touches us and communes with us:  the inner life of the soul and what it means to be fully a person.  When we neglect this life where faith is, where our decisions really are, we neglect to place appropriate matters in the hands of God.  We fail to give attention where attention must be paid.  We lose the true meaning and knowledge of who we are, which is only truly found in our communion with God.  That's where life itself is.  Christ teaches us to be wholly reliant upon God, even for the times we respond to grave charges against us.  Let us consider the ways in which the life of God, active and working within us and in our world, intersects with our awareness of who we are and who we have to please in life.  How does that affect your choices and your decisions?  Does it open up places where you need to consider what you choose, what you believe, how you will respond to life in this world?  Think about the courage it invites you to take up in life, which bandwagon it invites you to jump off of.  Our lives are in the hands of God; there is none more powerful nor meaningful, and no one else who can give us life that is eternal, or take it away.

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.  Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Therefore whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

- Matthew 10:24-33

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued speaking to the twelve, just as He was sending them out on their first apostolic mission:   "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.  Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.  For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!  Therefore do not fear them.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.  Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."  Jesus has just finished telling them that they must conduct themselves in a wise way, and be prudent and humble.  He has warned them about persecution that will come.  (See yesterday's reading, above.  But His conclusion regarding the persecution that they will face, just as He has faced it:   "Therefore do not fear them."  In the following verses, do not fear is repeated three times.  They are prepared for bold witness in the face of adversity.  Prudence and wisdom do not come from fear, but faith.  My study bible says that Christian believers, both then and today, must neither be intimidated by persecution nor fail in their mission to preach.  The entire gospel of Christ is a revelation of the reality of the  Kingdom.  The very nature of what they do is to reveal truth.

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?  And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  Therefore whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."  My study bible says that the fact that there is no need to fear the killing of the soul shows the immortality of the human soul, which is our be grace.  Fear Him is a command to fear God (Proverbs 9:10; Luke 1:50, 23:50; Acts 10:2; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:17), because only God has the power to judge the soul.  Christians are instructed to resist the devil (James 4:7), but not to fear him.  Hell here is translated from "Gehenna."  In Jewish history, Gehenna (which was the Valley of Hinnom) became a place of forbidden religious practices (2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 32:35).  By Christ's time, my study bible says, the valley had become a garbage dump that smoldered ceaselessly.  Because of these associations, Gehenna acquired the connotation of eternal punishment in the afterlife.

"Gehenna" gives us an image of hell:  in Jesus' time it was a smoldering garbage dump, in ancient times a place of horrible practices, such as burning children alive in sacrifice, an abomination to God.  If we think of the analogy of a ceaselessly smoldering garbage dump, we get a picture of a place in which that which must be left behind or discarded as worthless is burned, and in particular that which stands in the way of union with God.  But, if we can receive it, the flames of hell are the flames of the energies of God, burning away what cannot stand in those flames and the fullness of the light of God.  And in the image of the light and the flame of God's love, we get a context for Jesus' preaching to the apostles about their bold witness even in the face of persecutions.  He has been accused of casting out demons by the ruler of demons (see this reading), and so tells the disciples that if this has been said of Him, the Master, how much more will be said of those who are of His household!  But fear has only one place in them:  it is God who must be feared alone.  In a strange sense, today's reading with its image of hell teaches us about the hell that is on earth, into which they are courageously to go to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. In the world, the One who has come to liberate is persecuted, even claimed to be one who works with the ruler of demons.   The mention of Gehenna sends into the text a message about those who are faithless to God, the practices of evil.  Later on Jesus will teach that the one sin that will stand is to call the work of the Spirit evil (Matthew 12:31-32).  Where the holy is called evil is a vision of hell.  Jesus is calling for His disciples to turn such a "hell" upside down, to boldly preach the revelation of the Kingdom in the world, in the name of the only One who is to be feared.  Persecution seeks to place fear into the hearts of the persecuted, but Jesus exhorts His followers only to fear God, and to reveal that which is given them to reveal.  "For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.  Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops."  Into the valley of fear, they are not to fear the world, but God alone.  The One whom they serve knows each sparrow, and the number of each hair on their heads.  Therefore they are precious members of this Kingdom, and must remember that in mission.  It's an orientation to the world that He gives them, one in which they are to be wise and prudent, to conduct themselves humbly, to have awareness of  their own weaknesses, but to fear only God.  Jesus lays it out very plainly:  "Whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."    We have a choice to make:  we can walk into the worldly hell and bear witness to the kingdom of heaven with our lives, or we can cower in fear of the world instead and betray our own souls.  We choose which master we serve (6:24).  His apostles are those sent out to bring the good news to the world.  Which mission do you choose to live in your life in this world?


  

Whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

- Luke 11:53-12:12

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of the all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus strongly criticized the lifestyles of the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers.  He called them hypocrites and proclaimed there would  be "woe to them" for their failure to uphold their positions as religious leaders of the people.  They were not merciful, and in fact hindered others from finding the wisdom of God.  This criticism has turned their feelings against Him, and they now plot to find accusations with which to charge Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."  Here is the great enemy, so to speak:  hypocrisy.  It was this with which He condemned the practices of the scribes, Pharisees, and lawyers.  Hypocrite, as discussed in yesterday's reading, is a word that meant "actor" in the Greek.  In the ancient plays, actors wore masks to denote their character.  The word literally means "under a mask."  Jesus proclaims here the work of God; it is the antithesis of hypocrisy.  Everything spoken in the dark will be heard in the light; what is spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.   We are to live our lives with this understanding.

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  This is  again a statement about what is known.  It is a radical awakening against hypocrisy.  The disciples are always to be aware of the vision of God, that nothing is lost to the sight of God.  Therefore what we fear is not the death of the body, but rather the One who watches our soul (see Proverbs 9:10).  My study bible says that the body will die eventually, one way or another.  St. Ambrose states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment -- instead, it is the end of earthly punishments.  But the soul continues for all eternity.  Since God is the judge of the soul, what we strive for even in the world is to please God alone. 

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  Here is another exhortation against hypocrisy, a teaching on how His disciples must live.  My study bible says that to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Before their conversion, Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people.  The scandal caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:23) means that this sin is more easily forgiven.  But the Holy Spirit is without bodily form and works invisibly for divine goodness in the world.  Many Church Fathers, including St. John Chrysostom, say that even blasphemy against the Spirit would be forgivable if one repents; and Jesus never pronounces it "unforgivable."  But the truth Jesus teaches here is that those who knowingly blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure goodness "evil."  Therefore they are unrepentant by choice.  But there is more important teaching here, and it is about Judgment.  To do and speak the words given by the Holy Spirit is to bring a kind of truth into the world that is true testimony.  It then falls to every person who hears how they will respond.  Judgment is of course up to God, and depends on all kinds of things including repentance, as my study bible points out. 

So what does it mean to avoid hypocrisy?  What is it that Jesus is teaching that may be whispered in the ear in the dark and is proclaimed on the housetops?  I think there is a deep connection here to mystical truth and to the work of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus calls His followers to an entirely different awareness than that of the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers.  His faith is not about only conforming to outward expectations and appearances, but that which must shore up the love of God in the heart.  This is not a passive love that declares itself loyal and is satisfied with confession or declaration.  This is an active love, one that translates into all wakeful activity, focused in prayer, and in the desire to please God.  An active love is one that is always present and always renewed, one that considers each action within the context of living prayer and communion.  What does that mean exactly?  Jesus places it in the context of something very active indeed:  testimony.  One cannot imagine a more "quickened" moment of life than being brought up before the the synagogues and magistrates and authorities.  But in His words, it is then they are not to worry, but rather trust in the Holy Spirit who will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.  This is an active love.  It's like a spouse whose ongoing thought and effort is about making a happy home, a good marriage.  So we are to think about pleasing and being in communion (and communication) with God.  We can't always know the thoughts of God, and we can't always be certain we understand where God is leading us.  But we can focus on our intentions and our love.  We can dwell in a state of active prayer and inner focus.  We can live our love the way love is lived in one who cares every moment for a beloved one.  This is what it means not to live as a hypocrite, to say from the housetops what is said in the ear in an inner room, to be true to a heart that is true.  Just like a marriage and a family, we don't know what is perfect -- and none of us is Judge.  But we can work at what He teaches, and most of all, we can trust as He teaches.