He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

 

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour. 

 

Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses." 

 

- Matthew 8:1-17 

 

 Yesterday we read the final verses of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  Jesus taught,  "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'  Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall."  And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."

 

 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.  My study Bible reminds us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 - 14.  In Deuteronomy 24:8 we find the description of the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study Bible says that leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or worship in synagogues or in the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), yet Jesus touched the leper, and showed His compassion, revealing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean (Romans 14:14; Titus 1:15).  

 

 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  A centurion (who was a Gentile) commanded 100 men in a Roman legion.  Jesus is the Savior of all, my study Bible tells us, and in Him all ethnic distinctions are void.  

 

And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."   My study Bible says that Jesus' reply, I will come, has been read as a question by many Greek scholars:  "Shall I come?" In any case, Jesus is ready to deal graciously with this Gentile, even to enter into his house, which would make Him unclean in the eyes of the Jews.  

 

 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."   My study Bible tells us that the centurion expresses unusual faith in Jesus, who is a Jew, by calling Him Lord.  This statement, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof,"  is often quoted in liturgical texts as an ideal expression of humility.  

 

 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  There are only two places in the Gospels in which we're told that Jesus marveled.  One was at the unbelief in His hometown of Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and here at the belief of this foreigner.  

 

 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Here Christ nullifies any concept of ethnic superiority, my study Bible tells us.  The rejected sons of the kingdom are both Jews who deny Christ and those raised in the Church who do not live their faith.  Outer darkness and weeping and gnashing are descriptions of the state of the unrighteous dead in Sheol (Hades) in the Jewish tradition (Enoch 103:8).  These are common expressions in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).  This is also found at Luke 13:28.

 

 Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."  My study Bible notes that this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5 (where St. Peter is called Cephas) indicate that he was married.  My study Bible adds that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  In this case, He heals by touch; but in the case of the centurion's servant (above) Christ healed by a word.  This healing is immediate and complete; others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or require the cooperation of the person healed or of his loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  As the final quotation in today's reading reveals (from Isaiah 53:4), all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.  

 

 The final quotation in today's reading (from Isaiah) emphasizes something essential to the story of Christ and of Christianity.  It gives us a sense of the Cross, and the Cross is at the center of all things in our faith.  In our own encounters with others, we're encouraged to imitate Christ in that we might have our own sacrifices to make, but when we do so as we attempt to follow Him, our own crosses lead to resurrections, just like the Cross of Christ.  So every healing that we witness in the Gospels is in some sense also like a crucifixion, but lead to a resurrection.  Christ is clearly putting Himself out for all in His ministry; He has come into public ministry to serve, and He does so both by teaching and through His miracles and signs, through the casting out of demons and also of healing.  All of this goes together.  St. Paul also images this vulnerability of the Cross and its sacrifice when he writes of his own infirmity in addressing the Corinthians.  He writes, "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 7-10).  We do not know exactly what was St. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" but he speaks of suffering, likely a physical ailment, and characterized it as a messenger of Satan specifically sent to buffet (meaning repeatedly strike) him, a kind of evil oppression.  But God's response is the response of the Cross, and St. Paul's own cross, as he explains, "lest [he] be exalted above measure." the Lord's response is pure grace, and St. Paul's final word the image of the Cross:  "For when I am weak, then I am strong." It is his own weakness and vulnerability, the sacrifice of various hardships for the gospel he preaches, in which Christ's power all the more shines through him.  This is resurrection, even healing, if you will, in the midst of difficulties and tribulations.  Jesus is the same, the prime example of the image of the Cross, for as He preaches and heals and ministers, so His power is magnified and spread through the world, even as He is persecuted and living a life of sacrifice.  The Cross, of course, is the ultimate sacrifice as well as the greatest power, for it will defeat death for all of us that we may follow Him to eternal life.  In today's reading, Jesus exemplifies sacrifice in that He will touch a leper, and dare to enter the centurion's home, each of which can easily earn him condemnation and public opprobrium.  But it is the Lord's power that shows through all that He does and magnifies Him in glory, even as He serves all.  

 

 

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand

 

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."

 

 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 

 

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught  them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  

 

Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

 

- Mark 1:14-28 

 

 Yesterday we began reading the Gospel of St. Mark:  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.' "  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was  baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days,  tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

 

  Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  My study Bible comments that Mark's written emphasis on John being put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant, preparing people for Christ, had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  Once Christ had come into the world, the time of preparation was fulfilled.  To repent, my study Bible explains, is to do a total "about-face."  This word in Greek (μετανοια/metanoia) literally means to "change one's mind."  To repent means a radical change of spirit, mind, through, and heart.  That is, a complete reorientation to a life centered in Christ.  This is an ongoing, continuing lifetime effort, not a one-time decision.  

 

  And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.   The first disciples of Jesus had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and so they were prepared to accept Christ immediately (see John 1:29-51).  My study Bible comments that although they were illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" called by Jesus will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all.

 

 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught  them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.   My study Bible asks us to note that the word immediately occurs almost forty times in St. Mark's Gospel, and nearly all of these occur before the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem.  This sense of urgency and purpose as Christ journeys toward Jerusalem in order to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world, it says, helps to make St. Mark's account not only the shortest, but also the most direct of the four Gospels.  Let us note that Christ's preaching (and healing as per the verses that follow) begins on the Sabbath, which will be His practice through His ministry.  My study Bible cites St. Ambrose of Milan, who comments that thus "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."  Jesus speaks with authority, and thereby astonishes the people, as He contrasts with the scribes.  That is, unlike the prophets of old and the teachers of His day who taught in the third person ("The Lord says"), my study Bible explains, Christ taught in the first person ("I say to you").  See also Matthew 5.

 

 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.  As Jesus performs this exorcism, He commands the unclean spirit to "Be quiet . . . !"  This begins to teach us about what is called the "Messianic Secret."  My study Bible comments that Our Lord's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  It notes the following reasons for secrecy:  First, the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders.  Second, the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader.  Finally, the Lord's desire is to evoke genuine faith which is not based only on marvelous signs.  

 

 In St. Mark's Gospel, as my study Bible comments, the word immediately occurs nearly forty times, almost each one before Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It notes that this seemingly conveys the great urgency and purpose of Jesus' mission.  Given that we understand that Christ's public ministry began when He was thirty years old, we might question why He seemingly waited so long.  If this mission was that urgent, if the power of God at work was going to be so explosively fast in some sense, why did He not start earlier as a younger Man?  Why did no one else know this -- except possibly His mother?  See John 2:1-12; also Luke 1, 2; Matthew 2).  It's important also, in this context, to note how St. Mark is careful (as my study Bible points out) to say that St. John the Baptist was arrested first, prior to Jesus' public ministry of preaching and teaching in the synagogues on the Sabbath.  So these things both point toward a similar conclusion, that with God, we could say, timing is everything.  Jesus begins today's reading by declaring, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand."  Christ's mission and urgency is deliberate, just as His choosing to publicly preach and teach begins carefully after St. John the Baptist's ministry, after Christ's Baptism by John, and the revelation of the Holy Trinity which took place at that event (see yesterday's reading, above).  While we could make the mistake of saying that these things happen this way "because it was prophesied" (which it was), we'd be better off understanding that the prophecy is a gift from God revealing what things would be:  that there first would be one who was the messenger of the Messiah, His herald, who would be a "voice crying in the wilderness" (see Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3).  But the timing and planning of such things does not occur because they were prophesied, but because those who fulfill the prophecies are acting in accordance with the Holy Spirit, obeying the will of God as they are given that -- and, in particular, we note for this topic, in the time it is given to them to do so.  Jesus, we observe, spends much time in prayer, and in particular just prior to new directions that occur in His ministry.  He does not immediately go to Jerusalem and announce Himself to the world as the Messiah, even though this is the truth about Him.  Neither does He spend time making this declaration in public during His ministry.  Everything must unfold in a particular way -- and in this context, we come to the Messianic Secret.  My study Bible has given reasons (see above) for this secret, and why Christ's ministry must evolve in the way that it does.  This understanding of the Messianic Secret is an important component in the story we read in St. Mark's Gospel, and we must also keep it in mind.  Rather than declaring Himself to be the Messiah, the unclean demon in today's story declares who Christ is:  "I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!"  It's almost as if the unclean spirit didn't quite perceive this until Jesus was right there in the synagogue with the person out of whom would come that spirit.  This strange limitation of the unclean spirits is something to consider in the story of Jesus, and especially in the power of the Crucifixion, death, and Resurrection to defeat Satan.  But this, also, is part of the importance of God's time, and how things evolve in the Gospel stories, and in the stories of the Church that would follow, such as in the Book of Acts of the Apostles.  In Ecclesiastes 3, we read a consideration of the mystery of God's unfolding work, and of the importance of time, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."  In 2nd Corinthians, St. Paul quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah:  "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you" (2 Corinthians 6:2; Isaiah 49:8).  In urging the Corinthian believers to be true to Christ and to make important choices now necessary, St. Paul tells them, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."  In St. Luke's Gospel, Jesus begins preaching in His hometown of Nazareth by reading from the prophecy of Isaiah:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:16-21; Isaiah 61:1-2).  Let us note that in all of these circumstances we can discuss, of Christ's ministry and its various turning points, in beginning His public ministry, and even the beginning and end of the ministry of St. John the Baptist, the timing for each is essential to God's purpose and the proper carrying out and evolution of such missions.  For the purpose of the time of our lives is, in effect, to dedicate our use of time -- in addition to all else -- to God, to seek God's purposes and God's "acceptable" time.  The mission and ministry of Jesus bears that out, the Church bears that out.  The seeking of God's will and guidance cannot be separate from our understanding of the proper use of our time.  For that, we always turn to prayer, for our lives can't properly be lived, in this sense, without it.  What is appropriate at one time and for one person may not be God's calling for another.  Let us be immediate in seeking to fulfill God's purpose, in God's acceptable time, as best we can discern.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he hard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. 

 

- John 4:43-54 

 

 Our recent readings have included the story of the Samaritan woman, whom Jesus met at Jacob's well.  See readings from Thursday and Friday.   On Saturday, we read that at this point Christ's disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (see John 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  This saying, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, is so central to the story of Christ that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24).

 

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover which Jesus has attended (the first of three Passover feasts reported in John's Gospel; see John 2:13-25).  At that feast, Jesus performed many signs.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, my study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom who gives greater credit to the Samaritans, as they accepted Christ based only on His words and teaching, without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

 

 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he hard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  Again, we're given an important signal here in the Gospel about faith and miraculous signs (wonders).  My study Bible points out that Christ here is admonishing the people in general, as you is plural both times) and not only the nobleman.  It says that faith based on miraculous works alone is not sufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (John 19:15). 

 

 The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.   My study Bible explains that this noblemans's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He does not understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Additionally, he doesn't know that Christ would have the people to heal even if his child were to die.  Finally, my study Bible says, he inquires about the timing of the healing, as he doesn't completely trust the Lord's authority.  Only after all of this is confirmed will he and his whole household believe.  So, as He heals the child from a distance, Jesus in fact heals not only the physical body of the child, but also the soul of his father.  

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This is the second sign of seven reported in John's Gospel.  My study Bible declares that having revealed He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (John 1:45-48), Jesus now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  Thereby He shows that His divine power does not know any earthly limits.  It also notes that there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle reported in Matthew 8:5-13, there are several crucial differences, and thus it's clear they are two different encounters.  

Today's reading seems to take us onto the path of consideration of faith and signs.  How does one work without the other?  How is one complete in and of itself, and the other incomplete?  After Christ is seen by some of the disciples post-Resurrection, the disciple Thomas declares he will not believe without proof.  As Jesus makes an appearance to them when Thomas is present, He offers to Thomas to touch the wound in His side, and to witness the wounds in His hands, at which point Thomas declares, "My Lord and My God!"  Jesus tells him (and all of us), "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (see John 20:24-29).  This question of proofs obviously would remain important for the life of the Church to come, just as it is indeed important for us today.  Many people read the texts of the Bible with a deliberate skeptical eye, and beyond, discounting all possibility that the miracles or signs reported can be real.  But it is wise to be skeptical also of placing limits on God and what God can do, because there is so much that we simply don't know.  Modern theoretical physics postulates many dimensions to the universe, not all of them necessarily operate by the same physical rules we do.  Neither can we limit for certain the potentials of a Person like Christ, whose existence would transcend all of those possible dimensions.  But let us consider this connection between faith and proofs, and what substance or reason makes these signs so significant for Christ's mission to us.  Certainly they are not simply to convince people of His divinity.  Jesus makes it very clear that it is not His intention to draw faith through proofs of any kind.  Instead, these "signs" are just that -- like an icon is meant to do in Church, they point to something beyond themselves.  They teach us not only about Jesus, but about God the Father and the Spirit as well.  They teach us something that is essential to know in order to understand Christ:  that there are no limits to His divine power.  Wherever we find ourselves, whatever place we're in or circumstances with which we need to cope, Christ transcends all of them in His divinity, and He is there with us through faith and the power of God.  We have contrasted in today's reading the worldly thinking of the father (the nobleman), and his attempts to verify Christ's power together with the effect of this sign of healing on him and his whole household, and not simply the restoration of the child to physical health.  In this we are given a more complete understanding of Christ's mission in the world, the significance and effect of His signs, and how they prove useful even for us.  For while we may not experience what it is like to live with Christ physically present in human form, we can know what it is like to call upon and depend upon our faith for help to us.  As we go through our own lives, our own faith will also be tested, and we will find ourselves in circumstances where we need to trust to God to help us find the answers and correct response.  Outcomes are not guaranteed to be precisely what we would have preferred, but help is always there as we are led forward in ways meant to strengthen our faith and draw us closer in communion with God.  Let us consider what signs are for, the One to whom they point, and our own faith and its progress through our life.

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary,  He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1-13 

 

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the religious authorities, who accuse Him of blasphemy for making Himself equal to the Father:  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

  After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.   The lectionary skips over chapter 6 of John's Gospel (to be read later in the Lenten period).  In chapter 6, there is the story of the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness.  When the people seek to make Him king, Jesus preaches prefiguring the Eucharist, referring to Himself as the bread of heaven, and the eating of his flesh and blood.  This dispute took place in the synagogue at Capernaum.  As a result Jesus lost many disciples.  The period of chapter 7, which we begin today, starts after these things take place.  In Jerusalem (which is located in Judea), the religious rulers plot against Him for His declaration of equality to the Father.  The term the Jews, we remember, is most often used as a political term in John's Gospel, and refers to the leaders of the people at the time, not to the Jewish people.  All the people in these stories are Jews, including Jesus and the attributed author of the Gospel, the disciple John.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The events that stretch over nearly three following chapters (John 7:1-10:21) speak of Christ's visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  The entire section covers eight days, the duration of the feast.  My study Bible comments that this festival took place during the final year of Christ earthly life.  As we will read, Jesus taught in the temple and attracted very much public attention.  Some thought He was made and other believed He was the Messiah.  Many in the religious leadership considered Him to be a threat.  Again we note that those who sought to kill Him are the religious leaders, and not the people in general.  The Feast of Tabernacles is succoth or Sukkot in Hebrew.  It is an eight-day autumn harvest festival which commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai.  At that time, the people lived in tents, or tabernacles.  My study Bible notes that together with Passover and Pentecost (the Feast of Weeks, which Jesus attended in chapter 5), this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included numerous sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, the final day also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, as purification and also in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Moreover, it included the stunning lighting of great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  Each of these events will figure as background to Jesus' teachings as we read.

 

 His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  Jesus' brothers are His relatives, and the term can indicate any number of relations.  My study Bible notes that Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14).  Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3), and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  According to our understanding, Christ had no blood brothers, as Mary had one Son, Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here are either stepbrothers (that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage) or cousins.  Indeed, even today in the Middle and Near East, the term "brother" is used to refer also to cousins and other relatives.  One revealing detail regarding the status of Jesus is His committing of His mother at the Cross to the care of His disciple John (John 19:25-27).  In the context of the culture would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her. 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary,  He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible tells us that not openly means not with a grand, public entrance, as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  Let us note the atmosphere at this feast, where Jesus is a center of controversy, but no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders, who are already known to plot against Him.

Jesus walks "quietly" and in an "unknown" way into the midst of the controversy that swirls around Him in Jerusalem.  Although He is the center of that controversy, He does not go into Jerusalem with a bold announcement of His presence.  He goes not openly, but as it were in secret.  His brothers give Him the worldly, and unbelieving, perspective:  "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  This is the perspective of that which wants proofs on demand, manipulation of images, and the grand triumphant show of spectacle.  But this is not what faith in Christ teaches.  Jesus says, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  Jesus again introduces us to this dichotomy of the worldly, and the faith-filled perspective.  He says to them that "your time is always ready."  But Christ's "time" is different.  His life is through obedience to the Father, and the right "time" for Him is the one that is produced through discernment, and by faith.  This is a type of illustration of what Christ implies when He says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  There is a particular way He must go in life, He is called for specific things and the right time to do them.  For the worldly, there is always the right time for an array of "broad" and "wide" options, with choices that look good or options for manipulation or simply a kind of thoughtless grasping at whatever might look good at the moment -- or maybe serves an agenda someone else puts in front of us, to follow the crowd.   But the way of faith, the way of discernment, is different.  There is a deeper perspective to acquire, and one that asks us for a point of view produced through an inner connection to something more than the obvious, or whatever particular thing attracts at the moment or seems like a good idea at the time.  Jesus speaks of a prayerful way of life, one in communion with something greater than ourselves, which offers goals that serve something bigger and grander, and might ask of us a sacrifice for something better that we can't immediately see in front of us.  When Jesus speaks of time in this manner, He is referring to the proper and good and fitting time for something to occur.  We note how careful He is, even distinguishing between the time to go up to Jerusalem with great fanfare and announcement of His presence, and the time to go as it were "in secret."  Although Jesus will be speaking out openly and teaching in the temple, and cause a great deal of controversy, and attracting much attention at this festival, there is still a great deal of difference between this "time" and the time that will come on Palm Sunday for what is called the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem with all of His disciples.  For now, let us consider what this means that Jesus makes such an explicit differentiation between the sense of time that is His, and the one that belongs to His unbelieving brothers.  Let us think for ourselves of times we discerned the presence of God in a particular choice, or a season of change we were only to realize later, or perhaps the proper time to sit and be quiet, to go to our inner room, and shut the door, and pray to our Father who is in the secret place and who sees in secret (Matthew 6:6), for this is also a time of great and important significance, even when no one else knows about it -- even if the worldly cannot discern its meaning or benefit.  For this is what we do when we have faith, we walk with the One in whom we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).  We are expected to have a dimension and meaning within our lives that isn't obvious to everyone, but that nonetheless makes a great deal of difference -- at times perhaps prompting us to speak out, to act decisively, to seize the day, and yet at other times teaching us to withdraw or to act "in secret" as Jesus does.   The Gospels give us many varied times of withdrawal or open teaching on Christ's part, including times when He withdraws altogether for prayer.  Let us consider discerning the use of our time, and following that depth of presence that helps us to know how to do so -- and even, like Jesus, when there are those who surround us who cannot understand.  

 

 

You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

 

- Luke 12:49-59 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus preached, "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."

 

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!"  Fire is a reference to the proclamation of the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible comments that this fire both enlivens the faithful and judges the faithless; it purifies virtue and destroys sin (see Luke 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

 

"But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"  Baptism refers to Christ's Passion.  See Matthew 20:21-23.   

 

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three."  My study Bible comments that there are two kinds of peace.  False peace is the one to which Christ is referring here.  That kind of "peace"  is a shallow harmony which results from ignoring issues of truth.  But genuine peace is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct, because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, my study Bible adds, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19).  

"Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  My study Bible says that this is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 7:6.   Additionally, besides its literal meaning, which has been experienced in the Church since the time of Christ, the older generation divided from the younger generation is symbolic of  first, the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, and second, the spiritual struggle between our old, sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  

 

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?"  This time is the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the first coming of Jesus Christ (see Luke 10:9).

 

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."  My study Bible comments that, just as a guilty person would attempt to reconcile with their opponent before facing an earthly judge, even more so should one be reconciled to God in Christ before facing Christ's dread judgment.  

The idea of reconciliation before meeting the judge is an important one.  Jesus is speaking about a kind of justice that involves more than a simple worldly justice, but exists on cosmic levels as well.  For here, the judge is God, and Jesus speaks of the ultimate judgment.  This is one for which there is no appeal.  Traditionally, the time for repentance is while we live our lives in this world.  We are beings who dwell in a linear measurement of time.  Throughout our lives, we have time to reconsider, to change our minds (the literal meaning of the Greek word metanoia/μετανοια which is translated as "repentance").  But after death, our being changes, the place where the soul may dwell is of an entirely different kind of substance.  We don't know what kind of repentance is possible, and we certainly haven't considered what it would mean to appeal God's judgment after the time of judgment.   (While we dwell in our worldly lives, according to the historical teachings in the Church since ancient times, we are to pray all the time for one another and for our departed.)  We neither fully know nor understand the nature of time as it changes when we are no longer in this earth, nor how we may change.  The closest we can come to a glimpse is in a teaching given by Jesus to the Sadducees when they test Him in Luke 20:34-38.  Jesus says of that life, "But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection."  To be immortal and equal to the angels and sons of God indicates a kind of existence in which time no longer plays a part.  One glimpse we have of such a condition is the understanding of the fallen angels who rebelled against God:  their decisions are absolute, for their intelligence is different from our understanding.   So in terms of thinking about Christ's teachings here, let us take them in context about his warning not to think only of accumulation for we don't know when we will leave this life (in Friday's reading), and about our alertness and readiness to follow God's will, caring for our fellow servants (in Saturday's reading). We're to understand that while we live in this world, time is of the essence.  We have a job to do, business to take care of, and that is the business of God's kingdom and what it asks from us.  How we treat one another is crucial to this place, but more important is the loyalty we choose to God and to building the Kingdom.  For that will determine the rest.  Taking care of our fellow servants does not mean always agreeing or doing someone's bidding should it be destructive  -- for this is the teaching in today's reading regarding division.  But it does mean seeking God's way first, serving the Kingdom first, remembering to be about our Father's business.  For in this teaching is contained the teachings of compassion and the fruits of the Spirit, not of selfishness.  Once again, we may also observe Jesus drawing closer to the time of the Cross, and reminding us that the time of our lives is important, essential.  There is none who will not face this time; even our Lord will experience human death.  He tells us, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13).  His human life will end in an act of extraordinary love.  How can we show our love for Him in return?  For this seems to be the point of what it is to make the most of our time -- and especially to reconcile with the Judge, to experience His peace.

If You do these things, show Yourself to the world

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that many of Christ's disciples, after they heard His teachings concerning eating His flesh and drinking His blood, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"  When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?  What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.  The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you who do not believe."  For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.  And He said, "Therefore I have said no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."  From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"  But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"  He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.  

 

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  In chapter 6 we read of events that took place during the second Passover season recorded in John's Gospel, in which Jesus disputed with the religious leaders ("the Jews" is used in John's Gospel most often to denote specifically the religious leadership, and not the people in general).   For this reason He does not want to walk in Judea, the center of the religious establishment and the temple.  We are now beginning to read of events which took place during the final year of Christ's earthly life.

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Hebrew Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Booths) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  My study Bible explains that it commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or tabernacles.   Along with Passover and Pentecost, these formed the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  It included may sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43).  In later times, the final day of the feast also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar, both as a purification and also in remembrance of the water flowing from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  Later on the images in this chapter will inform Christ's teachings on light and illumination, reflecting the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple.  See also 2 Maccabbees 10:5-9.

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  His brothers speak in earthly or worldly terms (show Yourself to the world), but Christ's mission is one that testifies to the evil in the works of the world (see Matthew 16:2-24).  My study Bible explains also that in Jewish usage (and for that matter, today in the extended Middle East), the term brother can indicate any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz referred to his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  Jesus Himself had no blood brothers, as Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here were either stepbrothers; that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins.  We can understand this in the action of Christ at the Cross, in committing the care of His mother to John His disciple (John 19:25-27) -- for this would have been unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.  

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  My study Bible explains that not openly means not with a grand, public entrance as on Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16).  John's Gospel gives us the divisions of the people, adding that no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the religious leaders. 

What does it mean that Christ testifies that the works of the world are evil?  Jesus says to His relatives, when they encourage Him to show Himself openly, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."   His "time" to which He refers is the time of His Passion, and we must understand this also in the context of testimony to the evil works of the world.  The Crucifixion itself, as plotted by the powerful leaders for their own reasons (Matthew 27:17-18), is an act which expresses this evil -- however, it is entered into voluntarily and knowingly by Christ, for it is the culmination of this testimony.  As it is Christ Himself, Incarnate God, the power which is also at work transforms and transfigures the Crucifixion itself, turning the Cross into a sign of Resurrection and God's power against evil.  As noted above, when St. Peter encourages Jesus to avoid the Cross, Jesus responds to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men" (Matthew 16:23).  It is one example of how a worldly way of thinking does not correspond to God's thinking, and specifically to the mission of Jesus Christ and what He must do in His testimony.  In today's reading, Jesus' extended family, not understanding His mission, encourages Him to "show Yourself to the world."   They reason that "no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly," and that He should "go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing."  But we know that many of Christ's works, in their immediate context, were done by Christ in secret (Luke 8:54-56), or in far away places (such as His revelation of Himself to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4:1-42), with Christ frequently admonishing the beneficiary of His grace and healing to "tell no one."  The "world," by contrast, would clamor for publicity.  Somehow, as in the words of Christ's brethren, everything depends upon proofs, upon showing something to the world that would compel belief (Matthew 12:39).  But often in the Gospels, the deliberate stirring up of crowds is something which in itself is used with evil intent, and misleads leads the people (Mark 15:11).  Faith, however, comes from something more than this, as we have read taught by Jesus throughout chapter 6:  it is the working of Father, Son, and Spirit within us that draws us to know Christ, and works within the heart of human beings.  John's Gospel will continually teach us that even the very Incarnation of Christ tells us something about what it is to seek and know Christ.  His mission is at work in the world but not of it (John 17:14)  There is something more that we seek, a mystical component that feeds also soul and spirit, and that prompts us to wish to know His path for us, and to grow in faith. 

 

 

 

 

My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."   When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

- John 7:1–13 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His discourse to the Jewish leaders, after healing a paralytic on the Sabbath, and also referring to Himself as Son of God:   "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.   These things refers to the events of John chapter 6.  Here, the lectionary has skipped over chapter 6, but will return to it in two weeks.  Once again, we remember that the term "the Jews" is most often used in John's Gospel as if it were a political term, and used to refer to the religious leaders, not the people in general  They seek to kill Christ not only for the things mentioned regarding yesterday's reading (above), but also because of His growing popularity, and the many "signs" He has done at this point in His ministry.  The next section of John's Gospel (John 7:1-10:21) is given regarding Christ's visit to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.  This entire section covers eight days, the duration of the festival.   This takes place during the final year of Christ's earthly life.  During the festival in this period, He taught in the temple in Jerusalem and attracted a great deal of public attention. 

Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot in Hebrew) is an eight-day autumn harvest festival.  It commemorates the time when Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai, and the people lived in tents, or tabernacles.  Together with Passover and Pentecost, this was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.  As we will see, it included numerous sacrifices and celebrations (Leviticus 23:33-43), the meanings and symbolism of which will be elaborated upon and reflected in Jesus' teachings of this period.  My study bible remarks that in later times, the final day of this feast (the eighth day) also included drawing water from the pool of Siloam to be mixed with wine and poured at the foot of the altar.  This was used both as a purification, and also in remembrance of the water which flowed from the rock that Moses struck (Exodus 17:1-7).  It also included the lighting of the great lamps in the outer court of the temple, which we will keep in mind as Jesus speaks of Himself as "the light of the world."

His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.   As we have commented previously, Jesus' brothers are likely stepbrothers (that is, children of Joseph by an earlier marriage) or extended family such as cousins.  There are many occasions in the Scriptures when a cousin or nephew is called "brother," and this remains common practice in the Middle East today.  At any rate, the text tells us that even among His own extended family, Jesus is challenged to prove Himself to the world.  They have not yet understood His identity and mission. 

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.  Not openly means not with a grand, public entrance, as on the day we call Palm Sunday (John 12:12-16). 

I'm always somehow impressed by Jesus' sense of "timing," for want of a better word.  It's true, He is the master of time as Lord.  Time does not control Him.  But He knows His time and what He is to be about, and where He is going.  Jesus says to His brothers in Galilee, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."   Jesus sets out an important distinction here, that His life is not one that is "of this world" (John 18:36).  So He must gauge the proper time when He will "show Himself."  But let us notice how careful Jesus is in the way that He lives His life and carries out the mission that is His.  There will be no great show of Himself until the proper time, on Palm Sunday, at the time of His Messianic entrance into Jerusalem.  But in the meantime, both as devout Jew and as Son of Man, He will go to this festival, but in a way that is not "showy."  That is, He will do so as pilgrim like other Jews, although He will teach extensively in the temple, and enlightening others through His preaching by expanding on the very concepts in the commemorations that take place at the Feast of Tabernacles.   Jesus distinctly demonstrates humility in the midst of His mission as one who is "sent" into this world to reveal God, to complete a mission of Incarnation, to fulfill His place as Lord and Judge in unity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He knows His place, He knows His time, and He is entirely and appropriately circumspect in what He is to be about.  His choosing is deliberate.  He knows that what He must preach will not be welcome to the religious leaders, and each step is taken with care.  This is a lesson that is hard for some of us to learn, and takes maturity to accept.  At least I have found it to be so in my life!  But let us remember that, above all, Jesus demonstrates what it is for us to live a prayerful life, one in communion with God.  Elsewhere He says, "If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him" (John 11:9-10).  Jesus seems to always exemplify what it is to walk in the light, to know His time, what is appropriate to Him, and what is not.  His is a kind of prudence that comes not from calculation, but from faith, from seeking and living in that light.  His communion is with the Father, as He has already declared to the religious leaders.  But our communion comes from our life in prayer with Him and with God the Holy Trinity, extending to all the saints and angels and the Body of the Church.  Let us practice this careful kind of life in faith, and live to Him and His way.

So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"   Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. 

 

- John 4:43–54 

 

Yesterday we read that while Jesus was still speaking with the Samaritan woman, His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."   And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "he told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee.  This saying, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, is so significant that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).   Naturally, there had been Galileans present at Jerusalem during Christ's first Passover of His ministry (John 2:13-25).  Jesus had performed many signs there.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen the signs, my study bible says that St. John Chrysostom gives greater credit to the Samaritans, who accepted Christ based on words alone without the same accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

 

 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  Here, Christ admonishes the people in general (you is plural both times), and not simply the nobleman.  My study bible comments that faith which is based on miraculous works only is insufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith turns quickly to scorn if the miracles cease (John 19:15).   

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"   Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study bible comments that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Also, he doesn't understand that Jesus would have the power to heal even if his child were to die.  In the end, he inquires about the timing of the healing, still not entirely trusting in Christ's authority.   But only after all is confirmed do he and his whole household believe.  Therefore, in healing the child from a distance, Christ heals not only the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.  As the text tells us, this is the second sign which is reported in John's Gospel.  The first occurred at the wedding at Cana (see this reading).  My study bible says that, having revealed He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (in the calling of Nathanael; see John 1:45-48), Christ now demonstrates that He can also heal from a distance.  This shows that His divine power has no earthly limits.  It adds that while there are some similarities between this sign and the miracle recorded in Matthew 8:5-13, there are also many crucial differences.  These are therefore clearly two different encounters.

Christ's healing the nobleman's son from a distance displays at first glance a kind of confidence in the workings of His divine power that we rarely encounter in other things.  That is because this confidence is also a kind of knowing that comes from divine awareness, which also knows no boundaries.  So, essentially, we have both the effectiveness of Christ's healing power, and also His knowledge and awareness being displayed without "earthly" boundaries we would normally expect for any kind of healing procedure or for the awareness of something that has taken place.  My study bible emphasizes that in the context of John's Gospel, these are "signs" which reveal Christ's divinity, His "glory" as John might put it : "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" - John 1:14.  But, while it affirms qualities that belong to the divine which are on display in Jesus, there is something additional we can say about these capacities both to know and to heal at a distance that Jesus expresses.  These are qualities associated with the divine in which we invest and with which we seek to commune and petition in prayer.  Effectively, God's presence with us from a distance transcends the space and time boundaries of this world.  As boundaries they are rendered non-existent within the prerogatives and qualities of God.  That is, God can be with us, God can know what is going on with us, God can "see" us, God can heal us.  We do not have to be in the presence of God, beholding God with our own intelligible senses as human beings or earthly means of awareness to call God to ourselves, and to have God present to us.  Since it is healing which is on display in today's reading, let us understand that healing can take place on many levels through prayer, whether it be emotional, physical, spiritual or otherwise.  Healing takes place within relationships as well, even to help us be at peace with the choices others have made with regard to our relationships with them.  Moreover, God's healing activity takes place to restore God's relationship with us.  So when we observe this marvelous healing activity at a distance in today's reading, let us also come to terms with the idea that even when we can't come to God, God can come to us under any and all circumstances.  In this context, it is helpful to understand the name of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gives in John's Gospel, in John 14:16, 26.   In the Greek, He calls the Spirit "Paraclete"  (Παράκλητος).  This name is often translated as Comforter, or Helper.  But the literal meaning of the word comes from Para-  which means "from close-beside" and kaleo which means to "make a call."  It means "One who comes when called" and is especially used to indicate an Advocate, such as one who comes to help in a court or legal proceeding, one who can plead another's cause, an intercessor, one who comes to help.  But for our purposes today, let us consider God the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, as One who does the work of coming to our assistance, of helping us with intercession and prayer.  The personification of the Holy Spirit in the name "Paraklete" which is given by Jesus is one that exemplifies for us this divine quality of not needing to be physically present to help and to heal in all kinds of senses of these words.   Let us understand the power of prayers, and how they are related to the divine qualities of Christ on display in this second sign given in the Gospels.