Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study Bible comments on today's entire passage that Christ's question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question that a person can ever face.  This is precisely because it is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to the question prevents the Christian faith from being seen or known as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  This is because Jesus is the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a position excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  As Jesus indicates in His response to St. Peter here, St. Peter's understanding could not be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).  My study Bible points out that Christ means "Anointed One," the equivalent of the Hebrew title "Messiah."  It also asks us to note that Christ first draws out mistaken opinions about Himself.  He does this to identify incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  My study Bible explains that Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  This rock does not refer to St. Peter per se, but rather to "the faith of his confession" according to St. John Chrysostom.  The true Rock, my study Bible tells us, is Christ Himself (and so says St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4), and the whole of the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible says, "gates" suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, Christ has opened the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So therefore, the Church also shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  Moreover, my study Bible tells us that the term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

 

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  My study Bible says that the keys of the kingdom is a reference to a special authority that will be given both to Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  St. Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (see Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where St. Peter advised, but St. James presided.  This is the New Testament witness concerning St. Peter -- his role should neither be expanded, nor should it be diminished in opposition to such claims.  My study Bible also notes for us that binding and loosing is a reference primarily "to absolve sins," according to St. John Chrysostom (see John 20:23).  But it includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and it continues in effect to this day.

 

There is a kind of dual impact of the information revealed in today's reading.  There is first of all the authority which Jesus confers to His apostles, and particularly through St. Peter, who was known as "first among equals" in the continuing spirit of conciliarity which guides the Church and is its aim.  But there is also the powerful, extraordinary understanding that Jesus is the Christ -- and that "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  Let us remember that when Jesus will speak to the apostles of the sending of the Helper, the Holy Spirit,  He tells them that the Holy Spirit will be sent from the Father, and through Christ's prayers (see John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).  This is very important, because it truly teaches us that Christ's life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension has the effect of bringing humanity into deeper communion not only with Christ, but also the Father and the Holy Spirit.  For if the Father -- as Jesus says in today's passage -- is working in St. Peter to effect this revelation, then how much more is promised through the fullness of the effects of Christ's mission to us as Incarnate Jesus and His completion of that mission in Resurrection and Ascension?  We really cannot estimate the fullness of what this means, and the fruits it will bear, has borne, and will continue to bear in our lives and in our world.  We simply don't know how to calculate what God does among us, and what God will do.  But we can look around ourselves and see what that has meant, even if we can't know its fullness.  See, for example, the work of the secular historian and award-winning author Tom Holland, titled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, in which he examines the effect of Christ upon our world through the present day.  Moreover, this "remaking" of the world is ongoing, continuing not only through the present time but through the future we don't yet know.  We are assured of this in Revelation 21:15, in which "He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"  The English translation does not completely capture the meaning of the Greek, in which the word "make" is in a continuing present tense, better translated as "I am always making all things new."  For this is the reality of the Church and the fullness of Christ and Christ's ongoing work in our world, and we simply cannot know all that this entails, including all the possible dimensions it might indicate of which we are unaware.  But we can know the graciousness and love of God for the world and for us human beings, for so God has granted to us this enormous, inestimable gift of salvation, to be with God in the fullness of eternal life and what that might entail for us and for our world.  Let us marvel at this extraordinary gift, coming to us through St. Peter's confession on behalf of all of the apostles, and indeed of all of us, and through the revelation of our Father who is in heaven, as Jesus says. There is no greater honor nor gift in potential for all of us.  Let us truly place the value of this blessed treasure as is appropriate to is, for taken in this perspective, our faith is everything.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden

 

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

 

 Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put is fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

 

- Mark 7:24–37 

 

 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to meet Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the  tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandments of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."   When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man." 

 

From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.   Here, after another confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes (see above), Jesus has withdrawn to Gentile territory, the region of Tyre and Sidon.  Clearly at this point in His ministry, before the time of "His hour," He has sought to withdraw from the scrutiny of these religious leaders.  But, as the text says, He could not be hidden.  This woman is not Jewish, but nevertheless she recognizes Christ and His authority. (In St. Matthew's Gospel, she calls Him "Son of David," a Jewish title for the Messiah; here she refers to Him as Lord and fell at His feet as if in worship.)  Asking for an exorcism for her daughter, she places her faith in Christ.  My study Bible comments that in responding to Christ, she shows both her persistent faith (she kept asking Him) and her humility.  We must keep in mind that Christ's ministry and that of the apostles initial mission (before Christ's Ascension and the Great Commission) was to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:6, 15:24).  But this is Gentile territory, and this woman is not a Jew.  By responding for the puppies (suggesting persistent begging at the table), or little dogs, she accepts her place after the Jews, who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  My study Bible comments that Christ's hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples who witness (and in St. Matthew's account, grew tired of her requests), and for her  own sake.

 

  Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Again Christ is avoiding the scrutiny put upon Him in regions where He would be more well-known, He returns to the Sea of Galilee via the Decapolis, another nominally Gentile region but with mixed populations of Gentiles and Jews.

 

Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put is fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. My study Bible comments on the detail given here that Christ sighed.  It notes that this is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.

 

  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  My study Bible says that here, the Lord shows us we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  However, interestingly, it notes, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ in this situation, seeing them as a good example, that we should proclaim those who have done good to us even if they do not want us to.

 

In today's reading, we are given two instances in which Jesus seeks to avoid public attention, and yet is unable to do so.  In the first instance, He entered a house in the Gentile region called Tyre and Sidon.  The Gospel tells us that He wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  But somehow, His reputation has preceded Him.  Perhaps His disciples spoke about Him, perhaps there are people in this place who have heard about the signs and healings that follow this Teacher. Whatever way it happens, she believes there's hope for her daughter, who is demon-possessed.  In the account found in St. Matthew's Gospel, she displays her tremendous love for her daughter, because she pleads, "Have mercy on me," and "Lord, help me!" putting herself in her daughter's place (Matthew 15:21-28).  But, as in the healings among the Jews, it's her faith that makes all the difference, combined with her tenacious pleading, and her willing humility before Christ.  What we notice is not so much these attributes that are shared by those who receive Christ's power in other stories in the Gospels, but the unexpected.  Christ wanted to be hidden, but could not be so.  A similar thing happens in the second part of our reading for today, because He still wants to remain "under the radar," so to speak.  But the people who are astonished that He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak (signs of the coming of the Messiah) will not follow His command to speak to no one about what they have seen.  These instances mirror the explosive growth of the Kingdom, but the difference here is that this surprising growth via word of mouth happens even contrary to Jesus' desire and intention, and so perhaps to His surprise.  It is seemingly as if even He cannot predict this extraordinary effect, the ways in which His reputation grows, and the fierce desire people have for His help.  It's like a train racing along although the engineer cannot understand why it doesn't stop.  Of course, since we are speaking about Jesus and His ministry, we don't know exactly how the human Jesus perceives that it's not the time for open confrontation with the authorities and tries to retire a little for a while.  But this growth among even Gentiles is a hint about what is to come after His Ascension and the future of His ministry, and His Church to come.  The Spirit is working, the power of the gospel message is working, the Father is always working (John 5:7).  Christ has a need to understand where His ministry is headed, and how fast, but things unfold in ways that seem to say God the Father is leading Him along, preparing Him, and all things move all the time toward the fullness of the Church which even we, 2,000 years later, have not yet seen.  Sometimes life presents us with turns we don't expect, outcomes that tell us there's something new we need to live with, and to learn how God wants us to approach life as it is now, and this is seemingly also our Lord's messianic journey and ministry.  At each new turn He prays to the Father, and finds where He is to go, His human will always obedient to the Father, even as He remains yet fully the Son.  Notice that Christ's divine power is never used to stop the spread of the gospel, but there are times when it works in particular ways He didn't seem to expect -- such as when a woman touched Him in faith in the midst of a crowd in this reading, or even when He marveled at the unbelief of His neighbors in His hometown of Nazareth and so He could do no mighty work there as He had elsewhere (see this reading).  So, while we cannot fathom the mind of Christ, who was fully human and fully divine, He nonetheless sets an example for us when we encounter surprising turns in our own lives, completely contrary to our own expectations.  For He always turned to prayer, and to the will of God the Father.  In this way, He heals us by being present to us in prayer as well, when we are in our own encounters with the things that baffle us, make us marvel, and don't turn out the ways in which we expected -- or perhaps even counted upon.  Jesus, as one of us, has had His own surprising turns and outcomes, and so He can help us see the way forward through ours. 

 

 

 

Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men

 

 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town." 

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 8:22-33 

 

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

 

  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible comments that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (Matthew 11:21); so, therefore, this is why Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him.  Additionally, in this way the people would not scoff at the miracle and then bring upon themselves greater condemnation in so doing.  That this blind man was healed in stages, my study Bible further explains, shows that he had only a small amount of faith (hence another reason to take him out of the town) -- for healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6).  But this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  Jesus' command not to return to the town, my study Bible notes, symbolizes that we must not return to our sins once we have been forgiven.  

 

 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered  and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  Here Jesus brings the question to the disciples of His true identity.  My study Bible comments that, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person could ever face, for it is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to this question (on behalf of all the disciples) prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  He is the Christ, and the one and only Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).  This is a position, my study Bible says, which excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  Peter's understanding is related to the heart (as discussed in yesterday's reading and commntary), and it cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and it's equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also asks us to note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  This is done so that these incorrect ideas may be identified, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  My study Bible comments here that, after Peter's confession, Jesus reveals the true nature of His messiahship:  the mystery of His Passion.  It was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter, and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  St. Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, my study Bible explains, for the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save humankind through suffering and death. 

 

Faith is once again the great subject behind all things we read in today's Gospel passage.  The passage shows us the various ways in which faith works, how it works in us, and how we cooperate with and find that faith -- even the struggle to continue in our faith and keep it.   There is first of all the story of the blind man healed by Jesus.  As my study Bible explains, his faith starts as "little" but it grows gradually through contact with Christ.  Jesus does everything He can to shore up and strengthen that faith -- taking the blind man out of the town and away from the scoffers in order to heal him, and even teaching him not to return so as to maintain his faith.  These teachings remain important for each of us.  As with many in Twelve Step programs, often it is only by removing oneself from a particular familiar environment that the destructive habit can be left behind.  Patterns of thinking (called λογισμοί/logismoi in the Greek language of theology and historical monasticism) affect us at many levels; so often we inherit them from an environment or adopt them through social contact.  They can be destructive and tempting, or they can help us -- and oftentimes in order to build up our lives in ways that are truly needful and helpful we need to be mindful of how we can shore up what is good for us, and remove away from ourselves the things that tear us down and tempt us in ways that seem to promise good but are really destructive.  Again, addictions of all kinds form an example:  the promise to reduce pain or anxiety is a trap which leads only to worse enslavement to such pain, anxiety, and other problems.  So, Christ's action to shore up faith for healing remains one of the most significant teachings we can receive in our lives, for modern problems of today as well as for Christ's time.  Perhaps today, with our exposure to so much and an unlimited sense of freedom through the internet, we have need of this teaching more than ever before.  Then there is the confession of St. Peter (made on behalf of all of the disciples, as St. Peter so often speaks for all of them) that Jesus is the Christ.  Again, my study Bible emphasizes faith and the state of the heart as the root of such perception.  For this reason, we guard our hearts from the destructive thought patterns that do not help us find the faith we need, to see the spiritual truth of the reality of God which gives us strength to live a productive and good life -- and to see the reality of what is harmful even when it looks "good."  We observe that in the case of the healed formerly-blind man, and also in the case of the disciples after Christ's identity is revealed to them, in both circumstances Jesus warns them to tell no one.  This, again, is not to tempt scoffers -- neither to entertain their destructive mindset which may be destructive, but also to protect such people from further condemnation, as my study Bible said.  Finally, there is the moment when Christ reveals what His ministry will entail, contrary to all of the expectations about the Messiah and the kingdom the Messiah would initiate.  This is something terribly hard for the disciples to take in, let alone to accept.  St. Peter's response is something which you and I can completely understand:  he rebukes even the thought that Jesus should suffer and perish.  But Jesus responds in a stark and even harsh way, even calling Peter "Satan" in his rejection of the news that Christ will suffer and die.  St. Peter's reaction, while naturally understandable to all of us, is in fact a worldly way of thinking which the Crucifixion will stand on its head.  For God will use even this worst of all scenarios for the redemption of the whole world, leading to salvation for us all, and in so many ways teaching us what God's love is and does, and continually giving to us in the ongoing ministry of the Church the power of Resurrection at work.  In this St. Paul's word is true, that " all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  For now, let us consider the power of faith, how important and essential it is to us, what a difference in makes in our lives.  For all of these stories illustrate its importance, and our need to guard it to keep it strong, and keep ourselves on that good path, the good part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace

 

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  

 

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

- Luke 8:40–56 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.   Here Jesus returns to Capernaum, where He is well-known, and so they were all waiting for Him, including Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue.   

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.   My study Bible explains that, for the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement and led to religious and social isolation (Leviticus 15:19-27).  This woman, therefore, displays bold faith by approaching both Christ and Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue in this crowd.  This potentially defiles all of them and would subject her to ridicule.  

And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   My study Bible says that Christ's question, "Who touched Me?" does not simply mean a physical touch, but instead, "Who touched me in faith?"  It explains that, just as "the temple sanctifies the gold" (Matthew 23:17), so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation, and the power of Christ works through even His garment.   To touch Christ's garment in faith is to touch Him.  In the Church, it says, we touch Christ through icons, oil, water, bread, wine, etc.  When this is done in faith, the power of Christ is received.  

Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."   Here Christ calls the woman forward, to take away her fear and trembling, but also, my study Bible says, to strengthen Jairus for the forthcoming news about his daughter.

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.   My study Bible tells us that this is one of three resurrections which were performed by Christ as recorded in the Gospels.  See also this recent reading, and John 11:1-44.  Each confirms the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves, and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  Many people have exercised authority over the living, but only the Son of God has power over the living and the dead.  In the story of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Jesus touched his coffin; the raising of Lazarus from the dead happened through His word alone (John 11:43).   But here, Jesus raises the little girl as He took her by the hand, and gave her a command ("Little girl, arise").    These incidents in which He touches others show that His very body is life-giving.  Again, like the story of the widow of Nain and her son, this event of the healing of Jairus' daughter prefigures Christ's own Resurrection.  But in this case, it's a father, Jairus, rather than Christ's mother Mary, whose sadness is turned to joy.  Her parents are astonished.  

It's quite remarkable to think that this stupendous achievement of the healing of Jairus' daughter, who had died according to all in the household, is something about which Christ charged the parents to tell no one what had happened.   How is it possible, one wonders, for this news to be kept quiet?  But nonetheless her parents are told not to speak of it to anyone.  Note how this resurrection is done in secret.  Jesus put outside all of the scoffers, the ones who ridicule.  Moreover, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.   We note also that the rest of the disciples are not taken in, but only those closest to Jesus -- and the strongest in faith, Peter, James, and John.  We also contrast the hugely public event of the healing of the woman's flow of blood with Christ's emphatic instructions meant to keep the raising of Jairus' daughter as private as possible.  Not only did the woman touch Him in the middle of a thronging crowd, but Jesus also brought her forward, demanding to know, "Who touched Me?"  and added, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   After Jesus had deliberately drawn her out with these questions, we're told that the woman fell down before Him, and declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  Then He praises her before all the crowd, and declares, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."    These are bold public expressions designed to focus great attention on what is happening, even in the midst of a crowd that could have been defiled (according to the Law) by her flow of blood.  So, why, we have to ask, is there such a great contrast -- in terms of public notice and declaration -- between one and the other?  There's an interesting further contrast in the status of the two subjects of these healings.  Both are female.  But one is a girl of twelve, under her father's protection, too young to be called a woman.  The other has, on the other hand, had a flow of blood for twelve years.  One presumes her affliction not only leaves her alone, but we're also told that she had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any.  So, in contrast to the young daughter of a ruler of the synagogue, she is likely destitute and desperate for help, and she puts her faith in Christ.  On the one hand, the girls' parents need their faith shored up very badly:  Jesus puts out the ones who ridicule, and makes certain the healing is a private affair with only His most faithful disciples present.  Moreover, He tells Jairus, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."   While the young girl's faith is not a part of the story, that of her parents and household most certainly is.  Perhaps the key to all of these differences, after all, is faith.  If the parents do not go into the world and tell all the story, there is no opportunity for the world to clamor that it is not so, cannot be so, she wasn't really passed, and all manner of doubt and the shaking of faith in Christ.  On the other hand, the woman's faith itself is exemplary.  Indeed,  Jesus Himself declares that it is, in fact, her faith that has made her well.  We can look closely at the dynamics of this story and note that Jesus asked, "Who touched Me?"  He makes it very clear how this happened, and what He experienced, because He said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   This would seem to teach us -- and quite publicly -- that Christ's power works by responding to faith.  He didn't feel her touch, but knew that someone had touched Him -- and needed to know who did so -- because He perceived power going out from Himself.  And so my study Bible comments that we may do the same, receive the power of Christ through the things by which we "touch" Him in Church.  Both stories are different, but both speak to us loudly of faith.  On the one hand was this desperate woman's exemplary faith in touching even the hem of Christ's garment.  On the other are Christ's rather extraordinary measures Himself to shore up the faith of the girl's parents.  Let us note that this teaches us, also, to take whatever measures we need to find support and strength for our faith -- for it is this in which Christ Himself engages and makes all effort.  Sometimes we may need to tell others of our faith.  Other times, we may need to keep things to ourselves.  In either case, we do what is needed for our faith in Him.

 

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

 

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

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

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

 

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

 

- Mark 8:27-9:1 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighted deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments  did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

  Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  This area of Caesarea Philippi, according to some, was a sparsely populated region, named for Caesar by Philip, the son of Herod the Great and brother to Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee (and earlier husband of Herodias, Antipas' wife).  My study Bible comments that the question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, for it is the question that defines Christianity.  In the Gospels of Saints Matthew and John, Peter answers this question more fully, saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16; John 6:69).  My study Bible says that the correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, for this answer is one that names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This is a position that, in effect, excludes all compromise with other religious systems, as it places Christ in a unique position to God.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason (Matthew 16:17), but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible further notes that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  This is done in order to identify these incorrect ideas.  A person is better prepared to avoid false teachings, it notes, when they are clearly identified.

 

 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."   After Peter's confession (on behalf of himself and all of the apostles), Jesus here reveals the true nature of His messiahship.  That is, the mystery of His Passion.  My study Bible comments that it was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter, and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23). Christ's response comes as Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save humankind through suffering and death.

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  Here my study Bible comments that the cross, which was a dreaded instrument of the worst form of Roman punishment, is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  We practice self-denial, it says, for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept such suffering is not a punishment, and neither it an end in itself.  It is rather a means whereby the fallen world is overcome for the sake of the Kingdom, as well as to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  Here Christ sets out the central paradox of Christian living.  My study Bible describes it by saying that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).

 

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."   Jesus asks, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  According to my study Bible, this is a question which emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, for none of this can redeem one's fallen soul, nor benefit a person in the life to come.

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."  Here we note that the story of the Transfiguration follows in the Gospel (tomorrow's reading), and this, my study Bible says, is the event to which Jesus refers.  There will be those disciples who witness it (Peter, James, and John).  It is also a reference to those in every generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

In our modern world, we're beset by claims of injustice, and needing to find ways to address its myriad occurrences, from the smallest level of intimate encounter to the greatest of whole populations that suffer unjustly.  Perhaps one of the greatest stumbling blocks and temptations presented by the story of the Cross, and by Jesus' admonition that we, also, must follow and carry our crosses, is the idea of unjust suffering.  If there ever is a story of worldly injustice, it is the story of Jesus on the Cross.  Perhaps this is why, in traditional institutions of justice among us -- especially in countries with large Christian populations -- the importance of naming, addressing, and securing the rights of the accused has been such a central focus in the law.  But what does it say to us of God's justice?  And what does it suggest to us that we are taught to take up our own crosses and to follow Him?  In theology, the question of why there is evil in the world when God is a just God is called a theodicy.  There are various ways in which such a question has been addressed throughout history.  But let us focus on the experience of evil and injustice in the world, and our response to it.  Certainly the repeated examples of Christ's compassion for people and their needs tell us an important story.  And there, too, we are asked to carry our crosses and follow Him, as we seek to imitate Him in His compassion also.  For surely, Christ's innocence and even His great mercy and grace is part of the story of the Cross, and of the injustice done to Him in worldly terms.  Too many people have had their own compassion and mercy abused in the world to think that Christ's suffering on the Cross is isolated to Himself alone.  In fact, what we need to admit to ourselves that it is precisely because of the nature of evil in the world, and the world's experience of it, that the world needs such a Savior; that, in fact, the great issue of justice is resolved only through such a Savior.  For Christ's suffering for us takes a form of transfiguration in meeting our suffering in His divinity.  This could only have happened out of the most profound divine love for us, granting the security to us that no matter what it is that we endure in this world, whatever the injustice or evil, He has been there with us and is now and forever there with us.  The Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah is the One who goes voluntarily to the Cross for us, and the One who is resurrected in new life for us as well.  So therefore, when we participate in His life, when we seek to imitate Him, we are a part of that life also; our suffering may also be transfigured as well.  Jesus says, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  We might try as hard as we can to find justice in this world, but perfect justice will always elude the world.  Violence, force, and various other forms of manipulation or coercion have often been sought as either a retributive or corrective solution, but violence and other forms of power beget their own uncontrollable and unforeseen outcomes, and collateral damage.  We can make systems to seek to protect justice, to emphasize truth, to protect the rights of people and especially the accused, even to define rights in a way such that they are codified and expanded.  But we will never find perfect justice in a worldly sense or through worldly methods.  It is simply too costly, and too subtle, and we still struggle "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  For that cosmic struggle to be resolved relies upon more than human desire, and rests within a time frame we don't set, and with a judge who has told us that "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36).  As we seek to follow Him, so we may participate in His suffering via our own for the sake of the gospel, but we also may participate in His Resurrection.  When we devote our lives to His way, our suffering has meaning and significance, and we look to the outcome of the life He promises, and it is in the joy of the Lord that we find our strength.  Suffering can have surprising outcomes when we walk with Him through it, with all the weapons and armor and supplies we may find stored up for us and generously distributed to us (Ephesians 6:10-20), and resurrection -- even in this life -- can take surprising forms as well.  But let us consider that when we take up our crosses and follow Him, we also participate in the only form of justice that will have a full outcome, and for all the universe for all time.  Let us consider how we, too, are called to His kingdom, and to the things of God.

He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden

 

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

 

- Mark 7:24–37 

 

On Saturday we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

 

  From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  This same story also occurs is St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 15:21-28), but with a couple of distinct differences, both of which reveal the Jewish orientation of that Gospel.  Matthew records Christ saying, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Additionally, in St. Matthew's account, the Gentile woman uses the Jewish messianic title "Son of David" to address Jesus.  But these differences, and Mark's account affirm something important to understand.  Jesus went to the Gentile cities not to preach, but rather to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees, my study Bible comments.  We first recall that just prior to this (see Saturday's reading, above) Jesus had been engaged in an open confrontation with the Pharisees and some of the scribes, as they had come from Jerusalem and questioned Him about His disciples' practices.  In today's reading, St. Mark's Gospel tells us that Jesus entered a house and wanted no one to know that He was there.  When Jesus says, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs," this sounds extremely harsh to our ears.  First of all, we have to understand this is not a reference not to outside dogs, but to house dogs who are puppies who beg under the table.  We also must take it in context of the statement in Matthew's Gospel that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But importantly it does, in fact, prompt the showing of her faith in both her persistence and her humility before Christ.  She doesn't respond with an angry argument or insult, but rather with a very smart way to express who she is:  "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  We can see how favorably Christ views her precisely for her response:  "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  My study Bible comments here that Christ's sigh is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  Let us note that the Decapolis is yet another [mostly] Gentile region, with widespread Greco-Roman cultural influence.  (The name means "ten cities" in Greek.)

 

Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  According to my study Bible, the Lord here show us that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  But, as an interesting contrast, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ.  He sees them as a good example under the circumstances, that in fact we should proclaim those who have done good to us, even if they do not want us to.

Today's text tells us that Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and we can easily infer it is a response to the conflict with the religious leaders from Jerusalem (see Saturday's reading, above).  But most interestingly, the Gospel tells us that He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  This inability to stay hidden, even against Christ's reported intentions is a surprising and notable message.  We can only guess at what Christ knew in advance, or what becomes revealed through His ministry, either through the will of God the Father, or perhaps the workings of God the Holy Spirit.  We've seen -- perhaps most dramatically -- in the recent reading, how it is Christ's almost visceral compassion that led His ministry into a new, powerful, and essential turning point, in the feeding of the five thousand men (in this reading).  It's instructive to review the Greek language of the text for "moved with compassion."  This verb is a word based on what is today the modern Greek word for spleen.  But it means, essentially, to be moved in the inward parts.  To use an American idiom, we could say it means being moved "in the gut"; that is, in the heart, lungs, kidney, and liver.  According to Strong's definitions, these later came to be understood as the seat of the affections.   This term is also used in Mark 1:41, when Christ is said (in English) to have been moved with compassion to touch a leper and heal him.  In both cases, we can understand this term as leading to actions He might not have considered otherwise; each breaks a new kind of ground for His ministry.  The feeding in the wilderness does not simply evoke the feeding of Israel in the wilderness by the Lord, but clearly prefigures the Eucharist.  The touching of the leper is forbidden by the Law; but Christ as the author of the Law reminds us that "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Here, the fact that he could not be hidden works in a similar way to Christ's suddenly being touched in the inward parts with compassion.  There is an action which seems unplanned, almost uncontrolled, but in fact cannot be stopped.  And it is yet another great turning point.  For this inability to be hidden leads to the woman's acceptance by Jesus, pointing to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost -- as my study Bible phrases it, no longer as dogs, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.   This 'movement of the inner parts' as well as the fact that Christ "could not be hidden" remind us of the hidden movements and mysterious growth of the kingdom of heaven portrayed in Christ's parables, perhaps especially the parables of the growing seed (found only in Mark's Gospel) and of the mustard seed (see this reading).  The "growth" we witness in today's reading is of two different types.  First of all, because He could not be hidden, there is the growth in who constitutes the people of God.  And second, the miraculous healing whose proclamation also cannot be stopped, despite the efforts of Jesus to do so.  In both instances the Kingdom has now been extended to Gentiles -- to the Greek-speaking Syro-Phoenician woman of Tyre and Sidon, and among the Gentiles in the Decapolis who no doubt hear the good news.   What can see is that the Kingdom has a type of energy that grows of its own energies, in unexpected and unstoppable ways, reminding us of the nature of the Holy Spirit, as taught by Jesus to Nicodemus:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).