Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

- Matthew 14:22-36 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that Herod now feared that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. 

 

  Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   My study Bible points out that only God has dominion over nature.  Therefore, this miracle confirms the divinity of Christ.  It notes that this is the second time Christ permits the disciples to be caught in a storm (see also this reading).  The first time He was with them; here He had left them alone.  In this way, Jesus strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  Thus He reminds the fearful disciples that He has absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

 

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study Bible says that St. Peter's faith allows him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that St. Peter does not  ask to walk on water per se, but rather to come to Jesus.  That is, his desire is not to perform miracles but to be with Christ.  St. Peter can participate in this divine miracle so long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  As soon as he's distracted he begin to sink.  

 

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  According to my study Bible, the Greek term for doubt here means "wavering" or "hesitation."  In other words a kind of vacillating between one position and another.  The cause of St. Peter's sinking, it says, was not the storm but the doubt; therefore Christ doesn't rebuke the storm, but He rebukes St. Peter.  

 

Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  This is the first time the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  Knowing that only God can be worshiped, my study Bible says, they confess Christ's divinity by worshiping Him.  The boat, as in the previous reading in which the disciples encountered a storm, is symbolic of the Church.  

 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  My study Bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life; contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).   

 

St. John Chrysostom has an interesting take on the story in today's reading.  He notes that the text first tells us that when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea, they cried out for fear, thinking they saw a ghost.  They were already struggling with the storm, the wind being contrary and the waves shaking the boat.  Christ's appearance, bringing another fear, works in a particular way.  He comments that Jesus "does not hesitate to bring on worse things, even more alarming than those before.  They were troubled here not only by the storm but also by the distance from the land. Note that he did not too easily remove the darkness. He did not come quickly to their rescue. He was training them, as I said, by the continuance of these fears and instructing them to be ready to endure."  Additionally, Jesus did not come to them until the fourth watch of the night (three o'clock in the morning).  According to St. Chrysostom, in this way also "He was instructing them not too hastily to seek for deliverance from their pressing dangers but to bear all challenges courageously.   In any case, just when they looked to be delivered, their fear was again heightened" [by what they presumed was a ghost].  It seems that this mirrors patterns that I, for one, have observed in my life.  Something stressful, frightful, and difficult comes along out of the blue, and as a surprise; cope with the first hurdle and it's not over.  Then there is a second one, another challenge, calling you toward greater courage and greater faith at the same time.  Often there will be yet another to meet in succession.  In fact, in this way, one finds greater and greater strength through reliance upon Christ, upon faith and prayer.  In this case in today's reading, there is first of all the stormy wind, there is the darkness, and then there is the ghost-like appearance of Christ.  All of these compound and add to the fears of the disciples.  But it is Christ who in the end is there, even with them on the water, and Christ to whom St. Peter is drawn -- and when his faith wavers, he begins to sink.  It seems to be an astute assessment by St. Chrysostom of this situation, and one that echoes and measures the challenges we will go through in life, be they frightening, threatening, or all of the above.  But St. Chrysostom has the right idea when he comments that Jesus teaches us to bear all challenges courageously.  Indeed, we look to the examples of the saints who did the same, and in particular, to Christ Himself.  Our faith teaches us strength, and a way to uphold life even in the worst and most exigent of circumstances.  But Christ gives us this strength, and grace works through prayer to help us to find the strength we didn't think we could have.  In the Book of Nehemiah we read, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).  Most indeed, today's full reading, and the assurance of the apostles at Jesus' word, could be summed up in that phrase.  Let us remember this in times when we grieve, when we fear, when we face challenges we're not sure we know how to cope and to deal with.  For He is with us always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my Father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  

 

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 

- Matthew 8:18-27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had come down from the mountain (where He preached the Sermon on the Mount) great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." 

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  My study Bible comments that, since the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it expresses both His humanity and His divinity.  Here it's a reference to Christ's human condition, but in Matthew 25:31-33 it describes Christ's divine authority.  

 

 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my Father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  My study Bible tells us that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but rather is teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as the highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead.  

 

 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  Christ's mastery over creation is yet another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  My study Bible explains that commands to the sea and waves can only be given by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 65:5-6; 107:29).  That He was asleep shows His humanity, for as a human being, he needed rest.  In His Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, of which sleep is one.  My study Bible adds that this image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  It says that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul. 

 

 We would all like to be in that boat with Christ when we are in a storm, or in a tempest of trouble.  When calamity strikes in our lives, it would be wonderful to think of Jesus asleep in the boat, or in our boat, so to speak.  But we have Christ with us through our prayers, and the Holy Spirit who will testify of Christ, not speaking "on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" and will "take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 15:26; 16:13-15).  So, even though it may feel like Christ is sleeping in terms of His awareness of what we go through, and that we are like the disciples who want to shout, "We are perishing!" He is nevertheless with us.  While Christ's miracles are extraordinary and instantaneous, it seems that often we must have patience in dealing with our own difficulties.  It seems that prayer allows us to call upon help, to shore up strength, but when it accompanies difficulties we are in a place where we can't see the next step ahead of us.  Then is the time we put confidence in God, so to speak.  We do all that we can, explore all the ways we might solve or understand what we're going through, and with forbearance find that we simply await the next step that might come to us.  Often it seems that prayer works through time, that the help we don't see today will unfold without our being in control or even aware of it.  We always have Christ's admonition to the disciples to recall, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Over and over again in the Gospels, Jesus reminds us, "Do not fear."  We have recently finished reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus counsels us not to magnify our anxieties, fears, and worries (see this reading).  Perhaps our greatest anxieties come from the feeling and the knowledge that we are not in control of everything in our lives, and that extends of course to the lives of others whom we care about.  It's possible that modern life gives us much more of a sense of control than our forbears had, with new technologies, medicines, and development that seems to remind us of our power to build solutions to problems.  It may give us a sense that human life can be perfected in material terms.  But when we put our confidence in Christ, we have another kind of assurance, which comes from our orientation and communion with Him.  The Gospels teach us of His love, and of the transcendent reality of God with us.  God does not ask us to choose between the material things that are helpful to us and our faith, but rather asks us to put our faith first and let that define and shape how we live our lives in the world and relate to the world, how we use our resources and for what.  Seek first the kingdom of God, as Christ taught when He preached against excess anxiety and worry, as those don't do a lot to help us when we need it.  It's perhaps ironic that modern developments seek to help control and solve problems in ways that weren't possible in the past, and yet anxieties and stresses may be the most common problems of the developed world.  For whatever era or place we live, let us think of Christ on the boat.  Even led by His presence, He does not lead the disciples away from problems and difficulties.  He leads them through them.  As my study Bible tells us, it is to teach us to call upon God in our own storms, not to promise a life without struggles.  We won't be judged by how "perfect" our lives are, but how we live with imperfection.  For this is what our faith is for.  In the first part of our reading, we learn that even the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.   In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul contrasts the state of the apostles with others, "And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now" (1 Corinthians 4:12-13).  "We live in a world in which we are caught in a type of wilderness where there is good and bad, beauty and heartbreak, difficulties and grace.  Let us pursue God's grace, and rest in our faith, learning more deeply what that means for us and how to live it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks

 

 And He spoke a parable to them:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.  

 

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."

 

- Luke 6:39–49 

 

 We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Plain, found in the Gospel of Luke.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "But I say to you who hear:  Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.  To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also.  And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.  Give to everyone who asks of you.  And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.  And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.  But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them.  And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same.  And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.  But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.  Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.  For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

 

 And He spoke a parable to them:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher."  Christ does not judge anyone (John 8:15; 12:47), my study Bible notes.  It cites the commentary of St. Cyril of Alexandria, saying that therefore, "if the Teacher does not judge, neither must the disciple, for the disciple is guilty of worse sins than those for which he judges others."

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."  This is an argument teaching us that we're to focus on on our own flaws, and to practice self-correction.  Jesus is addressing this sermon to His disciples, who will one day become elders of His Church; therefore, how will they correct others when they have no correction of their own flaws?  How will they understand repentance if they have none themselves?

"For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."  Without our own repentance and ongoing process of correction, our internal reality can only reflect the flaws, the falsehood, and thus direct our outward actions, our fruits.  Therefore we make choices, and we must be aware of our own missteps and mistakes, choosing the good treasure and not the evil.  If we would be teachers like the Teacher, this must be the requirement first.

 

  "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."  My study Bible comments here that hearing the gospel only is not enough.  Salvation is not based on hearing alone, not even on faith alone, but on doing the things spoken by Christ (see James 2:24).  

In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, Jesus uses vivid metaphors for removing from ourselves faults and flaws that cause unrighteous behavior.  In Matthew 18, He teaches, "If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell" (Matthew 18:8-9).  In that particular instance, this teaching comes in the context of doing harm to a "little one."  More importantly, it comes after a question by the disciples as to who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 18:1-7).  In that context, Jesus' teaching can be understood as warning these future leaders in His Church against abuse, especially against those of lower stature, the vulnerable, those who will come to them for guidance.  And eye can look with covetousness or lust, a hand can reach out to strike or to grasp where it doesn't belong, a foot can stray over boundaries not meant to be crossed.  This is Jesus telling us about self-correction, about casting off even those things -- our impulses and desires -- that seem as much a part of us as hand, or eye, or foot.  Here in today's reading Jesus is teaching the principle of self-correction before we are ever in a position to correct another person.  Again, as discussed above, Jesus is addressing the Sermon on the Plain to a great multitude, but we're told that before He began speaking, He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples (Luke 6:20).  Therefore, these teachings are specifically directed to those who follow Him.  And in His words here, we can see that they are directly given to those who are being trained by a teacher, and what that means.  There is a mutual correction among "brothers" (fellow disciples) also implied here:  "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye."  It's clear that we are meant, in our discipleship under Christ, to grow into something, to become more like our Teacher.  We can't do that unless we are prepared to cast off what makes us unlike the Teacher, and with the help of our Lord and the Holy Spirit, this becomes an ontological effort.  That is, it's not just the outside that changes, but the inner person.  He makes this clear when He likens human beings to trees that bear fruit:  it's the tree that must be good before it will bear good fruit.  It is taken even further and made really clear to us when He speaks of the heart:  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."  Perhaps the greatest pejorative Christ uses about those whom He does not want us to be like is in this one-word sentence:  "Hypocrite!"  He, of course, will aim this criticism at the religious leaders (see Matthew 23).  But here He applies it to would-be disciples who do not put in the effort at personal change, paying attention to their own problematic impulses and desires, and applying correction.  This is because, as He says very clearly, the things we're blind to in ourselves so often wind up projected onto others.  We may very well understand -- for instance -- and see something that others do that we think is selfish or greedy, but the much bigger plank in our own eye is our own selfishness and greed that we're blind to.  Without a prayerful attitude, a mindfulness that is focused on God and where God leads us, even taking us to our own need for personal correction, we might very well cultivate the attitude of the Pharisees who "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel" (Matthew 23:23-24).  The historical practices offered by the Church:  prayer, fasting, worship services, confession, and a true understanding of repentance, all emphasize the condition of the heart, and this foundational assumption given to us by Jesus in today's reading that "a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit" -- that "a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."   Therefore we guard our hearts, we pay attention to the inside, the inner part of what it is to be human, and not just the outside.  The big emphasis here is on the condition of our own hearts, and not only does our outward "fruit" depend upon that, but even our ability to see clearly if we want to correct what is around us.  Not only do we need to have that spiritual experience of what it is to grow, to change, to be corrected, to be alert for our own flaws and impulses, but we'll be useless as disciples and good teachers for others without it.  Correction isn't about judgment and condemnation; it's meant to be for the betterment of all.  Ultimately, this is what repentance is all about.  So how is one not accustomed to putting in that difficult work of personal change going to be able to truly help another?  Christ Himself became human in His Incarnation so that He could be our true Teacher.  He became one of us.  In all things, He brings compassion to human beings.  So it is with ourselves.  Unless we also follow and put in that spiritual effort, how can we view others with compassion who must do the same?  Jesus' answer is that we won't even be able to see clearly without it.  Let us take His words to heart!

 

 

 

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

 

 Then another if His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 

- Matthew 8:18-27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."  

 

  And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."   My study Bible says here that since the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it expresses both His humanity and His divinity.  Here, it is a reference to Christ's human condition; but in Matthew 25:31-33 it describes His divine authority. 

 

Then another if His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."   My study Bible says that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but is teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as the highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are in effect spiritually dead.   

 

 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  My study Bible explains that the Lord's mastery over creation is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  It says that commands to the sea and waves can only be given by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 66:5-6, 107:29).  Additionally, we should consider that Jesus was asleep because, as fully human, He needed rest.  In His Incarnation, my study Bible points out, Jesus assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, of which sleep is one.  The image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is a traditional one used to illustrate the Church itself.  My study Bible tells us that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul.  

I personally have had occasion to consider recently various incidents in which I have struggled with difficulty, and especially in feeling alone or abandoned.  These experiences echo aspects of my childhood, and revisit old emotions that can be troubling.  But in today's reading, we see an illustration of Christ's experience of human life, and that is together with the disciples, and also those who would seek Him out to find discipleship.  In the first verses of today's reading, Jesus first sets up the later experience of the storm by giving the command to cross the Sea of Galilee.  He is approached by one who declares he will follow Christ anywhere.  But Christ points out that even the animals have homes and dens, but He, as Son of Man, has nowhere to lay His head.  It is a kind of declarative warning, that discipleship will involve hardships and possibly even a sense of abandonment, and the struggle for faith takes place amidst a world beset with such experiences.  He goes through such experiences as Lord, in His Incarnation, to offer us healing.  But we also will struggle, but together with Him through our faith.  In the second incident, another disciple says he needs to go home first and bury his father.  So we begin with an experience of abandonment, a kind of state of exile, and then we are confronted with death - even the death of a loved one.  But in the midst of that incident, Christ sets the priorities straight.  It is the kingdom of heaven He offers that we need, He is the One who sees us through -- and even family, without Him, cannot sustain us for what we need.  This is setting in order, giving priority; for there are others who will bury the dead, even as discipleship calls us forward.  Finally there is the scene in which wind and sea seek to conspire to frighten these seasoned fishermen on the sea which is part of their homeland.  But Jesus sleeps.  Again, we have a sense of abandonment intentionally given by Christ's command to follow the sea into this storm.  They fear death ("Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"), but Jesus asks, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Here we need to remember this word faith, and that in the Greek its root means to trust.  So He's asking them to trust Him.  This is another aspect -- possibly the fullest aspect -- of discipleship.  It is the whole root of faith.  In whom do we trust?  Where do we put our trust in life?  Whose light will guide us?  When we go through difficult, frightening experiences, and we feel alone or abandoned, let us consider His words. For it is then that He -- the One who will go through the same, and endure even the Cross abandoned and seemingly alone -- will ask us for our trust, to help us to heal even as we dwell in a world beset with storms and fears.

 

 

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him

 

 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  

On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

- John 6:16–27 

 

Yesterday we read that, after disputes with the religious leaders (see John 5), Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

 

  Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.   This is the fifth of seven signs given to us in John's Gospel.  We recall that chapter 6 of this Gospel reads as a parallel to the story of the Exodus.  In the Exodus, Moses led the people across the Red Sea, walking on dry ground in the midst of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  Here, Jesus has sent the disciples over the sea, and Himself walks on the sea as if it were dry land.  We note how, as with Israel in the Exodus, Christ allows the disciples to be alone in the storm on the sea.  It is a type of pattern in which faith is tested and strengthened.  My study Bible comments that Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am" (ego eimi/εγω ειμι), the divine Name of God which so enrages the religious leaders when Christ uses it in chapter 8 (see Saturday's reading). 

 

 On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Let us note that these people who so assiduously seek Jesus were the same ones who had been fed in the wilderness with Him (see yesterday's reading, above).  They are the same people who had wanted to forcefully make Him king, and whom He avoided by going to the mountain alone (also in yesterday's reading).  Jesus knows and understands their motivation, but turns that into an opportunity for teaching.  As so often happens in John's Gospel, His teaching turns us from an "earthly" understanding of earthly things, to the spiritual understanding illustrated by them.  Here Christ turns their thoughts, and ours, to the food which endures to everlasting life.  Just as "giving thanks" and distributing the bread in yesterday's reading gave us an image of the Eucharist, this understanding is given more clearly in Christ's final teaching here.

Jesus takes note of all the effort that these people have put into following Him.  They're the ones He fed in yesterday's reading (above), and they've followed Him on foot by anticipating where He would go after watching the disciples sail away without Him, and discovering He's not in this area after all.  They've gone to Capernaum in search of Him.  After all of their "work" Jesus continues to teach these people -- whom Matthew and Mark write were like sheep without a shepherd -- what exactly they should be "working" for.  They have made all this effort, followed Him all this way, "not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled."  After He fed them with the multiplication of loaves and fishes, they wanted to take Him and make Him king by force, but Jesus eluded them.  But now is another opportunity for teaching, and as the Good Shepherd, He says to them, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  This is another order of magnitude of meaning beyond anything they have even considered.  Even the miraculous signs aren't what got them this far, but the desire for a king who can feed them at will, and provide everything for their physical needs.  He shifts their attention not only to the signs He's done (rather than the fact that their appetites were so filled), but beyond them.  What is the real substance of the food He offers?  It is the food which endures to everlasting life, the stuff that makes for salvation, for a substance beyond what the world the can give.  And this is what comes uniquely from the Son of Man, and only because God the Father has set His seal on Him.  Here they are presented with several orders of meaning:  the authority and blessing that comes only from God the Father (God's seal), that Christ is the Son of Man whose has come into the world to offer this food to us, and that the kind of food He wants them to work (labor) for is the food which endures to everlasting life.  What Jesus offers them, in addition to these valuable things, is a teaching that turns all of their thinking around -- and He will go further in our subsequent readings also.  So, we learn all kinds of things from today's reading, and Christ's teaching.  First, it is important to work.  God does not just want us to sit back and receive everything without working for it.  The disciples go through a test, one in which they are extremely challenged and threatened with a storm on the sea that even has seasoned fishermen (whose territory is this sea) afraid.  And yet, He is with them.  This period of fear and perceived risk is as important to their discipleship as to the period when Israel fled Phaaroah and came to the Red Sea.  The people chase after Christ, because of the physical food He was able to give them in the wilderness.  But they, too, must learn to work for something, and for the proper thing.  The good God is not just about making us into beings who simply wait to be cared for, but God's children, formed and shaped in the image and likeness of God with which we've been endowed.  We, also, must learn to labor, and what to labor for.  We need to learn the values we can serve with full hearts and ready souls.  We need to understand that it is God the Father who sets that true seal upon what is truly good for us, upon the One whom God has sent to us.  This is the place of real value, of true teaching, and the true Shepherd, because it is the One upon whom God has set His seal.  And finally, the kind of food Christ has been sent to offer us is the food that endures to everlasting life.  They're not merely to labor for the food they can put on the table as the ultimate goal in life, but something of a substance much greater, which can give fuel for an eternal life, and the value of which  is far beyond anything this world can offer, more rare than what most seek.  Let us consider all these ways in which Jesus teaches us what is good, what God wants for us, what we are to seek, and for what we are to labor -- because the One who loves us and calls us back to an eternal life has willed it, has sent Him, and He will sacrifice His life just so the sheep can receive what He is here to give.

 

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

- Matthew 14:22-36 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that Herod now suspected He was John the Baptist risen from the dead, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about give thousand men, besides women and children.

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   My study Bible comments that this is the second time that Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading; verses 23-27).  The first time it happened He was with them; but here He had left them alone.  In this way, my study Bible explains, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am," the divine Name of God (see John 8:58, Exodus 3:14).  Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study Bible says that Peter's faith allows him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that Peter does not ask to walk on water per se, but rather to come to Jesus.  Peter's desire is not to perform miracles, but to be with the Lord.  Peter can participate in this divine miracle so long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  But as soon as he is distracted, he begins to sink.  

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  My study Bible asks us to note that the Greek term for doubt here means "wavering" or "hesitation."  The cause of Peter's sinking, it notes, is not the storm but rather Peter's doubt; therefore Christ doesn't rebuke the wind, but He rebukes Peter.

 

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."   My study Bible comments that this is the first time the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  It says that they know that only God can be worshiped, and confess Christ's divinity by worshiping Him.  (The word for worshiped in the text means to bow down prostrate in reverence to, the act of worship.)  The boat is symbolic of the Church.

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  My study Bible says that Christ permits miracles through touch in order to show that His very body is life, and that contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).  

In accordance with the traditional understanding that the boat with Christ and the disciples is an image of the Church, my study Bible comments that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Such storms also serve as images of the tempests within us that stir the soul, and cause frustration, dismay, anxiety, and a host of other feelings to come into ourselves and overwhelm us.  In that sense, the surging waters in the midst of a storm also symbolize such internal tempests that rock us.  We're reminded of the story of Genesis, in which "the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2).  To be without form and void is an image of chaos, the deep waters a sense of being overwhelmed, and all the darkness gives us a picture of a time when we can't see our way through, can't think how we'll get through.  To use another metaphor, a time when we "can't see the forest for the trees."  But the next thing that happens in the Genesis story is that creative power that tells us that as long as the Spirit of God is hovering over, whatever we think we see and experience is not the whole picture, but God is also present, and so is the power of God.  Suddenly God the Word is present in the command, "Let there be light," and there was light.  And the Word in today's reading walks on the stormy dark waters to the disciples, the Word announces His presence, saying literally, "I am," the name of the Lord from the Old Testament.  And He also tells them "Be of good cheer!" and "do not be afraid."  In today's reading, it is Christ who brings with Him the light that changes everything, so that they can see what is truly what -- that they are not alone, and not abandoned, and that He is with them, wherever they are -- even in the dark stormy waters about the fourth watch of the night.  That is, midst the dark and unknown chaos of three o'clock in the morning.  If we can know in the midst of our own stormy and chaotic times in the darkness of 3 A.M. that Christ is present there in the darkness, how much is that worth to us?  If we know that the Spirit of God hovers over our times when we can't see the billows and waves coming at us, how much is that worth?  If we know the light is present to guide us, how much is that worth to us?  It means we aren't alone, that there is a force to guide us and help us, and that in even the darkest moments there is someone who knows us, who sees us, who hovers over and comes to us, that there is a source of the light we need to see our way through when the wind seems to blow against us no matter how hard we try.  When we're overwhelmed, it is hard to take refuge in hope, but nevertheless it is to prayer we must turn and know that this is what we can do and must not forget.  For although we might feel alone, oftentimes such storms are meant to help us to realize what is possible, and the strength and courage and endurance of which we're capable, the guidance and faith in which we need to put our trust even in times we can feel no trust.  For this is the way the disciples have gone before us and the countless faithful throughout the generations who've gone before.  It is the world in which we live, the life He knows we live, and the only way through it.

Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

 

- Matthew 8:18-27 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were told that, after preaching the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities /And bore our sicknesses."

 

And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."   My study Bible comments that since the term Son of Man refers to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it expresses both Christ's humanity and His divinity.  Here it refers to His human condition; in Matthew 25:31-33 it describes His divine authority.  

Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."   My study Bible comments that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but is teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as the highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead.

 

 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"  Christ's mastery over creation is another sign given that He is the Messiah and is divine.  My study Bible points out that commands which are given to the sea and waves could only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11, Psalms 66:5-6, 107:29).  We get the true paradox of Christ when we observe that He was asleep because, as fully human, He needed rest.   Therefore we understand that in His Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, one of which is the need for sleep.  The image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  My study Bible says that God both permits storms and delivers us thorugh them, so that we can see His protection more clearly.  His rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul.

In yesterday's reading, we were given several examples of Christ healing others immediately after preaching the Sermon on the Mount.  In those examples of healing, we noted the essential quality of faith that was present and exemplified in various ways both in those who were healed or in their friends and loved ones.  Today's reading further examines components of faith.  We can see that this deeper examination and elucidation of faith takes place as great crowds begin to gather around Jesus.  It's like we are gradually taken on a deeper journey to find what really matters here.  First there is the man who says, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus replies with a warning about the costs of discipleship:  "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Even the Messiah, the Son of Man, has nowhere to lay His head; are we ready to follow that?  Another disciple tells Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus responds with the power of discipleship and its cost, that it will draw a line that goes through the world in ways we don't expect, even separating us from what (and whom) we love:  "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  What does it mean that the rest are dead?  It's not a comment about the man's father whom he wishes to honor, but about those whom he's left behind in following Christ.  This choice is about honoring the Kingdom first.  The following story is clearly about faith and discipleship.  It's only a few short verses, but it manages to teach us at once that Jesus shares full humanity with the disciples (as He is sleeping), and that faith will sometimes take us through great and threatening storms in life.  As my study Bible comments, it is Christ who will both lead us through storms and bring us through them.  So important is the element of faith to our lives, that this has been the perspective and experience of the Church throughout its history.  It is highly important that we remember this when we go through our own storms.  If we look at the parallel history of the Old Testament, in which Israel wandered in the wilderness (and crossed the sea), we can see a similar story:  that God led them to and through difficulties in a long period of wandering, with struggles, doubts, and all the rest of the things we go through in wrestling with our faith.  But that story, and this one in today's reading, really give us a message about our struggles:  that it just may be God leading us through them to teach us a deeper dependency, a stronger and fuller faith within ourselves.  In a consumer-oriented and prosperous world, where we are quite constantly bombarded with the message that life is simply for enjoyment and seeming perfection is attainable, we are unlikely to comprehend the reality of such a struggle and even a God-allowed challenge.  But this is the nature of life in an imperfect world, and we're given a purpose and meaning in our faith, even through the hardships.  Let us go through our storms -- with Him.  And we will see where we come out on the other side, through discipleship which challenges us to grow in our faith.  Sometimes that faith will even challenge our deepest relationships, and sometimes we will face our greatest fears.  Let us note this includes elements we hear often in modern stories of trauma:  even abandonment, neglect, and isolation or loneliness.  One thing is certain in the meaning of today's reading:  that through all things, Christ is always present with us.  And through the Incarnation He has shared all of it with us already.   The hard things of life may provide us with the best opportunity to turn and draw closer to God, and to deepen our faith.

 

And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened

 

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.  And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.

 

- Mark 6:47–56 

 

Yesterday we read that the apostles, having returned from their first mission, gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.  And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while."  For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.  So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.  But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.  They arrived before them and came together to Him.  And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd.  So He began to teach them many things.  When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late.  Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat."  But He answered and said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?"  But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have?  Go and see."  And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish."  Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.  And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all.  So they all ate and were filled.  And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.  Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.  Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.  And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

 

 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.  Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.  And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were troubled.  But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.   My study bible points out that this is the second time that Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see also this reading from last week).  The previous time He was with them, but here He had commanded them to row alone without Him across the Sea of Galilee.  In this way, my study bible tells us, Christ strengthens their faith that He will be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally in the Greek "I Am."  That is the divine Name of God given to Moses in Exodus 3:14, and by which Jesus will also refer to Himself as Incarnate Lord (John 8:58).   In this way, Jesus reminds the fearful disciples that His authority over their lives is both absolute and divine.  

And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.  For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.  My study bible comments that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, and not simply one's intellect.  It says that when our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive God's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings and tradition of the Church, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."  The loaves refers to the miraculous feeding in the wilderness in yesterday's reading, above. 

 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there.  And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.  Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched Him were made well.  At this point, Christ is so well known and sought after in this region that people run to Him.  My study bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is lfie-giving (see also Mark 5:25-29).   

How can we understand the power and knowledge of the heart in a modern world?  It seems frequently that the modern world has forgotten all about this strange understanding of knowledge of the heart, and is focused exclusively on the mind or intellect, putting faith in abstraction and theory over experience and understanding as it pertains to the soul and the spirit.  That especially would include our connection to God.  In truth, a human being does not fully function as a whole picture of the self without all of these elements participating at once.  In fact, the intellect without direction from a true understanding of the heart does not fully grasp what is love, and easily mistakes a kind of selfish indulgence for the true things of love, which include the wisdom of what real needs human beings have.  As a child understands the gratification of selfish desire as some sort of paradisaical state, an adult with more experience in life understands deeper needs of the child that the child can't see, such as medical care that is not necessarily fun or enjoyable.  Education itself is another lifelong need of human beings; but that also might require changing our minds, enlarging our perspectives, growing and stretching  in ways that are not easy.  And there we come to the things of the heart that include knowledge, for this education also comes to us in spiritual things, and in learning the needs of our souls, even the need to prepare for a greater life than meets the eye in a worldly sense.  Expanding our understanding of life as fully lived, which includes the understanding of the presence of Creator within our material world, is something which is an affair not just of the intellect, but also of the heart.  Without the experiential life of faith, and especially as lived through the practice of prayer, worship, study of Scripture and the life of the Church through those who have come before us, we don't get to be fully rounded in our knowledge of who we are and who we are called to be and to become.  Finally, as God is love (1 John 4:7-21), we grow in learning and practicing love through our experience of communion with God.  This is a lifelong matter of coming to terms with our own corrections and needs for repentance and personal change within the context of the experience of faith.  If that seems too strange or overwhelming to consider, think about the experience of friendship.  Learning what hurts others, and what hurts oneself, becomes a process of growth in knowing how to be a friend and what to look for in a friend.  Our communion with God -- a reality of the heart -- becomes such a process that expands us and helps us to understand and grow in love, but incorporates so much more than a worldly friendship does.  God will ask us to constantly grow in all the dimensions of which we are capable, and that includes those we don't know about without participation in this life that is offered to us through Christ.  Saints are the product of this love and growth.  They are not necessarily "perfect" human beings without flaws and failures, but they are those who are forged and whose identity is born through this deepening process of love and communion with God.  They bring and anchor heaven into this world, material life and life in Christ at the same time.  In Acts 17, St. Paul tells to the Athenians that he is there to illumine to them "the unknown god" whom their philosophy has given them to understand exists, but of whom they have no knowledge.  He tells them that God is the creator of heaven and earth, and does not dwell in temples made with hands.  Rather, the entire race of human beings are created "so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring' " (Acts 17:26-28).   This reality that dwells among us, in Whom we live and move and have our being, therefore, is the one which is to be known and understood in the heart.  The heart, the center of the self, encompasses all of our faculties so that we come to grow and to understand our proper place in communion with God and midst all of creation, and that must be the fullness of love.  Let us open and nurture that place, and protect it from the influences which would deprive us of so great and precious a treasure.

 

 

Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water

Aivazovsky, Ivan Konstantinovich.  Storm on the Sea at Night.  1849. The Grand Palace at Peterhof, St. Petersburg, Russia

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

- Matthew 14:22-36

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that Herod feared He was John the Baptist risen from the dead, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  My study bible comments here that this is the second Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see 8:23-27). The first time, He was with them.  This time, Jesus has left them on their own.   This is a parallel to our own lives, in which our own difficulties and temptations prepare us for a step further.  My study bible says that in this way, Christ strengthens their faith that He will be with them in the middle of life's storms.  It is I is literally translated as "I Am," the divine Name of God in the Old Testament (see John 8:58, Exodus 3:14).  Christ reminds His fearful disciples of His identity as Lord, an absolute and divine authority in their lives.

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"     My study bible explains that it is Peter's faith that allows him to walk on the water.   It tells us to take note that Peter doesn't ask to walk on water per se, but rather to come to Jesus.  His desire isn't to perform miracles rather to be with Christ.  Peter may participate in this divine miracle so long as his focus is kept on Christ.  Once he is distracted, he begins to sink.  

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  This Greek word translated as doubt means "wavering" or "hesitation."  The cause of Peter's sinking wasn't the storm.  It was his doubt.  Therefore, my study bible points out, Christ does not rebuke the wind, but Peter.

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  This is the first confession of the disciples that Jesus is the Son of God.  They know that only God can be worshiped, and so their confession of His divinity includes worship (the Greek word translated as worshiped means to prostrate oneself, kneel, or bow down as in a position of worship).

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  My study bible writes that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life, in order to show that contact with His flesh is life-creating (see 9:20-22). 

Why does Peter get into the water to walk?  It seems that he wants assurance that what he is seeing in not a ghost, but really Christ Himself.  That is, the One who has said, "It is I; do not be afraid" is the one of whom Peter wants to be completely certain.  In some sense this perspective tells us something very important about our faith.  Faith isn't blindness -- it is instead a trust, a confidence.  When one speaks of acting on faith without knowing or certainty first, that is because we have trust in the One who tells us to go forward and who has given us His gospel message.  Whatever we are "blind" to does not convey blindness but rather not knowing, and that is a different thing altogether.  My study bible points out that Peter's real desire is to go toward Christ, and not to perform a miracle himself of walking on water.  He's not looking to prove he has a superpower or special grace.  Instead, his focus is actually on his faith, and he wants to have faith in Jesus more than anything else.  It's quite a marvelous thing to consider what my study bible says here, that Peter is fine so long as he keeps his focus on Jesus and doesn't get distracted.  There is a metaphor there for all of us.  It tells us that what we need is in front of us, that we can't approach our faith with certainties, that it's possible all kinds of things will be open to us when we need them in certain circumstances.  Here are the disciples once again in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, and it's the fourth watch of the night (3:00 in the morning), while Jesus has remained behind to pray.  Why does He stay behind to pray?  The Eucharist has just been revealed in this feeding (even if the disciples are a long time away from understanding it).  Jesus has been revealed as the Lord (even if, yes, again, the disciples are a long way from understanding it).  It is just a testament to the profound moment in this time of turning in His ministry, when for a certainty the state power is already against Him, and it will only grow more so.  Jesus doesn't want to be made a king John 6:15.  He isn't going to be a Messiah according to the popular expectations.  He has His own path to go, in which He must be guided by the Father.  In that context, walking on the water becomes a part of the ministry, a part of the way He has to reveal to His disciples what is necessary.  It has to be relevant.  In so doing, He reveals Himself to them as divine, as the Lord, and so not simply the glorified human being the Messiah was expected to be.  He shows us the way also through Peter's response of faith -- and then lack of faith.  We can come to Him any way we really need to, but what we need is faith.  Just like in baseball or any other sport, we're always told, "Keep your eyes on the ball."  Well, for today's reading, we learn that through all the storms of life and all the horrible day-to-day things we read about and fear, the injustices of our world, the unfairness of brutality, and the deceitfulness of riches -- while we are in or on our game -- we ask what is it we are supposed to do?  We keep our eyes on Christ.  We keep our focus on Him so that He leads our way through this world of unfairness, and so that we can come to Him through it all.  Let's not forget Peter walked on the water until he took his eyes off of Jesus, and Jesus will be there for you and for me as well.  Let's not forget that the early followers of Jesus saw the world as an arena, a contest, like an athlete.  They knew it was a struggle and we are caught in the middle of something  Let's not forget where we need to keep our focus today.