Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

 

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  

"Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen,

My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

I will put My Spirit upon Him,

And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.

He will not quarrel nor cry out,

Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. 

 A bruised reed He will not break, 

And smoking flax He will not quench,

Till He sends forth justice to victory;

And in His name Gentiles will trust." 

 

- Matthew 12:15-21 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.  

 

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.   That Jesus knew it is a reference to the final verse in yesterday's reading (above), in which we were told that the Pharisees have now begun to plot against Him, how they might destroy Him.   

 

Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.

He will not quarrel nor cry out,  nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust."  St. Matthew quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4.  My comments that Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah.  It states that the reasons for this secrecy include, first of all, the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders (as noted above regarding the plotting of the Pharisees against Him.  Additionally, there is the people's misunderstanding and widespread expectation of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader.  Finally, our Lord wishes to evoke genuine faith, which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  In this quotation from the Old Testament, we can read that the prophet Isaiah had foreseen the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost ("in His name Gentiles will trust").  

 

 The prophet Isaiah writes, "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him . . .."  The beautiful poetry of this prophesy teaches us so much about Jesus.  The first word to describe Him here is Servant, teaching us all about Christ and His mission.  We know from His ministry that in all things He serves the Father, bowing His human will with His divine identity in obedience to the Father's will.  As His faithful, we also understand Him not simply as a Servant to God but also to all of humankind and to all of creation, for His mission and ministry in the world gave us Resurrection, and we know that He gave His human life "for the life of the world" (John 6:51).  His entire ministry, His teachings, His healings, His exorcism, His sharing His power with His own servants (see this reading) -- all testify to His life as a Servant of the world in every way, and He continues to serve us as Lord, in the mysteries of the Church and in all we depend upon as those who put our faith in Him.  Christ is called My Beloved, and we know He is the beloved Son.  If we look to the divine revelation, or theophany, manifest at Christ's Baptism, we see these words of Isaiah echoed in the voice of the Father:  "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).   These words of God the Father are repeated at the Transfiguration, also a theophany (Matthew 17:5).  Of course, we are all familiar with the Spirit "descending like a dove and alighting upon" Christ at His Baptism (Matthew 3:16-17).  That God declares through Isaiah, "I will put My Spirit upon Him" is a declaration of anointing.  It is a sign of Christ being at once our great High Priest and King (our King of kings and Lord of lords), and Messiah.  Isaiah foresaw these truths, and in Christ's life they are manifested, and they continue to manifest in the Church, as we each may be anointed with the Spirit of God to live our lives in imitation of Him, to be transformed into His image for us.  Let us consider how deep and how true this reality goes for us.  As we have recently read, and we read from this portion of Isaiah's prophesy, this great Savior is One who is also "meek and lowly of heart"; He does not need to prove who He is, but He lives who He is, and shows us by every manifestation this reality, even in His humility and courage and love for us.

 

 

 

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me

 

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 

- Matthew 16:21-28 

 

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

 

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  My study Bible comments here that, after Peter's confession of faith (see yesterday's reading, above), Jesus reveals the true nature of His messiahship:  the mystery of His Passion.  This is the central reality of our faith.  It was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save mankind through suffering and death.  

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  The cross was the dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, reserved for the worst of criminals, but is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ, my study Bible says.  For Christians, it also becomes a symbol of spiritual victory and transformation.  We practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  My study Bible elaborates that to accept this suffering is not a punishment, nor is it an end in itself, but rather a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."  My study Bible says that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).   

 

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."  These questions emphasize the futility of accumulating worldly wealth or power at the expense of the soul, for none of that can redeem a fallen soul, nor benefit a person in the life to come.  The state of one's soul is linked to life and its quality at all times.

 

"Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."  My study Bible suggests that this is a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9, in the next reading).  It also applies as well to those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.

What is the Cross and the mystery of the Cross?  In this central event of Christ's mission as Messiah, His Passion, we find in some sense the nature of faith in God.  It is transformational.  In the Passion, the worst type of punishment given to human beings was transformed into a symbol of victory, of spiritual renewal, and especially victory over death -- the Resurrection, and life (John 11:25).  In His saving ministry for us, Jesus walks into the worst of human misery, the worst of evils of this world -- that is, injustice, terrible suffering, and death at the hands of those who are powerful, manipulative, and ruthless.  But in so doing, Jesus transforms all of that, standing it on its head.  He creates victory over death, the final enemy.  He brings us life.  He brings us Resurrection.  And the Cross forever after becomes a symbol for us of life, of victory over evil and death, and of transformation.  This is why the Cross goes before us, why it is a symbol for us of the power of God in our lives.  It is why we have need of the Cross.  Because it is only through Christ's victory that we can have victory, that we can find our own triumphs over difficulties that this world will give to us in other forms of injustice, of evil, of death, no matter how they come to us.  With faith, we will find also that there is a Resurrection, and a transformation of our lives.  It is Christ who plants good, even in the midst of evil, and this is what our faith is about.  We may have our own crosses to bear, our own afflictions and burdens, but it is faith that helps us not just to carry them, but to see them through to something else, our own resurrections in life.  Let us consider what our faith can do, and what it means to have victory in the Cross.

 

 

Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
And in His name Gentiles will trust."

- Matthew 12:15-21

Yesterday, we read that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Now when He had departed from there, He went into the synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,  My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.   He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory;  And in His name Gentiles will trust."  Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah.  His ministry and kingdom are one of peace.  He is the Servant who heals and preaches the good news, the One who calls Himself "gentle and lowly of heart," whose "yoke is easy" and "burden is light."  As the Jewish religious authorities take the road of hostility to Him and His message, even as John the Baptist is imprisoned and will be beheaded, the text recalls Isaiah's prophecy that He will declare justice to the Gentiles, and in His name the Gentiles will trust.  As the prophecy (Isaiah 42:1-4) declares "He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets," so Jesus does not make His identity as Messiah fully known.   Nor does He establish a reign by coercion or force, or even stupendous signs.  My study bible says that the reasons for secrecy include:  (1) the growing hostility of the Jewish leadership; (2) the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leaders; and (3) our Lord's desire to evoke genuine faith not based solely on marvelous signs.  As Christ is the primary Servant, so by extension are all who follow Him.  In the final sentence quoted here from Isaiah (42:4), the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost is foreseen by the prophet.

 Jesus' mission doesn't go the way anyone would predict, from a "worldly" point of view.  Throughout the Old Testament, we read of the people of Israel demanding a king, and the failure of king after king to adhere to the covenant with God.  Jesus comes into the world as the fulfillment of prophecy, of the long-awaited King, the Messiah.  But He's nothing like a political messiah.  And He's nothing like a worldly king.  His kingdom doesn't work the way a worldly kingdom works.  It doesn't come with observation.  It doesn't come with force and coercion, but rather its King is "gentle and lowly of heart."  He doesn't impose the yokes and burdens of kings and other kinds of monarchs or rulers, doesn't impose tribute and taxes.  His "yoke is easy and His burden is light."  But most of all, this is a kingdom of love, and love is a voluntary gift.  It can't be coerced.  Love is rooted in freedom.  The faith He calls us to is a voluntary contract, a communion, a covenant of loyalty, of hearts.  And so, the mission must speak for itself and provide its own call to those who would be subjects of this kingdom.  He will lay down His life for His friends -- and this will be the ultimate invitation to communion.  So He's our Servant, in the form the Kingdom must take because it's nothing like the "ruler of this world" would produce, and the ruler of this world "has nothing" in Him.  The justice and victory of this Kingdom is about the hearts and minds of its subjects, a communion of saints, a covenant of love in the commands of Christ.  Ultimately, the mission unfolds in a way that teaches us best about love, sets us the highest example, and teaches us the most about God.   The Suffering Servant stands injustice on its head, because true justice transcends a simplistic notion of retribution.  His love brings ultimate justice in His own act of sacrifice that opens the door to reconciliation and healing for all the rest of us.  And that is the great victory in which we can all trust.

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world

 "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."  Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father.  In that day you will ask in My name, and do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

- John 16:16-33

Starting with Monday's reading, we have been going through Jesus' Farewell Discourse to the apostles.   (See also readings of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.)   Yesterday (Friday), we read that Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.  They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.  But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.  And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.  But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'  But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.  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.  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are Mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

  "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."  Then some of His disciples said among themselves, "What is this that He says to us, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'; and, 'because I go to the Father'?"  They said therefore, "What is this that He says, 'A little while'?  We do not know what He is saying."   My study bible teaches us here that the first little while refers to Christ's arrest, death, and burial.  The second is His time in the tomb until His Resurrection.

Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, "Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, 'A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me'?  Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.  A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world."   My study bible tells us that no longer remembers doesn't imply that faithful people will forget the Passion and the Cross of Christ, any more than a woman "forgets" labor.  Instead, these sufferings are seen only in light of the victory of the Resurrection, just like a woman's labor is only seen in light of the blessing of a child, of new life.  This victory transfigures our perception of sufferings.  The victory of Christ allows us to rejoice even in anguish because of the infinitely greater good that comes from it (Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:10).

"Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.  And in that day you will ask Me nothing.  Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name.  Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."    This is the second time that Jesus has referred to His gift of joy.  The first was in the previous chapter, in our reading for Wednesday, when He taught them, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).  The double iteration tells us Jesus' emphasis on joy, on this gift of joy that comes from abiding in Him.  To abide in Him is linked to asking the Father in Jesus' name.  "In His name" is abiding in His teachings, commands, and presence.  In the same reading on Wednesday, Jesus repeatedly teaches, "Abide in Me."

"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father."  My study bible tells us that the time when Christ would speak plainly about the Father was during the forty days following the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).

"In that day you will ask in My name, and do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.  I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.  Again, I leave the world and go to the Father."   My study bible notes, "We know prayer is offered in the name of God the Father, for Christ taught us to pray that way (Matthew 6:9), and He Himself prayed to the Father (11:41; 12:28; 17:1).  In Christ, we have direct access to the Father, and thus we pray in the name of the Son as well.  After Pentecost, we learn the Holy Spirit Himself 'makes intercessions for us' (Romans 8:26), and we are instructed to pray always 'in the Spirit' (Ephesians 6:18)."  Therefore as Christians we pray "continually and with confidence" to all three Persons of the Trinity, "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

His disciples said to Him, "See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech!  Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You.  By this we believe that You came forth from God."  Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?  Indeed, the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone.  And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.  These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."  In today's reading Jesus promises joy for the second time, and here He promises peace yet again.  In the reading for Tuesday, Jesus taught, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. "  There is the emphasis on gifts of both peace and joy.  This is in the midst of tribulation, difficulties.  When Jesus states that He has overcome the world, it's using a word that has as its root "victory" in the Greek. 

Once again, Jesus promises both joy and peace.  But these elements of joy and peace, we have to note, don't come as a result of something the world does for us.  They exist despite what the world may be doing.  In this discourse, Jesus teaches the apostles about what is coming for them, what is coming for Him. It is just before His Passion.  In yesterday's reading, we read the warning that the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.  So this peace and joy are gifts of Christ to us, but they are not promises that the world will embrace us.  Rather, we are taught to abide in Him, and in His love and the Father's love.  Jesus says of the peace He gives that "not as the world gives do I give to you."  Perhaps the greatest hint of what these gifts of peace and joy really are in us comes in the final verse in today's reading, when Jesus tells us, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."   Tribulation is a word in the Greek that implies a narrow place, something that gives us irritation, hems us in,  "rubs us the wrong way," we might say.   The word implies being caught "between a rock and a hard place."   But even in situations in which we may feel trapped, or there is something we cannot avoid, Jesus' victory is ours.  And that's the word here translated as overcome.   The word is "nenika" - from "nike"/νικη, "victory."  It reminds us of an early symbol of a Cross with the letters IC XC ("Jesus Christ" in Greek symbols) written across the top bar of the cross, and NIKA ("wins" or "conquers" or "overcomes") written across the bottom (see an example here and above at the top of this post).     Christ's victory is in overcoming the world, despite what it offers.  It is in the peace and joy He offers to us.  And this is conquering the world, it's the victory of Christ, even as He goes to the Cross.  This means that His Kingdom established within us and among us is a kind of "liberated zone" (with a nod here to this post at Khanya blog).   This isn't the victory of a worldly king, but the One who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and without an army, the One who goes to the Cross giving us peace and joy.  We become the liberated zone of this Kingdom via our faith, via the gifts of peace and joy, and particularly of the Holy Spirit which we receive because of the Cross, because He goes to the Father.  It is a victory of Resurrection and new life (like the child born to a woman after labor), no matter what else we may think is happening in the world around us.  It is the victory of abiding in Him and sharing His love, not living as slaves to the world and what it seems to demand.

Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
And in His name Gentiles will trust."

- Matthew 12:15-21

Yesterday, we read that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust."   My study bible explains here that "Jesus' refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah.  The reasons for secrecy include:  (1) the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders, (2) the people's misunderstanding of messiahship as political and earthly, and (3) Jesus' desire to evoke the response of faith -- He wants people to discover His identity for themselves.  The Servant of God ("My Servant whom I have chosen")  refers both to the Messiah and to all God's elect.  Jesus also fulfills another prophecy of Isaiah, that of the Suffering Servant (see Is. 52:13-53:12).  The mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost is also foreseen."  The passages Jesus quotes from in today's reading are Isaiah 42:1-4 and 49:3.

Jesus not only understand His own identity, but that identity is fulfilled and manifested in the ways in which He leads His mission.  He is prudent; He does what is necessary.  He deals wisely with the leadership and does not take up direct challenges until it is time to do so -- in the meantime He sends out His message, His gospel, to as many as He is required to do so.  I think my study bible's important note:  "He wants people to discover His identity for themselves" is something we have to pay attention to.  Because the concept of Messiah is fraught with so many expectations and understandings, and He is to be something quite different from what is expected (i.e. neither political nor earthly in terms of how He wields power), it's essential to get His message across properly.  His message is Himself, and He Himself reveals the Father ("Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father" - John 14:9).  His wisdom and prudence is precisely in the way in which He wages His campaign of ministry, so to speak -- how He chooses to go about spreading His gospel.  We are reminded, in the words from Isaiah, of Jesus' own teaching to His disciples as He sent them out on their first mission just recently in these Gospel readings:  they are to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves."  So Jesus gives the example, and the words from Isaiah confirm this character of the Messiah, the Expected One, the Servant of God.  Jesus, as the words from Isaiah teach us, will accomplish His mission without fight, nor even the fanfare that accompanies a great conflagration or disturbance, but by practicing what He has taught His disciples to be like as they themselves were sent out.  He is not a lordly commander of an army, but one who is gentle and lowly in heart, who gives rest to the weary souls, and whose yoke is easy and His burden is light.  The campaign He wages isn't an earthly one of material power, but one that is fought for hearts and minds and souls, and that requires something quite different indeed.  Let us recall to ourselves His wisdom and His love, His trueness of purpose, and also how He teaches by example.  Everything will be accomplished in the way in which it must be, before His final confrontation, and in the surprising ways that are God's ways (of which Isaiah also speaks).  Let us remember His prudence, and all that was accomplished as indicated by Isaiah in today's quotation, when we have difficult challenges set before us.  Let us call upon His guidance in prayer so that we, too, may be like Him.  We may call on His power and strength and wisdom to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves -- and to speak with the voice the Spirit teaches when it is time for us to do so. 

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die. The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."

These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

- John 12:27-36

In yesterday's reading, we were told that certain Greeks had come to worship at the Passover feast, and they wanted to see Jesus. Jesus proclaimed that it was the hour in which He would be glorified. He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me, and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

"Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name." We look at these words and must see them in the context of what has come before. As noted in yesterday's commentary, when Jesus spoke of "his life in the world" he used the Greek word "psyche," which is usually translated as soul. Here, he uses the same word, psyche, when He says, "My soul is troubled." So, it is, in effect, an illustration of what He has just said. He feels with His human soul in this world, the deep troubling reality of what is to happen now that His hour has come. My study bible notes that this verse gives us a glimpse of the Gethsemane experience of Jesus, and so it does. And yet, He chooses to glorify the name of His Father -- to follow the purpose for which He came into the world.

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." We read the illustration of various impressions of a theophany or revelation of God in the world. My study bible has an important note on the idea of the Father's name, which I will quote. "The Father's name is an extension of His person. The Son worked for the glory of the Father, and His death is now to be offered up to complete that purpose and to show the Father's love for all people. The divine voice gives assurance that the death of Jesus is not humiliation but glorification through the fulfillment of God's plan for the redemption of the world."

Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die. My study bible says that lifted up is "a reference to the lifting up of Christ on the Cross, which is His glorification and will lead to the salvation of the human race. At the same time this event is a judgment on the unbelieving world of darkness and the abolition of the power of the ruler of this world, Satan." Christ's martyrdom (a "martyr" in Greek is a "witness") will be the testimony that carries the judgment of the ruler of this world. It is the great call that is sent out to all the universe in order to build the judgment that will be a victory for all human beings under captivity to that "prince" or "ruler of this world." And, indeed, for this purpose He has come and lived a life as one of us, and asks us to "Follow Him." He has referred before in John's Gospel to His own lifting up, when He compared it to Moses lifting the serpent in the wilderness. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" John 3:14-16. The fact that we have just heard, in yesterday's reading, that the Greeks (who are Gentiles who've come to the Passover to worship the God of Israel) wish to see Him is also a signal for His last statement here -- that He will draw all peoples to Himself.

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." Jesus' emphasis is on the light -- and His repeated emphasis that it is with them a little while longer. My study bible reminds us, beautifully: "Christ is 'light from Light' (Nicene Creed). In union with Him, we partake of His light, becoming children of light." So the time for argument is through; it is His hour. They must walk in the light while they have it, while He is yet with them. He calls all to faith now at every opportunity; His time is nearly over as a human being in this world.

These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. These words reflect the condition in which He will leave us. We have His light, but we must seek it for ourselves.

"Light from Light" - let us think about this phrase. What does it mean for you? It is so important to me that my study bible points out that this light is meant to illuminate us, so that we, too, may carry it with us and help to shed its rays, like a lamp, to others. We are not the Source of the light, but we may, in turn, become a reflection of it. Jesus turns once again here to themes of light in John's Gospel. Yesterday we were reminded of Matthew's Gospel, and the Sermon on the Mount, in which He taught that we must cast away the things that will destroy the whole body: "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out." And today we are also reminded of Jesus' words from that Sermon: "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Today's question, then, is how do you reflect that light in the world? How do you cast Christ's light into the world through yourself? Let us consider light and darkness -- and the constant tension between the victory won in exaltation on the Cross, and that which is yet to be won in each of us.