I see men like trees, walking

 

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But he sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  

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

 

- Mark 8:11–26 

 

Yesterday we read that, in those days of Christ's ministry, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But he sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  A sign from heaven, my study Bible explains, means a spectacular display of power.  It says that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these hypocrites have not recognized the signs already being performed because their hearts were hardened, and they ignored the works which were happening all around them.

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  The leaven of the Pharisees, according to my study Bible, is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  In Scripture, it explains, "leaven" is used both positively (as in the parable found at Matthew 13:33) and also negatively, as Jesus uses it in this instance.  In either case, what leaven symbolizes is a force powerful enough -- and frequently subtle enough -- to permeate and affect all that is around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8). 

 

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, " Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible comments on this passage that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (see Matthew 11:21).  This is why, therefore, Jesus leads this blind man out of the town in order to heal him.  My study Bible comments that this is so that the people would not scoff at the miracle, and thus bring upon themselves greater condemnation.   (Let us note also that Jesus does the same with the people who ridicule Him at the time of the healing of Jairus' daughter; see Mark 5:40.  This is also done to shore up the faith of those who seek the healing.)  My study Bible further asks us to observe that this blind man was healed in stages; it says that this snows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6).  However, this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Jesus.  Christ's command not to return to the town symbolizes that we must not return to our sins once we have been forgiven, my study Bible says.  Note also that by doing so, this healed man will not surround himself with scoffers, but hopefully will remain in a place that helps preserve, protect, and grow his faith instead.  Those who seek healing in faith will often find it is necessary to separate oneself from old company or even community in order to retain the life in Christ we gain and the strength that comes through our faith, should such influences be detrimental to it.

 

The first thing we might note about today's reading is that what we might term the slow learning of the disciples parallels the healing in stages of the blind man in the second part of the reading.  This "slow learning" is also a matter of faith; for as the text says, their hearts were hardened.   That they had not understood  is also a matter which goes hand in hand with faith, and the depth of that faith in the heart.  If we go back to an earlier passage in St. Mark's Gospel, we find that the text tells us the disciples did not understand about the loaves, for their heart was hardened.  On that passage, my study Bible commented that to know Christ is a matter of the heart, and not simply the intellect.  It says that when our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive God's presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, we're told, the heart is known as "the seat of knowledge."  So, we must find this understanding of the heart for ourselves, if we are to understand our faith and how it works in us and for us.  Note how this understanding, in fact, grows.  Nothing is static, else Christ's mission -- and the ongoing mission of the Church -- would be in vain.  At the very beginning of our reading for today, we see for ourselves the "hardness of heart" of the Pharisees; they don't understand at all, and for reasons that conflict with what that understanding and faith would mean for them.  It would result in a loss of authority for their doctrine, and the need to repent and change.  They are blind in a sense that is symbolic, and also reflects a parallel in the healing of the blind man.  In their blindness, a demand for a sign, even if fulfilled, would do not good anyway, and so Christ responds with the truth that He will not provide proofs on demand, signs to convince.  His signs come in response to faith.  So, in this context, we move on to today's somewhat humorous passage in which the disciples cannot understand what Christ is talking about, and misunderstand His comment regarding "the leaven of the Pharisees" for criticism that they have forgotten to bring bread with them -- to Christ's seeming exasperation.  His words, "How is it you do not understand?" would seem to indicate that our Lord even marvels at this possibility.  Yet, they are His chosen disciples, and there is something essential that makes them different from the Pharisees.  They remain capable of growing in their faith, and growing in their understanding of Christ and the gift of His mission into our world, and His ongoing ministry in which they will participate and grow also.  Finally, we come to the healing of the blind man, which is such a significant passage for so many reasons.  There is first the understanding which my study Bible comments upon, the gradual healing of the man.  Note how it comes from Christ's repeated touch with His hands on the man's eyes.  We have already written above the notation in the study Bible regarding separation from those who scoff, and what an important component of our need to strengthen and shore up our faith that is.  One common example we might take from modern life is the struggle against addiction, and the Twelve Step program's advocacy for reliance upon a Higher Power for help.  Very frequently recovering addicts will find they need to separate themselves from old friends or even community in that same struggle, for bad influences are detrimental to sobriety.  It's the same with our need for our faith, and these deep matters of the heart.  We need to do all we can to protect and guard our hearts in the very need to practice and grow our faith as well, regardless of circumstances.  Like the disciples will do in their ongoing journey and learning from Christ, the blind man gradually recovers his sight, even as it is parallel to his faith.  "I see men like trees, walking" is a memorable image of an image coming gradually into focus, something we can't quite see nor understand with a bare grasp only of what it is.  It is Christ who gives sight and heals, Christ who teaches us that He is the light of the world by which we shall truly see.  That He has great patience while we learn and grow, just as with the disciples, is the gift of the love of God for us, and teaches us in turn how to love. 

 

 

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

 

 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

    "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

    'Prepare the way of the LORD;

    Make His paths straight.'"

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

- Matthew 3:1–12 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Magi had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."  Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:  "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."  Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he hard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

 

 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"  My study Bible explains that the wilderness of Judea is the barren region which descends from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.  This preparation for Christ's ministry begins with John the Baptist's call to repent.  Repentance, which accompanies faith, is a total about-face, my study Bible says.  The word in Greek (μετανοια/metanoia) literally means to change one's mind, or more generally, to turn around.  Repentance, my study Bible notes, is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart, a complete reorientation of the whole of one's life.  It is the necessary first step in the way of the LORD.   It is accompanied by the confession of sins and the act of baptism, which John initiates, and is meant to be followed by a life, as John indicates further on, bearing the fruits worthy of this change.   The Baptist quotes from Isaiah 40:3.

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. John's ascetic life bears resemblance to Jewish sects such as the Essenes, who my study Bible explains lived in the wilderness and whose purpose was the prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God.  His clothing is typical of a prophet (specifically Elijah; see 2 Kings 1:8).  In the early Church, the monastic movement began as patterned after John's way of life.  

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  My study Bible notes that the confession of sins is essential to baptism under both the Old Covenant and the New.  John's baptism, however, was a sign of repentance for the forgiveness of sins only.  It did not confer the power of total regeneration nor adoption as a child of God as does Christian baptism.  John alludes to this when he prophesies of the baptism of the Savior to come.

 

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"  According to my study Bible, Sadducees were members of the high-priestly and landowning class who controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews.  They denied the resurrection of the dead and had no messianic hope beyond earthly life.  The Pharisees formed a lay religious movement which centered on the study of the Law, and also on strict observance of its regulations.  They believed in the resurrection of the dead and cherished a messianic hope, but they taught that righteousness is based on the strength of one's works according to the Law, and that the Messiah would be simply a glorious man.  John calls them brood of vipers, and this title is later used by Jesus (Matthew 12:34; 23:33).  This name for them is indicative of their deception and malice, and their being under the influence of Satan.

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance . . ."  My study Bible comments that repentance, confession, and baptism lead to fruits worthy of repentance.  That is, a way of life which is consistent with the Kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:22-25).  If a fruitful life does not follow, it notes, sacramental acts and spiritual discipline are useless.  So, therefore, in many icons of the Baptism of Christ, an ax is pictured chopping a fruitless tree, again alluded to by John (see verse 10). 

 

" . . .  and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."  This warning is a play on words in Hebrew:  from these stones (Hebrew 'ebanim) God can raise up children (Hebrew banim).  My study Bible comments that God will not admit fruitless children into His house, but adopts other children from the Gentiles.  

 

"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  Continuing from his command, above, that they must bear fruits worthy of repentance, John the Baptist makes this statement.  Fire here, my study Bible says, refers to divine judgment (see Isaiah 33:11; 66:24; Ezekiel 38:22; 39:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).  See also the reference to fire in the verse that follows.  

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."  My study Bible comments that Christ baptizes in the fire of the Holy Spirit, the power and grace of God divinely poured out on all believers at baptism.  This fire is the same as the fire of judgment referred to above; the same power and the same Spirit both enlivens the faithful and "burns" the faithless.  In John's culture, my study Bible explains, a slave would carry the king's sandals.  Therefore John is declaring himself to be even lower than a slave of Jesus.  John's inability to carry Christ's sandal has another meaning, also, for to carry another's sandal once meant to take someone else's responsibility (Ruth 4:7).  Here it shows that John could not have carried the responsibility that Christ carries, and that the Law could not redeem the world as Christ has come to do.  

"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  Winnowing (in this case using a special fan for the purpose) is the act of separating the threshed grain from the chaff, and it is a metaphor here for divine judgment, which will separate good from evil.

John the Baptist comes preaching a baptism of repentance, but teaches that the One who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Let us note that this is not a conditional statement.  That is, John does not preface this statement with, "If you choose to be baptized by the One to come."  This is a certain, affirmative statement, and the "you" is plural.  He addresses it to all of them, even to these Pharisees and Sadducees.  It is a positive statement made as an emphatic point of fact:   He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  This is an affirmation not simply of Christian baptism to come, a baptism of water and the Spirit.  This baptism is the baptism of judgment, to which John alludes many times in what he says in today's reading.  The first thing John indicates about the One who is coming is His power.  He says, "He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry."  That word, mightier, is important, for it indicates strength and power.  When John adds that he is not worthy to carry the sandals of this One who is to come, He is speaking of Christ's authority, which couples together with might to create a threatening kind of statement to these leaders whom John rather obviously addresses as corrupt.  This kind of baptism is one that will be universal, as the Holy Spirit will be at work in the world.  In John's Gospel, Jesus speaks at the Last Supper, telling the disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit:  "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged" (John 16:7-11).  It is in this context that the language of winnowing is used, the separation of the good wheat from the chaff.  It is in this context of judgment that the religious leaders are warned to bear fruits worthy of repentance, and that the ax is laid to the root of the trees, because every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  John is warning of the time that is to come which Christ's life and mission will usher in, for the One whose sandals he's not worthy to bear comes in the likeness of a Man, and without worldly power and might, but is also the Son who bears the authority of God.  So this prophetic warning to the Pharisees and Sadducees is one that will stand the test of time, and is meant in a way much more far-seeing than simply the immediate time of the beginning of Christ's public ministry.  It is meant for the era He would usher in, the time which continues now in which the Holy Spirit is still at work to "convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."  It reminds us that prophecy works with a different sense of time than you or I understand on worldly terms, and that the universality of John's words works as a warning for us, too.  Moreover, we're to understand the fire of the Holy Spirit as one which both enlivens those who accept its energies and its work, and burns those who refuse it.  It's the fire Moses saw that did not consume the burning bush, out from which came the voice of the Lord (Exodus 3:1-6), and it's the fire John warns about in today's reading into which the dead wood and the chaff will be thrown to be consumed.  We still live in the time when the Holy Spirit is at work in the world preparing the time for the judgment to come at Christ's return.  Let us take this text not just as words meant for certain peoples at that time in the world, but also meant for us today.  

 

But who do you say that I am?

 

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

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

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

 

- Mark 8:22-33 

 

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

 

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

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  My study Bible comments here that "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question which a person can ever face.  That is because this question is the one that defines Christianity.  It notes that Peter's correct answer to this question prevents Christian faith from being seen as simply another system of philosophy or a path of spirituality, because it names Jesus as the Christ.  In Matthew 16:16, Peter adds, "the Son of the living God," which adds the true impact of his answer, the unique reality of Jesus Christ.  This position, according to my study Bible, excludes all compromise  with other religious systems.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3), making a poignant response to the events described in yesterday's reading (above), in which the disciples were so slow to understand Jesus.  Christ means "Anointed One," and it is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible also asks us to note that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself; this is in order to identify incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.  

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

Jesus says to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." So, what then are the things of God of which Jesus speaks?  As Jesus is the Christ, He is both divine and human; this is the definition of His Incarnation, which is so essential to the Church and the entirety of Christianity.  For we cannot truly understand our faith if one or the other is left out.  Thus, when Peter emphasizes the very natural human impulse against death -- and especially for Jesus, the Christ -- then while we can sympathize with him, he is nonetheless not being mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.  For our faith, we need both, just as Jesus was both.  For He is truly God with us, God as one of us.  Listening to a podcast yesterday, I was struck by a Bible Study on Genesis.  The priest who lectured pointed out that in Genesis 2:7, regarding the creation of human beings, we read that "the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." In the Hebrew and in the Greek of the Septuagint, it says literally that man (meaning "human") became a  living soul.  The word for breath in both Greek and Hebrew is "spirit" -- so God breathing spirit into the form of humankind created a living soul.   This is the opposite of what would take place among pagans with their idols; in their rituals, an idol would be made a god by breathing into the statue or shape.  But here, God creates in God's own image and likeness by breathing spirit into man and creating a living soul.  This, in some strange sense, is a prefiguring of Christ born of a human mother and the Holy Spirit, the One who would be the perfect Man, the model for us all, living as one of us and yet divine.  In this sense, He is the One to lead us into our true image, to show us what it is to be the living souls which God created us to be and to become more fully.  We can neither leave out our bodies nor the spirit breathed into us by God to make us living souls -- and we can neither leave out Christ's humanity nor His divinity to understand who He is, and therefore what we worship as Christians.   So when we consider what makes us living souls, living beings, we have to understand what we are truly made of; we are both spirit and flesh -- and those two things must be together to make a living being.  We cannot be a living soul without one or the other.  Hence, when we consider it well, we need Christ to lead us into the place where we grow into the image and likeness of which we capable as created by God.  Let us look carefully at any philosophies, systems, or ways of thinking that would limit us in one way or another, so that the wholeness of who we are can be lived and understood as what it means to be fully alive and healthy in all ways.  We are not simply material, nor are we just purely "spirit."  We are living souls, and must come to know our Creator even to understand ourselves.  For this is what Christ came into the world to show us.

Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

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

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

- Mark 8:11-26

Yesterday we read that in those days of Christ's ministry, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  My study bible tells us that a sign from heaven indicates a spectacular display of power, some overwhelming "proof" of Christ's divine identity.  It says that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, the but these men are hypocrites, who have not recognized the signs which have already been performed because their hearts were hardened.  They ignored the works which were already happening all around them.  Christ seeks faith, not hardened hearts which demand to be convinced against their own willful denial.

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it that you do not understand?"   My study bible tells us that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12), and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  In Scripture, my study bible reminds us, "leaven" is used both positively (as in Matthew 13:33), and negatively, as Jesus uses it here.  In both cases, leaven is a symbol of a force which is powerful enough (and frequently subtle enough as well) to permeate and to affect everything around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8).  Let us note also that even the the disciples are susceptible to a lack of understanding, and possibly to the "leaven of the Pharisees."

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

Faith:  how do we think about faith today?  Over the course of the past several days and weeks, the world has watched a pandemic unfold.  We have various ways in which we can approach it, measures we can take, means to combat the virus.  And, of course, there are terrible and sad calculations of harm, loss, suffering, and death which have already resulted.  But let us for today consider the impact of our faith throughout this period.  First of all, it is the time of Lent, and Lent is always and at once a time of internal emphasis, a time of withdrawal for prayer and contemplation, but cutting back on the things which take up our time and energy and interest in order to focus more fully on the things of God.  It is a time for consideration of our own behaviors:  what we can do better, how we can more potently develop our own discipline and discernment.  It is a time to consider what our responsibility is in terms of our own behavior, and how we can improve.  This is also called repentance, for repentance indicates simply change, and change for the better.  It is a time to consider how we might shape up, and put into action the things to which we're called by God, and within the space of dialogue in our prayer time, both in corporate worship (such as it is in these days, possibly virtually and online) and in the private place where our Father in the secret place sees in secret (Matthew 6:6).  It is a time for the cultivation of both prudence and discernment.  It is a time when we watch what we say, what we watch, and the things to which we're willing to pay attention.  Most of all, we must try to cultivate our faith, if we pay any attention at all to the things discussed and which Jesus' actions and words teach in today's reading.  For today is a reading that particularly emphasizes the connection between the existence of our faith (and its quality), and the positive outcomes that we so desire.  For those without faith, life looks increasingly dire.  Material outcomes are always dismaying.  Potentials which are contained in what remains possible are highly likely to be distorted to the point of non-existence.  Hope is not something which a lack of faith puts much stock in.  And where is God's love and guidance to be found except in faith?  It is faith that encourages us to always keep trying, through all things, to not give up hope, to seek God's positive will and possibilities even in the midst of what is bleak, and to carry on with our proper discipline even when others seem to discourage all possible hope.  For our Lenten practices, let us be even more diligent in putting into place our discipline at this time, especially that of regular prayer.  St. John Chrysostom, in his famous Homilies on the Statues, given in a period of Lent in the fifth century, reminds us that at this time we fast from all kinds of things, and not simply food.  We fast from all the things that are unhelpful to faith and therefore to our mental discipline and courage at this time.  He said, "For let not the mouth only fast, but also the eye, and the ear, and the feet, and the hands, and all the members of our bodies."  He meant that we fast from envy, from spreading gossip, from going places where we should not be going, from grasping and avarice, and all the things we need to put a watch on for ourselves.  At this time, let us consider that, in addition to gossip, we should fast from dire prediction of woe or the fainthearted feeling that this will not pass.  Already there is good news in many places of the rates of epidemic infection dying down, new hospitalizations reduced, and possible helpful drugs tested.  Above all, let us remember that in our reading today, not even Jesus could do any good work where there was not faith present.  Even Christ takes away the blind man from the town in order to shore up the faith necessary for his healing.  Let us remember, perhaps especially, His warning to the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.  This is the leaven that demands proof for faith, that demands to be convinced even as it offers endless rejections.   This is the leaven of the hard-heartedness that does not rejoice at healing, at possibilities for well-being, and quite possibly seeks failure in order to defeat hope and enact secret agendas that benefit from calamity.  Let us not, also, harden our hearts.  Let us pay attention and be vigilant!

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

St. John the Baptist, by Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco), ca. 1600, Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA.

 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.' "

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

- Matthew 3:1-12

  Yesterday we read that when the Magi had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."  When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."  Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:  "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."  Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead."  Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.  And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.' "  My study bible tells us that the wilderness of Judea is the barren region which descends from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.  The preparation for Christ's ministry starts with this call of John the Baptist to repent.  My study bible says that repentance, which accompanies faith, is a total about-face.  In Greek, the word literally means "change of mind," or, my study bible says, to turn around.  But this change isn't simply about having a new opinion; it indicates a deeper kind of change of mind in which we are truly changed as persons.  My study bible explains that repentance is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart -- a complete reorientation of the whole of one's life.  It is the necessary first step in the way of the LORD.  It is also to be accompanied by the confession of sins and the act of baptism, and followed by a life filled with fruits worthy of this change.  John is quoting from Isaiah 40:3, indicating that the fulfillment of the prophecy is at hand.

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  My study bible explains that John's ascetic life confroms to the Jewish sects such as the Essenes, who lived in the wilderness and whose entire purpose was to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God.  John's clothing is typical of a prophet, most particularly the description of the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  The monastic movement of the early Church was modeled on John's ascetic manner of life.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  My study bible remarks that the confession of sins is essential to baptism under both the Old Covenant and the New.   But John's baptism differs from Christian baptism in an important respect.  John's is a sign of repentance and the forgiveness of sins alone.  It did not confer the power of regeneration nor adoption as a child of God, as does Christian baptism, as John indicates in verse 11, as He says of the One who is coming, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"  According to my study bible, Sadducees were members of the high-priestly and landowning class who controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews.  They did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and they had no messianic hope beyond this life.  The Pharisees were a lay religious movement.  They centered upon the study of the law and the strict observance of its regulations.  Contrary to the Sadducees, they believed in the resurrection of the dead and also held a messianic hope.  But they taught that righteousness was based on the strength of one's works according to the Law -- and moreover that the Messiah would be simply a glorious man.  John's title for them, brood of vipers, will later be used by Jesus (12:34, 23:33).  My study bible tells us that this title indicates their deception and malice, and also their being under the influence of Satan.

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' "  My study bible notes that repentance, confession, and baptism lead to fruits worthy of repentance.  That is, a way of life consistent with the Kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:22-25).  If a fruitful life doesn't follow, it says, sacramental acts and spiritual discipline are useless.   Therefore in many icons of the Baptism of Christ, an ax is pictured chopping at a fruitless tree (verse 10).

"For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."   This phrase is a play on words:  from these stones (Hebrew 'ebanim) God can raise up children (Hebrew banim).  My study bible says that God will not admit fruitless children into God's house, but adopts other children from the Gentiles.

"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  John's emphasis is on the fruitlessness of those for whom repentance is meaningless.  Fire here refers to divine judgment (see Isaiah 33:11, 66:24; Ezekiel 38:22, 39:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."   Christ will baptize in the fire of the Holy Spirit, which is the power and grace of God divinely poured out on all believers at baptism.  We should not be confused by thinking that this fire of the energies of God is different from the fire which consumes that which is not compatible with it.  In the words of my study bible, it is the same Power and the same Spirit which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.  In the culture of the time of John, my study bible explains, a slave would carry king's sandals; thus John is declaring himself to be even lower than a slave of Jesus.  But his inability to carry Christ's sandal also has a second meaning, for carrying another's sandal once meant taking someone else's responsibility (Ruth 4:7).  Here it shows that John could not have carried the responsibility that Christ carries, and also that the Law could not redeem the world as Christ has come to do.

"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."   Winnowing the threshed grain from the chaff (that is, separating what is good for human beings from what is indigestible) is a metaphor for divine judgment, which separates good from evil.

John the Baptist gives us repeatedly metaphors using fire.  Fire is symbolic of the energies of God, both in God's mercy and action of love, but also in the effects of that action on that which is not compatible with love, not good for creation and which cannot live in the kingdom of God.  Fire is an image of divine energy:  the actions of God.  In this sense, the fire at once is cleansing and purifying, destructive to that which cannot stand in that fire, and sanctifying of that with which it is compatible.  We think back to the image of the burning bush appearing to Moses in the wilderness:  it was aflame and yet it did not burn (see Exodus 3:1-6).   This burning bush is also used as an image for the Virgin Mary, who was enveloped in the Holy Spirit, revealing her true fitness for the role she accepted, her own purity of heart.  What are the things that cannot stand in that fire?  Lives that are lived outside of the love of God and what is good, a refusal for change and growth, a steadfast selfishness that disavows all need for spiritual fruitfulness come to mind.  Furthermore, the divine judgment is just that:  only God can make that judgment, because only God thoroughly knows the heart of each person.  And yet, we are called -- all of us -- to stand in that holy fire that doesn't burn that with which it is compatible, that which is truly born of the love of God.  Indeed, that fire itself is love, as we know that God is love (1 John 4:8).  So what are the actions of love?  Surely mercy is a part of love.  But Christ illustrates the very point of "compatibility" with these energies of God when He teaches, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (5:7).  John the Baptist comes preaching a message of repentance, a true turn-around, an about-face, in preparation for this baptism of the Messiah, which will be with the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Let us consider the thorough change in perspective and outlook that is asked from us in repentance.  What does it mean to truly change, and toward what shall we make those changes?  The fire of the Holy Spirit is a clue to God's actions in us, seeking to burn away what is not compatible with God who is love.  Can we receive it?  Can we live it?  Are we ready for the work of God in us, or do we refuse the way of the Lord?

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

St. Luke writes his Gospel (with Holy Spirit as dove), Armenian Illuminated Manuscript, Monastery of  Hromkla, 1166

 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

* * *

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages." 

- Luke (1:1-4), 3:1-14

On Saturday we read that Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.   I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life."

 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.  In the ways in which the Gospels work throughout the changing of the lectionary, we get a strange kind of synthesis between Saturday's reading and today's.  On Saturday, Jesus spoke of Judgment, clearly indicating not only the time of the end of His ministry, but the time of the true eschatological end of all things of this world.  He has come to save the world, but His words will be that by which we are judged in terms of our own acceptance or rejection of them.  Today we begin reading from Luke.  It's quite a contrast:  Luke is very careful to set down all things in an orderly way, and to couch his Gospel in historical facts, time and place settings.  He was not a disciple from the beginning, but he writes that he has perfect understanding of the gospel message as his sources are the apostles themselves, the eyewitnesses of Christ.  Luke wrote his Gospel to Theophilus, who was a prominent Gentile who had received Christian instruction (see also Acts 1:1).  St. Ambrose comments that the name Theophilus can mean any "lover of God.  Therefore, he says, "If you love God, it was written for you."

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  Luke sets down very carefully the setting of his Gospel in its historical time and place, noting the rulers and the high priests.  Herod and Philip have succeeded their father, Herod the Great, while Pontius Pilate is governor of Judea.   Caiaphas at this point is sole high priest, but people also recognized the continuing power of his father-in-law Annas, a previous high priest who was deposed by the Romans.

And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins . . .  John the Baptist's call to repentance was a traditional one for prophets.  His baptism did not grant remission of sins once and for all, but was a prefiguration and preparation for the baptism of Christ which was to come (see Romans 6:3-11).  My study bible says that John is a figure of the Law in that, like the law, he denounced sin but could not remit (literally to "put away") sin.  Both John and the Law point to the One who can remit sin.

. . . as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  John the Baptist ascribes to himself this role of the voice crying in the wilderness (prophesied by Isaiah) in John 1:23.

 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."  My study bible comments here that while parents and ancestors help impart piety and holiness, ancestry itself does not make one worthy of God.  Each person in every generation must bear fruits worthy of repentance.  Stones, it says, symbolize the Gentiles who would become children to Abraham through faith in Christ (Romans 4:16-18).  John gives them a formula for righteousness in preparation for the Messiah.  But when Christ comes, grace and truth will make an immeasurable difference to our understanding of righteousness. 

John gives a warning in today's reading:  "Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  Interestingly, in Matthew's Gospel, John gives the same warning, which is later repeated by Jesus when He preaches in the Sermon on the Mount about false prophets, wolves in sheep's clothing (see Matthew 3:10, 7:15-20).  And in Matthew's Gospel, the words, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" are clearly directed at the leadership who come from Jerusalem.  The term brood of vipers is again repeated by Jesus in reference to the religious leaders.  (See Matthew 3:7, 12:34, 23:33.)  We can hear the outrage, the response to what is clearly considered to be scandalous behavior on the part of the religious leaders at this time.  The fact that Luke tells us (via John the Baptist) that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones should tell us something about the gospel going out to the rest of the world and being taken away from those who have failed to heed the word of God.  Indeed, John the Baptist says, "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'"   In John's Gospel, in which we've been reading recently until today, this is precisely what the leaders say to Jesus.  Jesus replies to them, "If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham" (see John 8:39).  Clearly there is something at work in these scenes that reflect this theme.  John warns of the fire that awaits the trees that do not bear good fruit.  This is a time of expectation, of the return of the Messiah, widely watched and hoped for by the people.  But it is also a time, tellingly, of corruption and greed, of distrust of those leaders who are meant to care for this flock and insure spiritual heritage of the Jewish people.  John comes bearing warnings as prophet, speaking about making the path straight for the expected Messiah, who will surely fill every valley, bring low every mountain and hill, make straight all the crooked places and make smooth all the rough ways.  What is he telling us here?   What is the meaning of this?  The Messiah is the great leveler.  Whatever is crooked, or depends upon position for advantage, whatever is rough -- all of it will be removed as obstacle for this straight path of the Lord.  In His judgment to come, there will be no standing on ancestry or position or coveted place before the world and the "praise of men" (see John 12:43, in Friday's reading).  Ceremony and inheritance won't count, and surely as John the Baptist warns in today's reading, anything gained through cheating and corruption and dishonest, unrighteous behavior.  It is the Word who is coming, and as we read on Saturday, it is every word that proceeds from His mouth that is given by the Father, those words and commands themselves will be the judgment.   If you see corruption and dishonesty, unfairness and unrighteous behavior around yourself, a disregard for justice, know that Christ's words are this judgment that is present and at work in the world.  It is all about what we can hear and what we are simply deaf and blind to.  The Holy Spirit, the breath of God, remains active in the world, a gift of grace and truth.  We heed the words of John and understand the One who makes all things straight and level, and cherish the words we're given, living them in faith, and in response to times like these which are always with us.  God is working, and so is the word of the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 5:17). 

How is it you do not understand?

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." 

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

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

- Mark 8:11-26

Yesterday we read that, in those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  After the previous confrontation with them, the Pharisees watch Jesus ever more closely.  They begin to demand a sign from heaven.  This is in order to test Him.  It means they demand a spectacular display of power, to prove He is the Messiah.  The time of the Messiah among the Jews, my study bible tells us, was expected to be accompanied by signs.  But these hypocrites, although they watch Jesus' every move to test Him, haven't recognized the signs already being performed because their hearts were hardened; they ignored the works happening all around them. 

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So he said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  The leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  My study bible notes that in Scripture, leaven is used both positively (as in Matthew 13:33) and negatively, as Jesus uses it here.  In both cases, leaven (or yeast) symbolizes a force powerful enough -- and frequently subtle enough -- to permeate and affect all that is around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8). 

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."   Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him, my study bible says, because the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (see Matthew 11:21).  This is so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and bring upon themselves greater condemnation.  We also have other examples of Jesus' healing in which He separated those who needed their faith to heal from those who ridicule, such as the healing of Jairus' daughter (in this reading).  That this blind man is healed in stages shows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith, a note reads.  But this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  Jesus' command not to return to the town symbolizes that we must not return back to our sins once forgiven.  It also tells us of the importance of keeping our faith strong, and taking all measures to do so.

Important elements in today's reading all tell us about the nature and essential quality of faith.  Faith will determine all that is revealed by and received from Christ.  We note first of all that the Pharisees seek to test Jesus; their motives are to deny His divinity.  They demand a sign in order to test Him or to make Him prove His identity.  But this isn't going to work; they can't see what He is already doing, has already done.  They don't recognize the signs that accompany His ministry.  The disciples, too, have an issue with a lack of faith.  They apparently can't see the feeding miracles as the great signs that they are.  The text tells us that they fail to understand Jesus when He warns them about the "leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod," referring to a kind of determined blind skepticism that continually demands proofs of God's presence, when holy power has clearly been at work in their midst.  Instead, their minds are elsewhere; they think He's chastising them for forgetting to bring bread for their journey.  Jesus Himself seems to be stunned that they can't understand what He's just said to them.  Don't they remember when He fed 5,000 in the wilderness?  Or that second occasion on which He fed 4,000 from a few loaves?  How can they possibly think He's upset that they didn't bring enough bread with them?  "How is it you do not understand?" Jesus asks.   Finally, we come to the blind man, who must be taken out of his environment for this healing to work.  Even so, sight comes in stages.  And when his sight is returned, Jesus warns him neither to go back to the town nor tell anyone there of this great healing and blessing.  So important is the influence we allow ourselves that Christ warns him so that he may keep his sight.  What we read throughout each episode contained in today's reading is Jesus' admonition that faith isn't something to take lightly, nor is it something to test.  We take it seriously, and we need to be awake and alert to that which may threaten the state of our faith.  We don't seek out clashes and testing and confrontation in terms of proving or testing our faith.  Instead, we're to be sober in our approach, awake and alert to the importance of our state of being and our state of mind.  Humility is the key here, because it is in humility that we remember the power of God in our lives.  It is in humility that we accept our own weakness, and our need for support and strength in our faith.  It is in humility that we accept that we are vulnerable to be misled.  It is in humility that we accept that we always need enlightenment, the sight that Christ offers us.  It is in humility that we accept that there are times when we simply need to move on to an environment that better suits our healing and wholeness rather than remain in what is familiar to us.  All of these elements combine in today's reading.  Lent is a time when we withdraw a little and cut back on the usual things that occupy us, entertain us, consume us.  We let go of our surroundings a little and seek to detach, to refocus on what's important.  The idea is that rather than lose ourselves in what we normally enjoy or pursue, we take time out for a little clear-eyed assessment, sober living, a look at our own reality.  Even the apostles teach us what preoccupation with worldly life and daily cares can cause us to miss; their minds are far away from the things Jesus wants them to understand.  To become totally immersed in the daily struggles of life, the things everybody else might think or talk about, the seemingly urgent issues of the day, is likened to a kind of drunkenness or stupor, a forgetfulness of the things we need to be alert to.  Like the blind man, we need to allow Christ to direct our thoughts and concerns at times, so that we can see as He desires us to see -- and detach ourselves from what misleads us away from health and wholeness.  Our true well-being depends upon it. 

I see men like trees, walking

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

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

- Mark 8:11-26

In yesterday's reading, we read of Jesus' compassion on the multitude, being great and having nothing to eat. They were with Him for three days, and He expressed His concern to the disciples. It was too far for their hunger to send them back to their own houses for food. Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven." He made all the multitude sit, gave thanks for the bread, broke it and had it distributed by His disciples to all the people. There were a few small fish, and He blessed them and did the same. There were seven large baskets of leftover fragments, four thousand people having been fed.

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." Seeking a sign would be one way of tempting or testing God; there's a special exemption to this in the Old Testament, in which King Ahaz was told by God to seek a sign. But Ahaz refused to do so. In Isaiah, we are told the prophet's reply to the king: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." Later on in the gospels, Jesus will add another sign that will be given to all, the sign of the Resurrection. My study bible, however, has a very helpful note here: "A sign from heaven is an indisputable, spectacular act, the kind Jesus rejected in His temptations. Jesus has given countless signs by this time: causing the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the dead to rise. But these are not good enough for the Pharisees. Jesus sighed deeply, for they seek a sign out of hardness of heart, daring Jesus to force them to faith."

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." My study bible again has a helpful note: "Leaven is frequently (but not always) a negative image in Scripture, symbolizing evil. Here it represents the erroneous understanding and evil intent of the Pharisees and Herod Antipas. Though they completely misunderstand the revelation of God in Christ, the Pharisees influence the people. Their teaching is like leaven; it permeates the whole. Their blatant legalism and hypocritical actions damage those who listen to them." We can think of leaven itself as a neutral term: it all depends on whose leaven we're talking about, and to what purpose it's being used. Either way, the influence that permeates may be for good or evil. In this case, their cynicism, or hardness of heart, which requires or tempts a test of absolute "proof," leads away from the discernment of the heart, from faith, love and trust. It is a way of thinking that dares and tempts, because the mind is already made up against whatever is being offered by Christ, for reasons having all to do with power, position and authority. It is a decision based on fear of what they have to lose.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?" This Gospel of Mark, the earliest Gospel written, is quite wonderful for what it shows us about the disciples. They really test Christ's patience in the terms of their own understanding. They also fail to grasp what He is talking about. (And not for the first time, at all!) But it's interesting to observe the differences between the Pharisees, who have their minds made up, and the kind of "hardness of heart" we observe here. The disciples of Christ are those who yet remain open to teaching. In this, we have a great and enlightening example of the gist of repentance, the capacity for reconsideration, and for further understanding, in relationship, no matter where we are right now. Of course, the humor here is unmistakable, and it is also something that I love about the Gospel, a gift to us. They think He's talking about bread and chastising them for having forgotten bread! This, too, gives us a glimpse of the workings of repentance and relationship. Immediately they fear they are being shamed or corrected for a failure to perform a task (bringing bread). Instead, He's trying to open their eyes to His meanings and teachings, a much deeper matter of the heart. In relationship, God continues to practice His love to us, seeking our enlightenment and understanding, what is best for us, no matter where we are in our lives. That is the key of faith, and of repentance in relationship to God. It's not about our shame, it's about going forward in relationship to God, being teachable, opening our hearts to understanding and forward movement to God, turning ourselves to God in repentance, being willing to be changed and grow, to come to new understanding.

"And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?" Here Jesus refers back to the feeding miracles (see here and here), including the one in yesterday's reading. He is asking them to open their eyes to understand Him and what He is all about. He doesn't need them to bring bread! But note, He's making a distinction between the hardness of heart of the Pharisees and His own disciples' lack of understanding: it's all in their capacity for faith and relationship, even at the times they fail to grasp and understand. There is still a future there, a capability, a willingness to be taught and to learn and grow, in faith. Even in rebuke (and His seeming perplexity and even impatience at their failure to understand), we feel His love, leading them forward to learn, to be enlightened. My study bible notes, again helpfully: "Discipleship without an understanding of Christ is unthinkable."

Then He came to Bethsaida, and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Here is the perfect example of what it is to be "enlightened" by Christ, to come to see. The disciples fail to understand despite His signs! Here, the blind man forms a kind of parable for us, by example. Christ again takes this man away from the crowds for a healing, even out of the town, into a private space. Intimately, the touch comes: He spit on His eyes and put His hands on him. At first the man sees somewhat: "I see men like trees, walking." With another touch, and the encouragement to look up, the man is restored and saw everyone clearly. This example also portrays the slow understanding of the disciples, and each of us as we are led to truly "see." It gives us a picture of our relationship to Christ, our growth in faith, His Way. Note that this is also an intimate power; this teaching is for each one of us. It may happen far away from the crowds, and popular understanding, all alone with God in the secret place. And there is more to teach about this, as we read further.

Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town." The great sign we may get for ourselves may be something we can't even say to others, nor tell them about. Perhaps God Himself does not want this. However faith comes to us, in whatever way we are given faith and hope and light, a new movement forward, a Way, it is for us -- between us and God. Sometimes it might be proper to be used as a testimony, but sometimes not. It is a gift, and the intent for the gift is in the hands of the Giver, who knows what is best. It is something we treasure in our hearts, worth all of the world. Even if it is "just for us." Of course, at a later date, this story was told in the Gospel, in the Book of the Church, as testimony to Christ, for the believers. What is important is God's word to us today, for where we are right now, at each moment of our lives. The rest is in God's hands, with the One in whom we trust to teach us what is best for us, for all.