Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect

 

 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  

 

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood,  they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

 

- Matthew 24:32–44 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been teaching His disciples about the "end times" and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple to come (beginning in Saturday's reading).  Yesterday, He continued to prophesy about the times to come: "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.  Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the  powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

 

  "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  My study Bible explain that this generation refers to all believers at all times; that is, the generation of the Church, and not simply to those alive at the time of Christ.  

 

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary, that Christ tells of the angels being unaware of the exact day of His return "so that men should not seek to learn what angels do not know," and to forbid them not only from learning the day, but even seeking to ask about it.  According to Mark 13:32, my study Bible continues, and in the St. Matthew text of St. Chrysostom, Jesus declares that even the Son does not know the day of His own return.  St. John Chrysostom says that this should not be understood literally.  Instead, it's a figure of speech to indicate that Christ, although He has revealed all the signs which will accompany His return, will not reveal the precise day to anyone, and that believers should not be so brazen as to inquire of Him.  

 

"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood,  they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left."  My study Bible points out that the second coming of Christ will bring a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven, it says, and the other left for eternal condemnation.  This separation of the saints from the wicked will happen at the coming of the Son of Man, and not (as some teach today) at a certain time before His second coming.  

 

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming  at an hour you do not expect."  My study Bible comments that Christ's purpose in giving this discourse isn't to make people experts on end-time prophesy.  Rather, it's so they may watch and be ready, continuing in virtue and obeying Christ's commandments.  This warning is illustrated in the parable Jesus tells here of the returning master of the house.  

 

 It's interesting that Jesus tells this short parable of the master of the house and what his behavior would have been had he known what hour the thief would come.  In it He likens His second coming to a thief breaking into the house.  St. Paul picks up on this image and restates it in his Letter to the Thessalonians:  "But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3).  St. Peter does the same:  "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).  In the Revelation we find the same imagery:  "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you" (Revelation 3:3); "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15).  Why would this blessed, extraordinary event of Christ's return in all of His glory be so described for us in this negative term of a thief in the night?  It is clearly meant as a warning, to stir us to remember at all times what we are to be about.  It doubly enforces the notion that the purpose of these revelations and prophesy of things to come is not so we make timetables and seek to calculate when this will happen.  This "thief in the night" image is meant to teach us the surprising nature of Christ's return, and how human beings become complacent with daily life and the cares of this world, rather than focusing on being prepared at all times should this event take place.  Elsewhere Jesus emphasizes the surprising nature of His return:  "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36).  Once again, the whole point of this language is so that we understand that while we live in this world our job is to be prepared for His return, watchful and focusing on the things that we need to do to follow His commands, practicing the virtue He teaches, enduring in our faith.  We aren't told that there is more to do than this; it is enough that we always keep Christ's return in our hearts and minds and live accordingly.  For this is the work of faith (see John 6:27-29).  We remain watchful for the opportunities God places before us, the ways we need to serve, to practice our faith, to endure in the participation in His life by the grace He's given us, to strengthen our faith and grow in its grace for us.  There are all kinds of ways for us to be distracted, and perhaps that is true now more than ever for all kinds of reasons.  And yet, we're warned to keep watch over ourselves, and to continue in readiness for His return.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leave the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of the fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 

- John 10:1–18 

 

 In our current reading, Jesus is in Jerusalem, and attending the Feast of Tabernacles.  This is an autumn harvest festival commemorating the time that Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and dwelt in tents or "tabernacles."  It is now the final year of Christ's earthly life.  The religious leaders have sought to arrest Him and even stone Him, but unsuccessfully.  We have just read the sixth of seven "signs" in John's Gospel, the miraculous healing of a man blind from birth.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His dialogue with them, and they have been grilling the formerly blind man.  We read that the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."  So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know; that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."

 

  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."  Of today's entire passage, my study Bible explains that Christ's conversation with the Pharisees continues, as there is no break between the final verses of the last chapter (above) and today's reading.  All of this is taking place at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles (readings since the beginning of chapter 7 cover this events of this festival).  Here Christ contrasts the religious leadership in Jerusalem with His own.  My study Bible comments that they have failed as pastors of God's people ("pastor" comes from the Latin word for "shepherd").  It notes that their leadership has been marked by deceit and pride and has lacked compassion.  But Christ, on the other hand, fulfills all virtue.  My study Bible says that according to St. John Chrysostom, the door is God's Word, meaning both the Scriptures and Christ our Lord Himself (verses 7, 9), as the Scriptures reveal God the Word.  The one who tries to lead in a way that is neither in Christ nor according to the teaching of the Scriptures is a thief and a robber.  Instead of using this door so that all can see Christ's works openly, these false shepherds are using underhanded means to control, steal, and manipulate people, ultimately destroying their souls (verse 10).  By contrast, those pastors who lead according to Christ will find eternal life (verse 9).  

"To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. My study Bible explains that, as Christ has intimate knowledge of every person, so also true pastors in the Church seek to know their people by name; that is, personally.  These pastors, it says, seek to understand each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, and having Christ-like compassion for each one (Hebrews 4:15).  In return, people will respond to a true leader, whom they trust to be a follower of Christ.  St. Ignatius of Antioch is quoted as saying, "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  My study Bible adds that the response of the faithful can be a better indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (John 7:47-49).  

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  My study Bible notes that the phrase all whoever came before Me doesn't refer to Moses or to genuine prophets, but to people who claimed to be the Messiah both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37).  The ultimate thief, it says, is Satan.  Satan spreads lies and heresies among the people of God, and lures away both leaders and people.  Life in this context means living in God's grace here on earth, and life more abundantly is that of the Kingdom to come.  

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leave the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  Here Jesus reveals Himself as the good shepherd.  My study Bible lists those characteristics as follows:  He enters by the door; that is, He fulfills. the Scriptures concerning Himself.  Secondly, Christ knows and is known by the Father (verse 15).  He also knows His people personally, and therefore He is known by them (verses 3, 14).  Finally, He gives His life for the sake of His people (verse 11), which is a direct prophecy of His coming Passion. 

 

"And other sheep I have which are not of the fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."  Other sheep are the Gentiles, my study Bible says, who will be brought into the one flock with the Jews under the one shepherd.  So, for instance, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the beginning centuries of the Church, it has been the Orthodox teaching that there be one bishop serving a city (Canon 8 of I Nicea), a principle which is affirmed in every generation.  In the early second century, St. Ignatius wrote to a Church which held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians; he taught:  "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there i one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  Jesus states clearly, I lay down My life.  His life-giving death will be voluntary, and He does nothing apart from the will of His Father.  As He laid down His life for us, my study Bible says, we lay down our lives for Him and for the sake of others.

Christ is the good shepherd; He is our good shepherd.  And in today's reading, He gives a number of reasons why He is that good shepherd.  Strongly, Jesus affirms that "My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again."  These words indicate, in the context of John's Epistle that declares to us that God is love (1 John 4:8), that the good shepherd is beloved of the Father because of the great love Christ shows for the sheep -- that He is willing to lay down His life for the sheep.  Within the embrace of Father and Son there is a union of love that includes the faithful, the sheep.  As Jesus' words seem to indicate the more that love is shared, the more love results; He is beloved because He loves -- and the Father loves in turn because the Son loves the sheep; so much so that the Son will even lay down His life out of love.  So, in this, Christ is the good shepherd.  He shows His love of and loyalty to the Father by loving the sheep to the greatest extent possible, making the greatest sacrifice because of that love.  This Jesus contrasts with the hireling, the one to whom the sheep do not truly belong, the one who presumably works simply for a wage, and not for love:  "But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leave the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep."   Moreover, here is the great characteristic of love, it is personal, it makes all things personal:  "To [the good shepherd] the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  We the faithful are these sheep; we are those who are called by name: called by name out of the love so great on the part of the shepherd that He would lay down His life for us.  It's in that love that we hear His voice; we know Him and He knows us.  So where do you hear this call of love?  Can we forget that this tremendous, exalted love begins with the Father, circles through us and is once again reciprocated by the Father?  It's a great kind of dance of limitless potential and unending process, and perhaps that is also part and parcel of what makes the kind of life Christ offers "everlasting."  Moreover we must consider that it is this great circulating love that gives us life, and even life more abundantly.  If there is ever any doubt about what and Whom we follow, let us look to the heart, to this love, to its deeply personal call and voice that comes to us.  The One who loves us so much He would lay down His life, because the Father asks it, for the purpose of our life, so that we may have life more abundantly.  The one thing we need to know most assuredly is that love and that it runs through us.  This is where we know and are known.  For this, He is the One in whom we trust.

 

 

 

 

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect

 

 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  

 

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

- Matthew 24:32-51 

 

In chapter 24 of St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has been teaching the disciples about "end times" (beginning on Thursday).   In yesterday's reading, He taught them, "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.  Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." 

 

  "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  My study Bible comments that this generation refers to all believers at all times, the generation of the Church, and not merely those alive at the time of Christ. 

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, Christ speaks of the angels being unaware of the exact day of His return "so that men should not seek to learn what angels do not know," and to forbid them not just from learning the day, but from even asking about it.  My study Bible also cites Mark 13:32, and Chrysostom's Matthew text, in which Jesus Himself says that the Son does not know the day of His own return.  Again, according to St. Chrysostom, this isn't to be understood literally, but is rather a figure of speech.  It indicates that Christ, although He has spoken of all the signs that will accompany His return, will not reveal the exact day to anyone -- and that believers should not be so bold as to ask of Him.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left."  Here is where Jesus indicates the judgment that will be revealed at His second coming.  One will be taken to heaven and the other left, my study Bible writes, for eternal condemnation.  It notes that this separation of the saints from the wicked will occur at the coming of the Son of Man, and not, as some teach, at a certain time before Christ's return.  

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  My study Bible concludes here that Christ's purpose in making this discourse (the whole of chapter 24) is not to make people end-time prophesy experts.  Clearly His words are given to us so that we may be ready, continuing in virtue and obeying the commandments of Christ.  The final parable, of the returning master, illustrates this warning to all of us. 

 

We don't know what Christ's judgment will entail, nor can we second guess even how it will happen, who will be chosen and who will not, and all the other myriad questions we might have about what it will look like, how it will happen, and how judgment even works.  These things are beyond us and are strictly the purview of God.  Indeed, we're told that we shouldn't even speculate on when this might happen.   The best clue we have is simply the parable of the fig tree.  But, as is so with all of the things Christ has prophesied in this chapter on end times, reflections and glimmers of the things He predicts here come to us throughout history, as their truth continues to manifest itself.  So, therefore, we might conclude that we are at all times to prepare and be ready -- and this seems to be the main thrust of all of His conclusions and warnings to us.  It might not sound warm and fuzzy and comforting, but it seems true that when we forget about judgment, when our consciousness of God's awareness of all that we do slips away from us, then we are in the greatest danger of error and lack of discernment ourselves.  It is at such times we're more likely to be carried away by a passion, a mob mentality, or the exigencies of violence and upheaval in either a personal or larger scale of life.  Indeed, this is the very point of Christ's repeated warnings to us to be vigilant, awake, and aware of who we are and what we're meant to be about, how we live our lives as those who follow His commands, as those who would be His servants.  The final parable makes this completely clear to us:  "But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."   To fail to keep His warnings uppermost in our minds is to forget about how we relate to one another, to engage in unrighteous violence and abuse, and to become forgetful, even lawless, in our passions and self-indulgence.  This turn of phrase, that the master is coming at an hour that he is not aware of, seems to be a reflection of a solemn promise given here:  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  It seems to be a kind of affirmation that we surely will be unprepared, as our own forgetfulness is so common, and that the only solution for us is what He tells us:  that we are always to be ready.  We cannot simply depend upon an assumption that we'll see all those signs of the fig tree, or explicitly understand them.  Even the ways that Christ presents end times cannot be construed to have a definite chronology.  Our only resource is obedience to His words and commands, to live a prayerful life, and work the work of God.  We can't do this without ongoing active faith, keeping our prayer lives vital, and participating in His communion.  Moreover, this active and ongoing effort is not ever going to be a static experience, but one that grows and changes and transforms, illuminating errors in our own thoughts and behaviors, and growing in correction and repentance and learning.  It is never meant to stop.  Therefore let us keep vigilant, and do as He asks, reminding ourselves that the Master is returning at an hour we do not expect.  Let us pay attention to what we are to be about!

I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  

 

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  

 

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 

- John 10:1–18 

 

In our current reading, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, and it is the final year of His earthly life.  As we began chapter 9 of John's Gospel, Jesus healed a man blind from birth, something unprecedented in the Scriptures.  But the religious leaders did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."  So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains.

 

  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."  Here, as we begin chapter 10 in John's Gospel, the conversation with the Pharisees continues; there is no break between the final verses of chapter 9, and this beginning of 10.  All of this takes place at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn festival commemorating the time Israel wandered in the wilderness, and the people lived in tabernacles (or tents).  My study Bible comments that here Jesus contrasts the leadership of the Pharisees with His own.  They have failed as pastors of God's people ("pastor" comes from the Latin word for "shepherd").  Their leadership has been marked by deceit and pride and lacks compassion.  Christ, on the other hand, fulfills all virtue.  My study Bible adds that, according to St. John Chrysostom, the door is God's Word, indicating both the Scriptures and Christ Himself (see verses 7, 9), as the Scriptures reveal God the Word.  One who tries to lead in a way that is neither in Christ nor according to the teaching of the Scriptures is a thief and a robber.  Rather than using this door so all can see His works openly, these false shepherds use underhanded means to control, steal, and manipulate people, which ultimately destroys their souls (verse 10).  In contrast, the pastors who lead according to Christ will find eternal life (verse 9).

"To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  My study Bible explains that, as Christ has intimate knowledge of each person, so also a true pastor in the Church will strive to know God's people by name, that is, personally.  Such pastors strive to know each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, expressing Christlike compassion for each one (Hebrews 4:15).  In return people will respond to a true leader, trusting that such a leader is a follower of Christ.  St. Ignatius of Antioch writes, "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  My study Bible comments further that indeed, the response of the faithful can be a better indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (John 7:47-49).  

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."  The phrase all who ever came before Me does not refer to Moses or genuine prophets, my study Bible explains, but rather to people claiming to be the Messiah both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37). 

 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  My study Bible says that the ultimate thief is Satan, who spreads lies and heresies among the people of God, luring away both leaders and people.  Life means living in God's grace here on earth, and the more abundant life, my study Bible says, indicates the Kingdom to come.

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  Here Christ reveals Himself as the good shepherd, and He teaches what that means.  He enters by the door (see verse 2, above), meaning that He fulfills the Scriptures concerning Himself.  He knows and is known by the Father.  He knows His people personally, and is known by them (verses 3, 14).  Finally, He gives His life for the sake of His people, a direct prophecy of His coming Passion.  

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."  My study Bible says that the other sheep are the Gentiles, who will be brought into the one flock with the Jews under the one shepherd.  So, for example, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the beginning, it adds, it has been the Orthodox teaching that there be one bishop serving a city (Canon 8 of I Nicea), a principle which is affirmed in each generation.  Writing in the early second century to a Church that held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians, St. Ignatius taught, "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  Here, my study Bible says, Christ is clear that His life-giving death is voluntary.  He does nothing apart from the will of the Father.  As He laid down His life for us, we lay down our lives  for Him and for the sake of others.

In the final verses of today's reading, Jesus says, "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  It seems that these verses, coming together, indicate very clearly that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross will bring all together -- all the sheep should become one fold.  While we have many denominations of those who claim to follow Christ, and disagreements among them, it is clear that the Door is Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.  In writing this blog, I endeavor to address as many of that one flock as possible, because I believe that is important.  In the following chapter of John's Gospel, we will read that Caiaphas, as high priest that year, exhorts his fellow rulers to do away with Christ, saying, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish" (John 11:49-50).  This is seen as an unwitting prophecy, made for one purpose by a man, but prophetic of Christ's "lifting up" on the Cross, from the chair of the high priest.  This is one profound part of the meaning of the Cross, as it becomes a part of the reality of the Door for the sheep, that door by which all of us must go to the abundant life Christ promises.  It is, for this reason, a symbol of salvation, and remains so.  It also symbolizes the defeat of the thief who does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  Under the Cross, the sheep are united in a mystical reality, that pervades all things, places, peoples, walks of life.  This is not to say that it is some magical formula in which all are made one; rather, those with faith, who perceive in His words "spirit and life" and who know they have found the Door, are of one flock.  Let us live as His sheep, hearing His voice and not that of strangers, in faith following His words, as we are known by Him and may be known by one another.  

 

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom

 

 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

 

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

- Luke 12:32-48 

 

Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  My study Bible comments that do not fear is a recurring theme in this discourse.  It is important to take it in the context of what Christ has just said as well (see yesterday's reading, above).  Little flock is a reference to all believers.  My study Bible explains that they are "little" in two ways.  First, they are insignificant in the eyes of the world.  Second, they are small in number when compared to the earthly and heavenly creation.  

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them."   My study Bible explains that this is a call for vigilance.  Note how it echoes the imagery of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins found at Matthew 25:1-13.  Let your waist be girded is an image of a person ready for work (traditional long garments would be pulled up and girded about the waist for labor or other physical effort).  As Jesus uses the expression here, it is a teaching to be ready at all times for virtuous action.  To keep lamps burning is to have spiritual discernment, another suggestion of alacrity and readiness.  Note the emphasis on watchfulness.  The idea of a master who will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them is an image of the graciousness of God, which echoes the action of Christ girding Himself and washing the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper (John 13:1-17).  See also the parable at Matthew 24:45-51.  My study Bible adds that the mark of a true disciple is vigilance in performing the work and exemplifying the virtue of the master.  

"Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into."  The second and third watch spread from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., which my study Bible says is interpreted as hours of heightened temptation.  Therefore, the servants are most blessed who remain faithful during the night.    

"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  My study Bible notes here that it is not the place of anyone to try to predict the time of the return of the Son of Man, but rather to remain faithful and to be ready at every hour.  

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."  My study Bible explains that the previous parable (verses 35-40) is to all people, while the parable that begins here (and continues in the two verses that follow) is to the apostles and their successors, the ones who will become rulers and teachers of the Church.  It notes that the exhortations here to principles of virtue, and the warnings against corruption, apply specifically to those who are entrusted with spiritual leadership.  

"And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."   The judgment of the teachers of the Church will be strict (James 3:1).  My study Bible says that the many stripes given to those who are willfully and knowingly disobedient symbolize condemnation.  The few stripes are for those who are disobedient out of ignorance, and indicate chastisement or correction. 

Jesus speaks again in the light of His movement toward the Cross, preparing His disciples for what is to come.  We know about the Kingdom and its central importance.  But here Jesus begins to deal with the issues of the world into which they will go "as lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:3).  To become a good disciple of Christ is about being prepared for the return of the Master, and being a good servant.  Even if the rest of the world is chasing accumulation for its own sake, His disciples are to think about what it means to be rich toward God.  Our focus on acts of mercy or compassion sets us in a different kind of a place;  "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   If our heart is with Christ, then our focus is on more than what we accumulate only for ourselves, but on what we give also (and let us keep in mind that acts of giving include all kinds of kindnesses and compassion, even in a prayer for another who may be unaware of it).  When Christ says, "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning," He prepares those who would become His disciples not for a life of leisure but for one of work -- of alertness, of being ready to follow commands and serve, to know what we are to be about.  We make ourselves prepared for His return.  Moreover, the privileged among the world of disciples, those who are made stewards, hold an even greater responsibility for serving, and will pay the steeper price for forgetting who they are in this life of service.   For even Christ will tell them that "I am among you as the One who serves" (see Luke 22:26-27).  Forgetfulness means that those who are appointed within the Church as stewards and servants to care for the "little flock" will lose their places, appointed  their "portion with the unbelievers."  Lest we forget, this is one of many times that Christ reminds us that the more we have spiritually, the greater the responsibility we bear for that understanding.  Spiritual knowledge is powerful; our abuse of what we're given renders us in a worse place than those who may do the same but who were not aware of God's will.  This is the way of the Cross, where understanding makes us prepared for living a different way of life from the world, and one in which we serve a Kingdom of love, in which compassion is currency, and service is greatness.  To know what God asks of us is to find ourselves in the love of Christ.  To fail to find that way of love is to lose even who we are.  The way of the Cross means responsibility, not forgetfulness.   "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." Let us consider what it means to live this blessed way of life and to cherish it in this world.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  

 

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  

 

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes is from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 

- John 10:1-18 

 

Our recent readings take place at the Feast of Tabernacles, during the final year of Christ's life.  He has healed a man blind from birth, giving us the sixth sign of seven in the Gospel of John.  Yesterday we read that the religious leaders did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."   So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.   Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains.

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.   As we begin chapter 10, there is really no break in the conversation carried over from yesterday's reading which ended chapter 9:  Christ's conversation with the Pharisees continues.  As noted above, all takes place at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles, in the autumn of Christ's final year of earthly life.  My study Bible comments that Jesus here contrasts the leadership of the Pharisees with HIs own.  It says that they have failed as pastors of God's people ("pastor" coming from the Latin word for "shepherd").  Their leadership has been marked by deceit and pride and has lacked compassion.  But Jesus, on the other hand, fulfills all virtue.  Here in these verses, my study Bible points out, Christ speaks of His intimate knowledge of every person, showing therefore that true pastors in the Church strive to know their people by name, that is, personally.  Such pastors endeavor to understand each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, possessing Christlike compassion for each one (Hebrews 4:15).  In return, my study Bible continues, the people will respond to a true leader, trusting that he is a follower of Christ.  It quotes St. Ignatius of Antioch:  "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  It is the response of the faithful which is the best indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (John 7:47-49).  

 

 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them."   My study Bible comments that, according to St. John Chrysostom, the door is God's Word, indicating both the Scriptures and the Lord Himself, as the Scriptures reveal God the Word.  The one who tries to lead in a way that is neither in Christ nor according to the teaching of the Scriptures is a thief and a robber.  My study Bible says that the phrase all who ever came before Me does not refer to Moses or genuine prophets, but rather to people claiming to be the Messiah both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37).  

"I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."   Rather than using this door so all can see Christ's works openly, my study Bible says, false shepherds use underhanded means to control, steal, and manipulate people, ultimately destroying their souls.  By contrast, those pastors who lead according to Christ will find eternal life.  The ultimate thief, it says, is Satan, who spreads lies and heresies among the people of God, luring away both leaders and people.  Life means living in God's grace here on earth, while the more abundant life indicates the Kingdom to come.  

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  Christ reveals Himself as the good shepherd in the following ways, according to my study Bible:  First, He enters by the door; that is, He fulfills the Scriptures concerning Himself.  Second, He knows and is known by the Father.   Third, He knows His people personally, and therefore is known by them.  Finally, He gives His life for the sake of His people, a direct prophesy of Christ's coming Passion.  

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."  Other sheep, my study Bible explains, are the Gentiles.  They will be brought into one flock with the Jews under the one shepherd.  Therefore, for example, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the beginning, my study Bible continues, it has been the teaching that there can be one bishop serving a  city (Canon 8 of I Nicea), a principle which is affirmed in every generation.  Writing in the early second century to a Church that held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians, St. Ignatius taught, "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup of His Blood that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop. . . . This is in line with God's will."

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes is from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."   Jesus makes it clear ("I lay down My life") that His life-giving death will be voluntary.  Once again, an iteration that He does nothing apart from the will of His Father.  My study Bible adds that as He laid down His life for us, we lay own our lives for Him and for the sake of others.  

Jesus casts Himself here, repeatedly, in the role of the Good Shepherd.  As my study Bible pointed out, the word "pastor" comes from the Latin word for shepherd, and we should consider deeply what this means.  Christ is the Son who tends the flock of His Father.  He is not a hireling who will run when there is trouble, but He is rather the door, the gate that guards the sheepfold -- the enemy must come through Him to get to the sheep.  He is at once protector and guide.  He says that "the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice."  Moreover, Christ emphasizes repeatedly that He will lay down His life for the sheep.  "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  There is this deep connection of knowing:   The sheep know His voice, just as the Father and the Son know one another.  In this knowing is a connection of love, for Christ will lay down His life for the sheep beloved of the Father, and given to the Son that He should not lose one of them (John 6:39).   And, more deeply powerful is the hidden context of all of this:  "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again."  The love of the Father is all-encompassing; it reaches to the Son who will lay down His life and take it up again, and that love reaches to the sheep, who, in that love, will all be made one flock, no matter who we are, where we come from, when we live in this world, when we come to faith.  We are His sheep, and our gratitude must be felt that we belong to this loving Shepherd, for "greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13).  To be a part of His flock is to know and to be known, to be embraced and held in a kind of protective love that surpasses what we understand of love, for it is absolute and it reaches to the infinite mystery that is God.  This love embraces us and fills us, and it heals us, and it will keep on teaching us how to live by its laws and guidance.  Let us consider this Good Shepherd, and be grateful He remains so, even to the end of the age, for us.

 

 

 

 

 

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only

 

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near - at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to given them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

- Matthew 24:32-51 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued telling the disciples His prophesy of what was to come in Jerusalem, and also speaking of end times:   "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.  For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.  Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." 

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near - at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  My study Bible comments that this generation refers to all believers at all times, the generation of the Church, and not merely to those alive at the time of Christ.  

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that Christ tells of the angels being unaware of the exact day of His return "so that men should not seek to learn what angels do not know," and to forbid them not only from learning the day, but from even asking Him about it.  According to Mark 13:32, and the in the Matthew text of Chrysostom, Jesus declares that the Son also doe snot know the day of His own return.  St. John Chrysostom teaches this is not to be understood literally, but rather it is a figure of speech which indicates that Christ, although He revealed all the signs that will accompany His return, will not reveal the exact day to anyone, and that no believer should be so brazen as to inquire of Him.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two men will be in the field:  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill:  one will be taken and the other left."  Christ's second coming will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation, my study Bible explains.  This separation of the saints from the wicked will occur at the coming of the Son of Man, and not (as some teach today) at a certain time before His second coming.

"Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Christ's purpose in teaching the disciples (and us) about the end times is not to make people experts in end-time prophecy.  My study Bible points out that it is rather to teach people to watch and be ready.  This means to continue in virtue and in obeying Christ's commandments.  

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to given them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.  But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.  There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  This parable is given in illustration of Christ's teaching to "watch therefore," and to "be ready" (in the verses just prior to the parable).  The emphasis is on service and following the commands of the master (Christ) while he is away.  Note that to be disobedient and doing what is improper is to be abusive of fellow servants and forgetful of duties and loyalty.  To be appointed a portion with the hypocrites is to be condemned and exiled from the master's presence  (There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth).

So what is the purpose of Jesus' teaching of end times prophesy to His disciples?  It is not merely to answer their anxious questions, but more to prepare them, and us, for the time in which we live now.  That is, the time in which we await the return of Christ, the Master.  And how is it we are taught to behave?  What's our proper "posture" (so to speak) as we live in this time of waiting and expectation?  We are to follow His commands and to be faithful servants, doing as He has taught.  In the period just prior to Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, the disciples display in various ways their concern for their positions in what they seem to presume is the worldly kingdom He will come into imminently.  Each time He responds to them, His emphasis is on service and humility, and most importantly, the care of the "little cones" (see Matthew 18; 20:20-28).  That is, of those with less power in the Church, while they will lead.  Here again, in the final parable in today's reading, the emphasis is the same:  on the responsibility for the care of fellow servants, and remembering and being aware of duty.  The servant who fails in the parable is the one who beats his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunkards.  To be apportioned a place with the hypocrites clearly evokes Christ's final sermon in the Temple, a sermon of woes directed at the scribes and Pharisees.  While Jesus gives indications of events and circumstances that surround His return, He's very careful to emphasize that no one knows when that will happen -- and even to imply that He Himself does not know.  This refraining from giving dates and chronology only highlights the importance of knowing that our duty is to watch and to be ready.  We're not to "eat and drink with the drunkards" because to do so is to be forgetful and not alert to the signs of the times.  To "watch" is to be aware of our circumstances and our duties.  Does someone need care?  Are we cleaning up our own act, and staying away from what's not good for us?  Are we aware of the duties of righteousness and the ways in which we serve God, relate to neighbor and to our world, and how we use and care for the resources we have?  One can't be drunk and forgetful and know what one is about, nor careful of how one treats the "little ones" in the Church, and one's fellow servants of Christ.  This is important because it tells us what our disposition is to be in this time, what He expects us to be doing and how He expects us to be living without His immediate presence as Son of Man.  He remains the Master, and we know what He expects of us until His return.  He doesn't give us a date intentionally, so that He emphasizes our state of alertness, watchfulness, readiness.  Jesus says, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only," giving us not only a sense that He will not reveal a time or date, but also a poignant testimony to His own humility and service to the Father.  Just as He follows such authority, so we should follow His example.  He reminds us that "a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master" (Matthew 10:24), and therefore gives a deepened emphasis on gracious service in imitation of Him as we await His Second Coming.