However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting

 

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

 

 - Matthew 17:14-21 

 

On Saturday we read that, following Peter's confession of faith and Jesus' first warning to the disciples of His Passion to come, after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.   

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."  My study Bible comments that sickness in Scripture is often connected to demonic activity.  As the father here is kneeling down before Christ, he shows humility.  However, he lacks faith.   Although the disciples also lacked faith, Christ rebukes the man for placing the blame on the disciples when it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  Effectively, Jesus is defending His disciples in front of the crowds, but later rebukes them privately.  My study Bible says that this teaches us that we ought first to correct people in private (see Matthew 18:15-17).  According to St. John Chrysostom, this latter rebuke is actually directed to the nine disciples who could not cast out the demon, for Jesus and "the pillars" of faith (Peter, James, and John -- see Galatians 2:9) were not included in the rebuke, as they had been on the mountain with Christ. 

"However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  This kind, my study Bible explains, refers to all powers of darkness, and not just those which cause a particular illness.  It notes that the banishment of demons requires faith, prayer, and fasting, as there is no healing and no victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Beginning with the Didache, patristic commentary has taught that both the person in need of healing and the person who performs the healing must believe, pray, and fast. 

Today's reading opens us up to ask the question, "What is faith, and how does it work?"  Ultimately when we look at the root of the word in the Gospel for faith, we see it is the word that means essentially "trust" in Greek.  To trust in Christ is a powerful testament to faith, to trust in God involves the heart and the deepest parts of who we are.  Trust is also a powerful component of love.  For, if we have ever had the sad experience of a broken relationship, we might find that a betrayal of trust is perhaps the greatest breaker of such bonds of love.  Forgiveness may come to repair that bond when the process of repentance is accepted by both parties, and so trust can be re-established.  Faith, therefore, in this sense involves both trust and love, and includes the power of loyalty derived from both in terms of our own communion with God.  There are many ways in which trust may be broken, and thus our own sense of ourselves within God's communion or the Body of Christ may also be broken through betrayals made in bad faith.  But our depth of rootedness in our Creator goes beyond such earthly betrayals or seeming letdowns.  Faith in God does not simply depend upon the rest of the community of believers alone, but -- as Jesus indicates here -- our own initiative is indispensable to faith.  If that were not so, why would both prayer and fasting be indicated here as effective methods of increasing faith?  We often think of engaging in these historical practices of the Church in terms of responding to faith that is already present -- that is, we might think of following these practices because we have faith.  But what if we were to take Christ's words here as an effective and powerful prescription for increasing our faith?  Then we would perhaps have the right mindset He seeks, that He is encouraging His disciples to engage in these practices in order to maintain and increase good faith, for effective healing in the Church and all that might entail for us.  In the historical mind of the Church, these practices are kept and held, and while many people might feel they are practices only for the very devout or those dedicated monks and nuns in monasteries, it is here offered to us as ways to increase and develop deeper faith.  Aside from this, these practices encourage our discipline as followers of Christ, and moreover they help us to know that we are far more capable than we know in terms of deepening our communion with God.  For those who consider such disciplines extremely difficult, consider the varying degrees to which we might incorporate them more regularly in our lives and our schedules.  A prayer rule should not exceed our patience or our capacity for managing our time.  Fasting is typically practiced in stages during traditional periods like Lent, and may be lessened or expanded in strictness; that is, moving toward a vegan diet in general, but also can be understood as fasting from certain harmful practices it would be better to curb.  There are those who fast from social media, for example, or we may choose to fast from gossip.  In essence, we may come to see Christ's words as not simply for those like the disciples who have honorary positions in the Church, but for all believers who wish to draw more close to Christ, and to experience the greater benefits of faith in our lives, including a deepening sense of self-discipline under Christ's love.  In this way, we might find, in fact, a stronger and deeper sense of self that is given to us in return, strengthening us in our bond of love to Christ, and in which we in turn may take confidence in our lives.  Let us look ahead to that place of deepening faith by following Christ and putting into practice the things He guides us toward, thereby moving more deeply into the place He has for us in His embrace.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

- Matthew 13:53-58 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant selling beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 

  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Jesus' own country is Nazareth of Galilee, where He was raised.  My study Bible comments on this double response of people being both astonished and offended at Him; it's a frequent response to Jesus (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  It notes that Christ's being rejected in His own country fulfills the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, and it foreshadows His rejection by the whole nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Christ's brothers are members of His extended family; either sons of Joseph by a marriage prior to Mary, or cousins, as "brothers" is commonly used for such.  

Jesus says, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  So important is this statement that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24; John 4:44).  Perusing today's reading, one is tempted to encapsulate the response of Jesus' townspeople and neighbors in a modern vein, as something like, "Who does He think He is?"  Well, we can think about that question and laugh at it, because we know who He thinks He is, and we (hopefully) know who He is.  So, thinking about this scene with the old neighbors, we might consider first of all the Jesus of everyday life they knew once upon a time, and the Jesus who comes before them with His now public ministry, an entirely different and surprising category of human being.  Apparently the messianic secret remained just that, until perhaps the wedding in Cana, if we go by the chronology of John's Gospel.  We can imagine that only His mother and human guardian/father were privy to this secret, for it is there at that wedding where we witness Mary prompting Him, and a reluctant Jesus asks her (in so many words) if she's really ready for what will come once His public ministry begins.  And so we find, in today's reading, Jesus back in His hometown, with His mother, His "brothers" (extended family), and neighbors.  All of a sudden, to them, He is this Jesus who is teaching in their synagogue (apparently He hadn't done that in the past), and He's full of this wisdom and these mighty works they now hear about.  The neighbors remind one another that He's still the familiar carpenter's son, the One whose family they all know, and so -- where then did this Man get all these things?  Who does He think He is?  How can this be?  How can both of these things be true?  And so they were offended at Him.  Let's note that Jesus' response does not reveal the messianic secret.  He still does not declare who He is.  Instead, He lives who He is, He acts who He is.  He teaching with authority, and produces wisdom and mighty works, all signs of the Christ's presence, God in their midst.  Note that instead of declaring Himself, Jesus aligns Himself with the prophets of the past, and the ways they also were rejected.  By so doing, Jesus puts Himself in a line with those prophets who, while they were not the Messiah, nevertheless brought God closer to the people, and manifested God's word and works in their midst.  For they, too, are part of this same Kingdom, helping to bring it into the world through their faith and devotion to God, and the Scriptures testify also to their rejection.  It tells us something about the worldly, about how God works in the world, sending servants who will call people out of their complacency, out of their corruption and easy money and currying favor and flattery, out of our somnambulant way of walking through life, going along with what we see and accepting the premises of the ways of life around us.  For this is what prophets do; they shake up the order that forgets God, even those who "draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8).  With their words, the prophets honor Christ, the One who stands before the people of Nazareth and whom they only know as their old neighbor, the One they now resent and whose wisdom and mighty works are an offense to them.  Perhaps what we need to see for ourselves is how we might align with Christ and the energies -- the grace -- that fills the prophets, so that in our own lives even by simply being willing to serve we may shake up the ideas of those around ourselves.  Devotion to God, according to the Scriptures of the Bible, by no means assures us a simple and easy life, one that pleases everyone around us.  But at least, in a world that guarantees to bring some trouble to all of us, we can be assured of seeking something that is indeed worth it, for it is there we will find our joy if so our hearts desire Him as did the prophets (see John the Baptist's declaration of his joy in John 3:25).  Note the outcome of the failure to accept the grace that is offered: He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Here is another question for our spiritual lack of sight or hearing:  how do we know what we have missed?  

 

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

 

 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." 

 

- Mark 9:14–29 

 

Yesterday we read that after six days (following Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus' own prophecy of His Passion) Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

 

  And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Here Jesus has returned (with Peter, James, and John) from the Mount of Transfiguration.  Coming to the rest of the disciples, He finds a dispute happening, with a great multitude around them, and also scribes in some sort of confrontation, disputing with the disciples.  Jesus surprises the crowd by returning, and they run to Him to greet Him.  We note how Jesus turns to the scribes to ask what they're discussing, intervening for His disciples.   

 

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."  The father responds to Jesus' question that was directed to the scribes, and describes seizures which his son has, and also that the son is mute.  This shows that the father is eager for help.  But Christ responds by directing all attention to the lack of faith involved in this failed healing.  My study Bible comments that while the disciples also lacked faith (which we read a little further on), Christ rebukes the man for placing the blame on the disciples, while it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  So, effectively, Jesus is defending His disciples in front of the crowds, but later He will address their own lack of faith in private.  Moreover, we might consider that this exclamation of impatience with a faithless generation may be directed at all the crowd, including the scribes.  As we have sin, even a community's faith or lack of it has an effect upon healings and other signs Christ performs.  Christ's command to "bring him to Me" indicates that Jesus has not returned to the crowd but remained further away, where some have run to greet Him.

Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."   We see the response of the spirit that is harming the boy, once he is brought close to Christ.  It's interesting that Jesus interrogates the man to find out how long the boy has been afflicted; the answer of the father gives us to understand the cruelty of evil, that it seeks to destroy him.  His cry for compassion and his deep need for help shows his love and desire to help his son, even identifying with his son ("help us").  He seems to express that Christ is his only hope.

 

 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  The father shows with tears his desperate desire to help his son, and his feeling of helplessness. But now he also expresses his understanding of Christ's direction to him -- and that he knows he needs help with his little faith.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  The text affirms to us that Jesus has kept the father and child away from this unbelieving crowd in order to heal him.  It also shows again the cruelty of the demons.

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  Jesus teaches the disciples another important lesson about faith, and the efforts we make to shore it up.  My study Bible says that this kind refers to all powers of darkness, and not just those which cause a particular illness.  The banishment of demons, it says, requires faith, prayer, and fasting, as there is no victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Beginning with the Didache, it's been taught that both the person in need of healing and the person who performs the healing must believe, pray, and fast. 

If we look at today's reading in stages, we see an interesting evolution in terms of the approach to the ailment of this boy whose father seeks his healing.  Jesus has just returned from the Transfiguration, together with Peter, James, and John.  So it is the other nine disciples who are found in a dispute with some scribes, with an onlooking crowd surrounding them.  Perhaps we first have to consider that Jesus lived in a time period where there were events of spectacle, but they were held in open theaters and stadiums as part of pagan religious festivals.  This was true of the ancient plays and events such as the ancient Olympic games, as well as the Roman spectacles such as chariot races and gladiatorial bouts.  But at this time, there is no common entertainment such as television or the internet or the radio.  So, we might presume, that each time there are any public disputes mentioned in the Gospels, they become an event which people gladly watch.  This is true of Christ's disputes in the temple with the religious leaders during Holy Week, as it is also true of this particular healing and others.  In this case, however, we can consider that the crowd is either unbelieving (as Christ has begun to acknowledge in His ministry in various places) or cynical or perhaps just watching for spectacle.  The scribes, of course, are eager to see Christ's ministry fail at this point, as Jesus has already become a rival to the religious establishment in their sight.  In the middle of the crowd is this exasperated father who seeks a cure for his son.  He seems to feel entirely helpless to the demonic power that afflicts the boy.  Whether we wish to attribute this disease to pure physical ailment or not (modern people might identify this illness as epilepsy), there remains a sense in which it is an evil affliction, and we can't mistake the torment and destructive power of what the boy is put through.  The word in Greek for evil is one with the word for "pain" at its root; this can also mean a kind of suffering under laborious hardship.  In any case, we can see the symptoms in this suffering child and father.  One sense we get of the father is his feeling of helplessness, and also desperation.  How many parents of suffering children go through such turmoil?  People desperate for help to save a loved one can experience the same things this father expresses for us of humanity suffering for their loved ones in the same way.  He turns to Christ as One who might help, as he has already brought the child to Christ's disciples.  But Jesus reframes the problem here from one of simply finding help to one of encountering and engaging the difficulties of faith -- and this becomes an important question for us when we find ourselves under the similar circumstances of seeking help and care for loved ones, or even for ourselves.  For faith always plays a role, even under modern circumstances with scientific medical advances, therapies, and new discoveries happening every day.  For faith plays a great role in our persistence and especially with regard to our hopes and how we perceive circumstances and even opportunities for new outcomes.  In this case, of course, Christ can effect a healing, and this particular healing is framed in terms of spiritual battle.  As my study Bible puts it, when Jesus tells the disciples that "this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting," it refers to all powers of darkness.  So we must once again think about the historical practices of Lent in the Church in this context.  What struggle are you engaged in?  Is there a form of evil -- something punishing and cruel, overly laborious, extremely painful -- with which you are wrestling?  Do you need help for a loved one and don't know where to find it?  Faith comes in for all of these circumstances, because in faith there is hope and a needed light cast on our circumstances.  All problems will not be resolved as we would choose ourselves, and all outcomes are not guaranteed.  Death is a fact for our world.  But faith opens doors of many needful things; in it is hope, and in it is love.  In the kindness held in our faith is the acceptance of compassion and grace, and the light of Christ that opens our eyes to things not previously known or considered.  The struggle for faith, in this perspective, becomes the central struggle for the world.  In today's reading, we see that even for the disciples, this is the key to the path they are on.  To engage in the prayer and fasting Jesus teaches here is to seek new ways of seeing a situation, new strength, the courage to face the challenges that come our way and to seek new answers we hadn't anticipated.  Like the Syro-Phoenician woman, prayers once helped me repeatedly approach a doctor who finally saved my mother a great deal of discomfort when no one else would.  Continual prayer gave me strength to face circumstances in which my resources were gone.   And such efforts help others as well, not only ourselves.  We should always remember that Christ's teachings do not simply enforce for us the supreme value of faith and the need which we have for faith, but also that He may help increase our faith when we need it.  Like the father in today's reading, we may start with a little faith, but there is also help for our unbelief in the struggle against a world of cynicism that too easily accepts what is evil as the final word.  Christ has assured us that He has overcome the world (John 16:33); He invites us in to join His victorious struggle for faith.

 

O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?

 

 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." 

 

- Matthew 17:14-21 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Peter's confession of faith and Jesus' prophecy of His Passion, after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

 

  And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  My study Bible comments that sickness in Scripture is often connected to demonic activity.  In kneeling, this father is showing humility, even though he lacks faith.  

 

Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  My study Bible notes that the disciples also lacked faith (as Christ will tell them in private further along in today's reading), but Christ rebukes the man for placing the blame on the disciples when it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  Effectively, Jesus defends His disciples in front of the crowds, but later He rebukes them privately, teaching us that we ought first to correct people in private (see Matthew 18:15-17).  

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who notes that this rebuke is directed at the nine disciples who could not cast out the demon, whereas "the pillars" of faith -- Peter, James, and John (Galatians 2:9) -- were not included in the rebuke, as they had been on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible further comments that this kind (to which Jesus refers) means all powers of darkness, not just those that cause a particular illness.  It says that the banishment of demons requires faith, prayer, and fasting, for there is no healing and no victory in spiritual warfare without all three of these.  Starting with the Didache, patristic literature has taught that both the person in need of healing and the person performing the healing must believe, pray, and fast.  

It seems that our current section of St. Matthew's Gospel continually reminds us of the power of faith and its necessity for us.  Perhaps this strong emphasis on faith -- although always a part of the gospel message -- is emphasized at this stage of Christ's ministry because we have now begun to get a dual message of both Christ's divinity as Son of the living God and also that He will be a suffering Messiah.   Both of these elements were affirmed in yesterday's reading (above) of the Transfiguration, as His identity as Son was revealed in the midst of a manifestation of the Holy Trinity.  Moreover, Matthew's Gospel does not specifically mention it, but in Luke's Gospel we're told that what He discussed with Moses and Elijah was His "exodus" (the literal word in the Greek), referring to His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  See Luke 9:28-36, in which the Greek word exodus/εξοδος is translated as "decease."   The combination of both Christ's divinity and His suffering as Messiah will mean that faith becomes paramount in building the Church, as Jesus indicated in His response to St. Peter's confession of faith, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).  Faith has been shown to be the engine that keys in Christ's power to heal in so many instances, and the lack of faith has also been given as the reason He "did not do many mighty works" in His hometown of Nazareth (Matthew 13:58).  Faith is the connector to Christ, the thing that enables Him to share His power with the disciples, and by extension with us.  In yesterday's reading, we were given the Transfiguration, which revealed to us the divinity of Christ, and elements of His Kingdom that may dwell within us and among us, such as the reality of the communion of saints.  But His Transfiguration also reveals to us His power and how it works in us and in our world, as through "touch" with Him the Cross would be transfigured into an instrument for salvation, for the "death of death" as the Orthodox Paschal hymn indicates, and a symbol of hope for a world in need of that salvation still today.  Faith is the key to repentance; without faith, where is the hope in repentance?  Moreover, faith is the key to righteousness, as St. Paul writes of Abraham (Romans 4).  And this justification by faith bring peace with God through Christ, as well as grace, which in turn enables "hope in the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).  Each of these things is both dependent upon and enabled through faith.  In these various examples, we see how faith is the key to so much in our lives.  One can imagine perseverance in faith placed in other, temporal things, such as angling for a good career, or saving to purchase something, or working for selfish goals as well.  But faith in Christ opens up an entirely different field of hope, energy, grace, and perseverance that is not dependent upon material outcomes -- and that is something one cannot replace with alternatives.  Let us seek to find the key of faith and what it unlocks for us, for there is so much more that we don't yet know.  

 

 

 

Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

- Matthew 13:53–58 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 

  Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not all with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.   Jesus' own country is Nazareth in Galilee.  Although born in Bethlehem in Judea, He was brought up in Nazareth.  Note that those who've known Him as One who grew up in their town are both astonished and offended at Him.  My study Bible suggests this is a frequent occurrence in those who encounter Christ (see also Luke 4:22-30, 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Being rejected in His own country is a fulfillment of the rejection of Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, and my study Bible comments that it foreshadows His rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Regarding Jesus' brothers, Mary's only child was her Son.  However, family structure in the ancient world was such that an extended family lived together by tradition.  To this day across the Near and Middle East, the term "brother" is used for cousin and a host of other relatives, as it often is in the Bible (for example, Lot is Abram's nephew, but he's called "brother" in Genesis 14:14; and Boaz calls his cousin Elimelech "brother" in Ruth 4:3).  These brothers and sisters of Jesus to whom the Nazareth townspeople refer are either children of Joseph from an earlier marriage, or they are cousins.  Indeed, when Christ puts His mother in the care of His disciple John at the Cross (John 19:26), it's an affirmation that she had no other children to care for her; otherwise such an action would have been unthinkable.  

Christ's statement, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house," is significant enough that it appears in all four Gospels (Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).  Here in Matthew's Gospel, we may pause to consider that this rejection comes right after Christ's telling of the parables of the Kingdom in Matthew 13.  Particularly striking in this light are the parables which essentially are about judgment, such as the one in yesterday's reading (above).  Jesus' rejection in His hometown comes right after He's taught about the angels coming at the end of the age, and separating the good from the wicked.  Set in the context of the treasure that is the kingdom of heaven, we may consider in that light that rejection of such a gift constitutes an alienation from God.  This would be fully consistent with the Hebrew Scriptures and the understanding of the Law as given through Moses, particularly as set out in the Book of Deuteronomy.  This is explicit in Deuteronomy 30, in which blessings and curses are named as consequences by Moses, and we read of the way of life and the way of death (Deuteronomy 30:15), a theme which was significant as well in early Christian teaching (such as in the Didache, the earliest teaching document we know of in the Church).  Therefore, in the context of Jesus' preaching, the rejection of a prophet was not simply a figure of speech, but highly significant and understood to meet with serious consequences, as the whole story of Israel attested in Scripture.  So, when Jesus speaks of the rejection of a prophet, it is something of a warning, for it comes in the context of the rejection of treasure given by God (as in the theme of yesterday's parable).  His neighbors are both astonished and resentful that such "pearls" can come from the person they used to know, and who lived among them without, apparently, attracting the kind of attention He has now through His public ministry.  If we observe it, we can see that an immediate effect of this rejection is that He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  Effectively, without faith, those works cannot be done.  Let us consider in our own lives the warnings we're given through Scripture and the teachings we know about what is good and what is not, and about what we might choose to dismiss -- even when all our neighbors might be doing the same.

 

 

 

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

 

 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.    And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

 

- Mark 9:14–29 

 

Yesterday we read that, after six days following Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.   Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."   

 

  And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Let us remember that Jesus has just come down from the high mountain to which He had taken Peter, James, and John, and where they experienced the Transfiguration (see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus' first impulse is to intervene on behalf of His disciples, who are being questioned by the scribes in some sort of dispute which has drawn a crowd.  Jesus intervenes by asking the scribes directly, "What are you discussing with them?"

 

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.    And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  There seem to be several things going on in this reading, and several elements we should notice.  First of all, Christ has just returned from the Mount of Transfiguration.  So when He encounters the man and the crowd, He remains some ways away -- thus they brought him [the man's son] to Him.  Again, as in so many recent readings, the real substance of today's passage is about faith.  Jesus stays somewhat separate from the crowd for this reason, we may assume, as has been a pattern established in other readings.  This is a way of shoring up the faith of those seeking healing, and protecting it.  Note that Christ's command rebuking the spirit to "come out of him and enter him no more!" comes just as the people came running together.  But the substance of the story is all about faith.  When Jesus says, ""O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?" He is essentially rebuking this father for blaming the disciples, when, according to my study Bible, it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  But, in effect, Jesus also teaches the disciples to build up their faith as well, through prayer and fasting.  In effect, my study Bible notes, Jesus defends His disciples in front of the multitudes but later rebukes them privately, "teaching us that we ought first to correct people in private" (see Matthew 18:15-17). 

 

 It's interesting to think about faith in the context of Jesus' teaching to the disciples.  Jesus has indicated many times the central importance of faith, and particularly so in the context of various healings.  See, for example, the experience of Jairus and his family in this reading.  In today's passage, it is noteworthy that Jesus gives instructions to the disciples regarding building up their own faith, when He teaches them that "this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  It would seem from this important teaching that we are to understand that faith is something like a muscle:  we can strengthen it by exercising it.  We can help to make it grow by exercising it.  Clearly these practices, "prayer and fasting," have always been important tools for the practice and shoring up of faith, for the living of our faith, for exercising our faith.  Let us consider, then, in what powerful ways we can work when we are willing to use the historic disciplines and expressions of faith we find in the Church.  It seems that we might strengthen our faith most importantly through this kind of discipline, and calling upon God.  Prayer is a way of affirming the relationship that we have with God.  Fasting is a form of showing discipline in remembering God, and enforcing our capacity for choice, especially to say "no" to what doesn't help our faith.  We might intentionally fast from certain foods for a season or a day, and for a particular purpose, but the effort of fasting is to help us to say "no" to what harms faith, like committing certain sins and abstaining from practices that harm us spiritually.  In a recent reading, Jesus taught something about the real nature of fasting, when He said, "Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."   The historical Christian practice of fasting really has to do with abstention from the things Christ says "defile a man," and that asks us for a discipline of faith, an exercise of our faith.  We need our faith to be strengthened in order to meet the challenges of life, and to secure ourselves in a good place -- that spiritual house built on a rock Jesus spoke of when He taught, "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" (see Matthew 7:24-27).  In the sense of exercising our faith, it would seem that simply "hearing these words of Mine" and doing them is another way to exercise our faith, and thereby make it stronger.  For we should remember that He also told us in John's Gospel, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).   Therefore, in keeping His word, we keep close to us both spirit and life, also abiding in us to help our faith.  It would seem that, going by this Gospel and our recent string of readings, magnifying our faith, making it stronger, is the best thing we can do.  It is what He repeatedly asks of the people in the Gospel, and by inference what He asks of us.  For we should all be thinking like this father, when He tells Jesus, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  As we move toward the beginning of Lent, let us keep in mind that it is a traditional time of deepening our faith, and the practices that help our "unbelief."

 

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house

 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

- Matthew 13:53-58 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has begun speaking in parables.  He first gave the parable of the Sower; then He gave His explanation for why He speaks in parables to the disciples, and He also explained the parable to them.  After that, He taught the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, and then the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven. In yesterday's reading, He taught the following parables:  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.    Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.   Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." 

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.  When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?  Is this not the carpenter's son?  Is not His mother called Mary?  And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?  And His sisters, are they not with us?  Where then did this Man get all these things?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."  Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.  My study Bible comments on the double response of being both astonished and also of rejecting Christ, which occurs frequently in those who encounter Him (see Luke 11:14-16, John 9:16).  Christ being rejected in His own country fulfills the rejection of Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha (see Jesus' response in Luke 4:26-27), and also foreshadows Christ's rejection by the whole nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  The statement that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country occurs in all four Gospels (see also Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).

The story in today's reading appears in different sequence in the other Synoptic Gospels.  In Mark's Gospel, it occurs after Jesus performs a miraculous healing at Capernaum and before sending out the Twelve on their first apostolic mission.  In Luke's Gospel it appears right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  In John's Gospel we simply have mention that Jesus made this statement that a prophet has no honor in his own country (although John does report Nathanael's question, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  See John 1:45-49).  But looking at Matthew's Gospel, the Evangelist places this story just after Jesus has begun teaching to the multitudes in parables.  If we recall, when the disciples asked Jesus why He has begun teaching in parables, He gave them a significant answer implying judgment: "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  He also added a quotation from Isaiah:  "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:   'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them'" (see this reading).  In the teaching of various parables, such as the Wheat and the Tares, and also the parable of the Dragnet (see yesterday's reading, above), Jesus linked the eventual judgment at the end of the age to the explanation of the parables.  But in the arrangement of the sequence of events in Matthew's Gospel, we must find it of significance that in His hometown of Nazareth, rejection comes immediately after He's begun preaching in parables, as if to illustrate the point of using them to teach, and also about the judgment at the end of the age.  He will be rejected, but it will wait until the "harvest" of the angels for judgment to separate the ones with ears to hear from the ones who cannot hear.  The people of Nazareth will not face dire worldly consequences for their rejection of Him, and neither will others who reject His word.  It is not up to Christ's followers to sit in judgment nor to practice and implement judgment.  Like the good and bad in the dragnet, and the wheat and the tares which grow together until the harvest, we live in a world where all are together, and we await the end of the age and Christ's judgment, which will be implemented by angels, to understand the effects of rejection.  Although of course it is quite true that human beings do often pay a price for their own failure to understand spiritual reality, this is not something we as believers implement -- nor does it negate the understanding that judgment comes at the end of the age and at a time none of us knows.  But, as faithful, we do understand it is our spiritual work, nevertheless, to persist in our faith and to endure in it:  to study, to implement His word in our lives, to pray and worship, and to allow grace to permeate and guide our lives as best we can, regardless of rejection by others.  We are asked for a kind of spiritual discipline that teaches us that we are in charge of our own responses; we at once learn the tolerance implied in this understanding, as well as the spiritual importance of our own choices, and the tragic consequences of rejection.  It is up to us to "shine forth like the sun" in the eyes of those who do perceive spiritual realities, including our Lord and His helpers the angels (Matthew 13:43).  So we are asked at one and the same time for tolerance, persistence, devotion, and dedication, while we also understand that judgment is not our work, although discernment is certainly asked of us.  But we're given good work to do, good ground upon which to build our lives, a word that is worth all the treasures of the world and gives meaning to everything else.  Let us look at the narrowness of Christ's townspeople, and find our meaning in their lack of vision.  They won't open their eyes to what is in front of them because they prefer what is familiar and what they understand from the past.  Our minds and hearts must be open to continue to grow in His word.  This story also teaches us yet again about the flexibility of identity:  the capability we have for grace to interact in our lives and create change and transformation, for Christ's kingdom to be built within us.  Jesus has not changed, but has assumed His role as Christ, and for this they are not prepared.  Pettiness, envy, jealousy, and social competition are all things that can get in the way of "shining forth as the sun."  They also cloud our vision to the pearls of great price, whose glory is that light of Christ.  Let us share and bear His light in the world.

A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house

 

 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

 

- Mark 6:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side (that is, a return across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, after healing the demon-possessed man), a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

 

 Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him.  And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue.  And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things?  And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!  Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?  And are not His sisters here with us?"  So they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  My study Bible comments that this double response of being both astonished and offended occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ (Luke 11:14-16, John 9:16).  Christ's rejection in his own country is a foreshadowing of the rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  Regarding Christ as brother, my study Bible comments that in Jewish usage, "brother" can indicate any number of relations.  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).   Christ Himself had no blood brothers, for Mary had only one Son:  Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here are either stepbrothers; that is, sons of Joseph by a previous marriage, or cousins.  Jesus will commit His mother to the care of John at the Cross (John 19:25-27), an act which would be unthinkable if Mary had other children to care for her.  Christ's saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house," is so significant that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Luke 4:24, John 4:44). 

Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And He marveled because of their unbelief.  Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.  Jesus could do no mighty work there because of the unbelief of all but a few in Nazareth.  My study Bible explains that this is not because He lacked power.  It says that while grace is always offered to all, only those who receive it in faith obtain its benefits.  Let us observe that He moves on about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.  He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.  Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.  And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.  Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"  So they went out and preached that people should repent.  And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  This is a description of the first apostolic mission of the twelve.  These twelve are disciples (Greek μαθητής/mathetes, "learners"), who are now also apostles (Greek ἀπόστολος/apostolos, "one sent out").  My study Bible comments that Jesus gave them power to perform miracles, while He performed them by His own power.  Note that Jesus sent them out two by two.  In Matthew's Gospel, their names are listed in pairs, suggesting who may have traveled together on this first missionary journey (see Matthew 10:1-4).  Regarding anointing the sick with oil, my study Bible reports that this not only has medicinal value but sacramental value as well.  It says that as God's healing power is bestowed through creation (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15, 19:11-12), so oil is a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).  

Jesus says, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."  As we remarked above, this saying is so essential that it appears in all four Gospels, and so, we have to consider why this is so.  In today's world, we are used to a social media setting, which is pervasive on all levels, through all activities, and age groups.  So, we are used to each individual proclaiming their own truth and responding to public affairs all over our social media screens, be it on a mobile phone or personal computer or tablet.  As such, we might have many would-be prophets we know, both in public and private life.  From celebrities such as film stars or musicians to public personalities like pundits and professional journalists, we are used to hearing opinions about social affairs as a constant non-stop part of our lives.  Most of these people work at garnering followers, clicks, comments across the board on any number of platforms (including viewers on television) in order to make a living -- and frequently that means a very lucrative career.  We're all familiar with what is called "virtue signalling" by those whose jobs ostensibly have nothing to do with making pronouncement about the state of affairs in our country or our world.  Clearly, there is some benefit to doing so, otherwise why would so many who are ostensibly employed in professions that have nothing to do with this function be constantly engaged in such activities for all to see (and follow)?  The name of this game is publicity, a following, those who will repeat and broadcast a name or image far and wide.  Well, this is seemingly the opposite, antithetical image to the "prophet" Jesus names here.  His clear definition or image of a prophet is one who is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.  Throughout the Old Testament, and in the image of John the Baptist in the New, the prophets come to call the people back to God.  They rail against practices which have become popular and fashionable, against prevailing opinion among the high-placed and powerful "influencers" of their time.  Christ seems to imply -- and the events in His hometown of Nazareth clearly image -- that the very fiber or persona of a prophet and what a prophet does is going to irritate or scandalize those who might be considered "his own"; that is, those of his own country, his own relatives, his own house.  Let us keep in mind that for the ancient world, a "house" was not just a home but implied a whole household, including servants and properties.   The prophets come to call people out of a complacency, and it stands to reason that such a person would be one for whom the freedom to serve God came before everything else, even appeasing those of one's own country, relatives, and house.  This is an important image to keep in mind, as it hints at the scandal of the Cross, and Christ who will bear the shame of rejection in such an astonishing, overwhelming way that He is crucified as among the worst offenders, a punishment reserved for the worst criminals.  If we think about it, it stands to reason that a prophet would be one who does not conform to the prevailing fashions or mores or movements, but whose love of God is stronger than such.  St. Paul called himself and his fellow apostles those who had "been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now" (see 1 Corinthians 4:9-13, echoing Lamentations 3:45 of the prophet Jeremiah).  Possibly we might surmise that this episode in Nazareth, and Jesus' saying regarding dishonor, works to prepare the apostles for their future.  If we look at John the Baptist, we see a prophet who lives in radical poverty, set apart from his society, so strong is his single-minded devotion to God and God's purpose for him.  Similarly to Elijah, he wears skins of animals and a leather belt (Matthew 3:4; 2 Kings 1:8).  Christ, on the other hand, is criticized for eating and drinking with sinners, and here in His hometown, they cannot accept His gracious words and wisdom because they don't belong to one of His background and environment.  Suddenly He is a different person, because the power and authority of God is in Him, and their resentment means they lack faith in Him and His ministry.  A prophet calls us out of our complacency not for the sake of shocking or startling, not in order to gain followers or fame or money.  A prophet heeds God's call, and God often comes to call us out of something that is not good for us, or to announce something new we need to hear and to heed.  God's word gives us what is good, but always asks of us ears to hear, as Jesus so frequently says.  A prophet does not seek popularity, an image that is au courant, or a way to appeal to others simply in order to appeal -- but rather fidelity to the will of God, and God's truth in the message.  Let us understand the difference, and the importance of the saying we find in the Gospels. 

 

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief

 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And he asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

- Mark 9:14-29

Yesterday we read that after six days (following Peter's confession) Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."

 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And he asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"   Jesus and the disciples who form His closest circle (Peter, James, and John) return to the town from the Mount of Transfiguration (see yesterday's reading above).  Jesus returns to find some scribes disputing with His other disciples.   Christ's first action is to question the scribes, intervening for His disciples.

Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."   The issue here once again is faith and its impact and effect.  My study bible comments that this statement is meant as a rebuke to the man for his lack of faith, but later on, in private there will also be a rebuke to the disciples.  In effect, the center of this dispute becomes the issue of faith itself, as Jesus defends His disciples publicly from blame, including from this man and the scribes.

Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"   This man takes Jesus' teaching seriously, despite his little faith, and in effect, becomes a type of model of faith himself.  His prayer, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" effectively becomes a model for each of us. 

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.   As the people came running, Jesus immediately heals in response to the faith statement of the father.  That is, his recognition of his own lack of faith, and his prayer for faith.   It is another suggestion of the importance of shoring up faith, before those whose antagonism or demands of proof arrive to further harm the father's faltering faith.

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  While the father of the boy and the crowd were rebuked for their faith publicly, Jesus rebukes His disciples privately.  My study bible says that this teaches us we ought first to correct people in private (see Matthew 18:15-17). 

Throughout the Gospels, we are given stories about faith and its effectiveness, or lack of it.  In all the healing miracles of Jesus, we are taught about faith, and Jesus has spoken about faith.  In some of the most significant stories, Jesus takes extra effort to shore up faith in those who fear for their family members, such as the story of Jairus and his daughter, in which Jesus put outside the people who ridiculed Him after He said, "The child is not dead, but sleeping" (5:40).  The mystery of faith is such that we cannot pinpoint precisely how our faith will work or not work.  We can't quantitatively measure faith by some universal yardstick.  But the Gospels tell us that so much depends upon faith, and that faith is our real connection to Creator.  The world expects God to act autonomously and absolutely, and maybe this is true in the sense of the entirety of the creation.  But, in effect, you and I as human beings are created out of love, and because our God is also love, God wants us as more than merely creations.  God wants us to be with God, and this is as true while we live in this world as it is of any other world beyond this one we might imagine.   We see this desire for connection, and for synergy -- working together -- at play in Christ's ministry.  Christ goes to great lengths always to express concern about our faith and the levels of our faith.  He takes away those whom He tries to help from those who would do damage to that faith.  He puts outside those who ridicule.  He is careful, in today's reading, to step between the scribes (and the crowds) and His disciples.  He takes great care, on several occasions to assure those whom He tries to help that it is their belief that makes all the difference.  God is great and with autonomous power, but we do not see that power displayed without some sort of assent, some sort of assertion, a connection in faith on the part of the human beings for whom that power responds to their desire.  When the woman with the blood flow was healed -- in the midst of Jesus' walk toward the house of Jairus -- it was her faith that Jesus praised, putting that faith above all else, even if she broke the religious law to touch Him and to be in the crowd (in this reading).  So today we are asked to think carefully about faith.  We are wont to dismiss its power.  There is a danger that we can think about faith or belief in magical terms, as if we simply need to convince ourselves that something will happen, and then it will.  But this is a false reading of our Gospel, and it is a false understanding of the faith of Christ.  What Jesus asks us for is trust, that through all things we have confidence in God, we have confidence in Christ.  Whatever we go through in life, it is not as though our prayers are meant to be a smorgasbord of orders for what we desire, although it is good to be entirely honest and heartfelt in prayer.  Rather, we trust our prayers to God, we seek God's will, and we shore up that faith that whatever we go through, if we can do it within the energy of our faith, we will come out the other side better, improved, more deeply shaped and formed in God's image.  Ultimately, faith is placing a deeper and deeper trust in and reliance on God.  We don't know the outcome of all circumstances.  We don't know what obstacles will express themselves in our lives, and we can't control the happiness or unhappiness that others may bring to us.  But what we do know is that we have the means and the power to shore up our faith, and that we are taught and told to do so by Christ.  We do know that He is present, that God knows our calls to God, and our needs before we ask (Matthew 6:8).  God knows the demands of all the world, and what we think we need (Matthew 6:32, Luke 12:30).  But what we are asked is for faith, so that God may always make a connection with us, and respond to our deepest hope, creating in us an image in God's likeness, growing us in our strength and in our capabilities, building us up as citizens in God's kingdom, helping us to bear the fruit God asks of us in God's desire to make of us His true children.  Let us ask ourselves today what we are doing to shore up our own faith.  Are we shutting off things in media we don't need to hear?  Are we staying away from whatever it is that would make us feel hopeless?  Are we countering negativity with the serious and positive realism that Christ always asks and always shows?  Are we making best use of this time?  Are we being pragmatic in accepting the challenges that God brings, and meeting them in faith?  Let us consider all the ways in which our faith can be improved, and serve us better in so doing in our lives.  Let us remember all the forms of prayer available and not leave out whatever is possible - no matter how far away our churches may be right now.  Let us seek out those sources of true hope that remain with us and are offered even more greatly now every day through media and connections the Church uses in this time of our quarantine crisis.  For God's love is ever-present, and God wants us to reach out for it with all of our hearts and minds and souls and strength.  In the sense of what is by now historical traditional Lenten practice, Jesus offers the disciples a great discipline combination for faith:  prayer and fasting.  Let us hear and understand the power and purpose of this time, and put our lives into order through the discipline He teaches.