And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

- John 6:27–40 

 

 Yesterday we read that, after the feeding of the five thousand men (and more women and children) in the wilderness, when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  This is an interesting understanding, that Christ teaches that to pursue our faith is to work the works of God.  It indicates that faith is much more than simply an acceptance of an idea or believe.  The root of faith in the Greek of the Gospels means "trust."  To trust in Christ is to walk the journey of faith with Him, to follow His commandments, and to grow in that faith in all the ways that we might.  

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  In yesterday's reading (above), Christ said Himself that these people had followed Him not because they saw His signs, but because they had been filled with the loaves, after which they tried to make Him king by force (see Wednesday's reading).  Here Christ's statement is affirmed; although He fed them miraculously in the wilderness, they demand a sign.  

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  My study Bible says of Christ's own will:  Since He has two natures, Christ has two wills -- the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, which was held at Constantinople (AD 680-681), it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another.  Instead, "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  

In today's reading, Jesus clearly emphasizes the unity of wills between Father and Son.  He says, "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  According to St. John Chrysostom, Jesus clearly states that it is His will as Son -- and therefore clearly the will of the Father -- that all are saved for this everlasting life He offers.  It stands to reason, then, he comments that neither faith nor unbelief are in some sense accidental, that faith is willed by the Father and the Son so that all are saved, because it is for this purpose that Christ in Incarnate in the world as a human being.  But unbelief also is not accidental, because it implies a denial or refusal of the Father's will.  In considering these things, it is imperative also that we think about the qualities that pertain to this everlasting life, this life to which we might be raised with Him through our faith.  Everlasting life pertains to a quality that is not simply about the temporal life we experience stretching on and on into eternity.  It pertains instead to a completely different quality or experience of life altogether, one outside of the moments in time we experience one after another.  In this sense, "everlasting" life is a quality of life which is independent of time.  According to HELPS Word-studies, this is life which is "simultaneously outside of time, inside of time, and beyond time."  In particular, it is the "unique quality (reality) of God's life at work in the believer," as God may manifest God's life within us.  In other words, this quality of grace permeates the meaning and values of what it is to experience everlasting life, and even as we live our lives in this world, as faithful, we may partake and experience this quality of life.  As such, there are gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12), there is fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), there are diverse experiences of grace that permeate the life of the Church and her saints, and may be experienced by us all.  If this "everlasting" life is really a quality of the fullness of what God's life means, then how may we experience this -- even a taste of it -- as faithful?  An insight given in prayer is part of that life, what seems like miraculous coincidences experienced by the faithful are a part of that life, a sense of depth of insight into another person or a seemingly impossible solution to a problem is also a part of that life, and these experiences are numerous among the lived life of the faithful.  An everlasting life (meaning quite literally in Greek the quality of being age-long as opposed to fleeting life we know in this world) is an indication, then, of fullness, relating to concepts of growing into something until no more growth is possible.  An "end" or "finish" in this sense means everything has expanded to its fullest extent.  That would be the life of the "end" in which Christ unites with His Bride, the Church, the raising up at the last day.  But as faithful we should consider what the bread of heaven, given to us in the Church, particularly in the Eucharist, and as the life of faith we may live even in this world, adds to our lives as a quality that transforms and changes our experience of our worldly or earthly lives.  We should consider what this "everlasting" quality is that touches our lives.  Jesus speaks of the grace we receive by living this life of faith ourselves, in the Sermon on the Plain reported by St. Luke:  "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:37-38).  To grasp a life of faith, then, to cherish the bread of life He offers, is to enter into and to participate in something far beyond ourselves, and to let this kingdom of heaven grow within us (Matthew 13:31-32).  Let us enter into, participate in, and cherish the life He offers, and grow in the path He opens, to an everlasting life, even to the last day.

 

This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God he Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

- John 6:27-40 

 

On Saturday we read that, after Christ fed the five thousand in the wilderness, when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, or His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endues to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God he Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."   Jesus says, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."  My study Bible comments here that since Christ has two natures, He has two wills:  the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, which was held in Constantinople in AD 680-681, it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another.  Instead, my study Bible quotes the Council, "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  

In today's reading, we once again see at work a common motif in John's Gospel:  misunderstandings of Christ's words that lead to deeper explanations of the mystical reality He brings into the world.  The people first respond to Christ's command to labor for the food which endures to everlasting life.  They ask Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  It's always very intriguing to understand that Christ speaks of faith itself as the work of God.   In today's lectionary reading is also included a passage from the Letter to the Hebrews, in which St. Paul speaks of faith.  He writes, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  As another way to understand St. Paul's language and meaning, it's suggested that we may read this as saying that faith is the realization of things hoped for, the confidence of things not seen.  This sense of faith emphasizes our capacity to live our faith, to act upon it and live in accordance with it.  When it comes to the words of Jesus, then, we understand the trust, hope, and confidence He asks us to put into Him, the way He will lead us to live. This is "the work of God" Christ advocates to us.  But the people, who have just been miraculously fed by Him (see Friday's reading), respond by asking Him for proofs before they will believe in Him, and they bring up the manna given as Moses led the Israelites.   Jesus again takes this language, and turns it into the spiritual meaning He brings with Him, saying that the true bread from heaven comes from the Father, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."   When the people, still not understanding, ask to be given this bread always, Jesus responds clearly:  "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."   But faith, as St. Paul's words teach us, is about perception, the capacity for eyes that see and ears that hear that which is hoped for, and and take confidence in what is not seen.  These people see Christ, even His works, and yet do not perceive, do not believe.  But it is Christ who responds with His own declaration of faith, in displaying His faithfulness in doing God's will.  With confidence, He replies, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  In so doing, He responds to the unbelievers, who demand (more) proofs from Him, by setting for us the ultimate example of faithful living, and declaring His absolute confidence in the Father.  So much so, that there is a unity of will in Him, so that even His human will is subject to the divine.   Christ's confidence is clearly in the Father, as He expresses here, for although these people do not believe, the Father will give Jesus others.  And in the Father Jesus puts His full trust.  In this vein, He assures all that of everything He is given by the Father, He will lose nothing -- and that everyone who similarly places trust and faith in Him will be raised up at the last day.  So, taking together the words of the Sixth Ecumenical Council quoted by my study Bible, the words of St. Paul, and the words of Christ, we ask ourselves, what is the substance of our faith?  What does that look like in our lives?  In particular, what kind of shape does that "work" take in our lives?  If we place our confidence and trust in Christ, if faith feeds and substantiates our convictions, then how does that build our choices and movement in life?  Both Christ and St. Paul speak of faith as something substantial within us, tangible, a kind of measurement of how we respond to Christ which in turn creates a similar unity of will within us.  Let us think about what it means if faith is more than belief, when it is instead a building block of hope and evidence of what is not seen.  

What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  

 

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  

 

Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.

 

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

- John 6:27-40 

 

Yesterday we read that, when evening came (after the feeding of the five thousand), His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 

  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." Our reading continues from yesterday, repeating Christ's statement to this crowd who has been fed in the wilderness, chased after Him to make Him king by force (which Jesus evaded), and now followed Him to Capernaum.  He teaches them not to labor for perishable food, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which only He can give.  They follow with a logical question, part of the ways in which John's Gospel uses misunderstandings and overlapping earthly and spiritual meanings:  "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  And Jesus responds with a teaching about faith, that to believe, to do the work of faith in Christ, is work the works of God:  "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." 

 

 Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  The people then move on to the next question; they want a sign so they can believe, so they can "work the works of God."  Jesus moves them to a new place, the true bread from heaven.  And what, or we should say, Who is that true bread from heaven?  It is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.  It is Christ Himself, the Son of Man.

 

 Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.   Finally, answering their demand for this bread, Jesus explicitly claims, "I am the bread of life."  Nonetheless, they still do not believe.  

 

"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."   My study Bible comments here, regarding the will of Christ, that since Christ has two natures (human and divine), He has two wills -- the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical council, held at Constantinople (AD 680-681), it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but rather "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  Jesus' statements here build upon and amplify what He has taught earlier when disputing with the religious authorities:  "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30).

 

"This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  And here Jesus explains the will of the Father who sent Him, that of everything that belongs to Christ -- that the Father has given Him -- He should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  How are we His?  How do we make that connection to what is eternal and everlasting?  Through faith, through belief in the Son who was sent.

We observe the teachings of Christ, as He moves from "earthly" subjects to divine ones.  He does this through His answers to the questions and demands of the crowd, whom He's fed in the wilderness with earthly food multiplied through divine power, and they now want more.  We keep in mind they wanted to make Him king by force, so much do they desire the life they imagine He can provide for them, through the sign of the feeding in the wilderness.  They do not truly know Him, do not understand Him, nor do they understand what He offers, but nonetheless He explains and He teaches them.  He is the One who was sent by the Father, the Son of Man, as He referred to Himself in yesterday's reading.  That is, the One upon whom, He said, the Father had set His seal.  Within that seal, within the Name of God, there is one "will" which Jesus does.  There is one power, which Jesus honors through doing the works the Father asks Him to reveal to the world.  But for we human beings, we might ask what is the key to belonging to that will ourselves, to that divine power working even through One who is sent to us as fellow human being?  The key is faith, belief -- that we believe in the One who was sent.  So let us think about faith in Christ, which Jesus says is how we "work the works of God."  It is faith that links us to Christ, and in turn we are then part of what the Father has "given" to Him, part of what will be raised up with Him, part of that "bread of heaven which is unto everlasting life.  It is faith that connects us.  But what does faith entail?  What does it mean?  How is it a work?  Does faith simply mean that we intellectually choose something, or swear to it, or participate in a code?  Or does faith really ask more of us?  Faith, in the Greek of the Scriptures, is a word whose root means "trust."   So to have faith in Christ is to trust in Him -- and that necessarily means all the works, choices, actions, decisions that follow when our trust is there.  To trust implies something more deep than to believe, because we tend so often to separate various intellectual choices into different categories, and apply them to different circumstances in our lives.  But to trust in something means we rest ourselves there, we place ourselves on that rock, and our security is there.  So to trust in Christ in this way implies an entirety of our being, and our subsequent way of life.  It means that we belong -- and there we return to Christ's words:  "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day."  When we trust in Him, we belong to that which is given to Christ by the Father, for this is what forms connection and belonging.  We trust to Him, to the bread of heaven.  So, we may become children by adoption, part of a bigger family than we know, the family of the Father and the Son.  Let us ponder these mysteries, for we may participate in them, and "work the works of God."

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

 

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

 

- John 5:30–47 

 

In our present readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Weeks (the Old Testament Pentecost, celebrating the giving of the Law to Moses).  He has healed a paralytic, and has been disputing with the religious authorities who accuse Him of violating the Sabbath (as He commanded the healed man to take up his bed and walk; thus carrying a burden).  In Christ's reply to them, He has spoken of His identity as Son, and equality with the Father, which enraged the leadership even more as they consider this blasphemy.  Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." 

 

  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  Here Jesus defends His words, for which He's been accused of blasphemy, stating that He does "the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study Bible explains that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for they all fully share the same divine nature.  It notes that when the Son is said to obey the Father, this refers to Christ's human will, which He assumed at His Incarnation.  He freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father, and we are called to do likewise.  

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"  Christ's witness cannot be untrue (see John 8:14).  But nonetheless, here He is anticipating the thoughts and challenges of the religious authorities, and offers for Himself four witnesses.  (My study Bible says He does the same thing in Luke 4:23.)  In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  But Jesus offers twice that to confirm His identity as Messiah and as Son of God.  These witnesses are God the Father, John the Baptist, His own works, and the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony.  

We might wonder how these religious leaders can understand Christ's offering of four witnesses to His identity.  In truth, these men who are the experts in the Scriptures, and whose lives are dedicated not only to upholding them but to their interpretation and the traditions built up around them, and He expects them to understand precisely what He's talking about.  The signs that He does are all signs pointed to in the Old Testament Scriptures regarding the "works" of the Messiah, the signs that will be seen.  The marvelous works He does are not something that belongs to those who practice sorcery or magic, not even to holy men like the prophets.  These works He does, Jesus testifies, bear witness that the Father sent Him, because He does only what the Father wills for Him to do.  But the works He does are only one testimony to His identity.  There is John the Baptist, who also testified to Christ, about whom we read in the beginning of John's Gospel, and from whom came the first disciples of Christ.  Jesus says that the Father Himself testifies as witness to His identity as Christ.  And then He includes these verses:  "And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe."  This is very important for us to understand, for what Jesus is saying here is that without the love of God in our hearts, we will not be able to discern what is of God.  Hence, they cannot receive Christ nor "hear" the truth He tells them.  He goes on to say,  "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"   If they "search the Scriptures," believing that in them is eternal life, then why can they not discern the testimony there regarding Jesus?  But they are not willing to come to Him.  They cannot recognize Him, because they "do not have the love of God" in them.  Again, Christ speaks of a recognition that is only borne of this love in the heart to begin with.  And the contrast He names here is very important: their focus is on the worldly, on the social recognition of a worldly name, and not on the love of God that would define all other relationships, and set them in proper order.  But, He says, He does not receive honor from men; that is, His recognition of what is good and true and honorable is from love of the Father, and not the pressures, status, worldly authority, and other "signs" of social life of human beings.  This is an important distinction for us, for we live in a world where social signals become more relevant every day to how people live their lives.  This is especially true via media saturation into the most personal of spheres in most of our lives.  So the focus begins here with the love of the Father in the heart in the first place.  It is reflective of Christ's named "first and greatest" commandment, part of the beginning of the Shema, the Jewish confession of faith.   In Deuteronomy 6 we read, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart" (Deuteronomy 6:4-6).  Let us look more closely at the two great commandments that Jesus says sum up the law and the prophets, for coupled together, the addition of the second greatest commandment also teaches us about right relatedness to others.  That commandment is,  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18).   In this is proper relationship, and not a social hierarchy of slavish worship of status or the approval of others, for that is the place only of God, and our values start with the love of God to determine them, even to determine the shape of love, what it is, what it looks like, and what it asks of us.  Jesus sticks to His truth, which begins with the love of God, and this determines everything else that follows, including His own identity and the works He does.  Let us begin there as well, and see how this love shapes us, what it teaches us of love, what love is and means -- and even what it is not.  For, as with Jesus, our own "works" will also testify to who we are, even if others cannot discern them.

My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"

 

- John 7:14-36 

 

Yesterday we read that, after the controversies surrounding His preaching (see chapter 6),  Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.  Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.  His brothers therefore said to Him, "Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.  For no  one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.  If You do these things, show Yourself to the world."  For even His brothers did not believe in Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.  You go up to this feast.  I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come."  When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.  But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.  Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, "Where is He?"  And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him.  Some said, "He is good"; others said, "No, on the contrary, He deceives the people."  However no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

 

 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  We recall that this section of John's Gospel (John 7:1-10:21) concerns events at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day festival commemorating the time that Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sinai.  There is already a great deal of controversy surrounding Jesus:  the religious leaders seek Him, and the people debate about Him with many different opinions, but are afraid to speak openly for fear of the leadership. See yesterday's reading and commentary, linked above.  It is now the final year of Christ's earthly life and ministry.

Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him."  My study Bible comments that the simple desire to know and follow God's will is the key to understanding it.  Spiritual blindness, it says, comes from unwillingness to know God or to recognize God's authority.  It quotes St. John Chrysostom, who paraphrases Christ this way:  "Rid yourselves of wickedness:  the anger, the envy, and the hatred which have arisen in your hearts, without provocation, against Me.  Then you will have no difficulty in realizing that My words are actually those of God.  As it is, these passions darken your understanding and distort sound judgment.  If you remove these passions, you will no longer be afflicted in this way."

"Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Of course Jesus is correct, there are those among the leadership who now seek to seize Him; in fact, a few verses down we're told that the religious leaders send officers of the temple to take Him.  Jesus refers to His healing of the paralytic on the Sabbath, which the religious leaders seized upon as a violation of the law of Moses (see this reading).  But here Christ also gives an example of a blameless violation on the Sabbath ("if a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath"), as He does elsewhere (see Matthew 12:3-5, for example).   Jesus says, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment," which can be said to sum up so much of His preaching.  It also reinforces His earlier statement about seeking the glory of God in all things, rather than personal glory, such as the actions of the religious rulers exemplify in their question to maintain authority by silencing Jesus.

 

 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  My study Bible comments that the crowds are mistaken, in both an earthly sense, and also in a divine sense.  In terms of His human life, they think of Jesus as being from Nazareth in Galilee; but they are not aware that He was actually born in Bethlehem (verse 42; see Luke 2:1-7).  Moreover, they can't comprehend that Christ has come from the Father in Heaven, eternally begotten before all ages, and therefore His divine "origin" also remains unknown to them.  

Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.  And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  Once more, Jesus returns to His relationship to the Father who sent Him.  It is this on which so much hinges, Christ's identity and His word.  My study Bible comments that His hour is the time of His suffering and death.  It says that Christ is the Lord over time, an authority which is possessed by God alone.  Christ comes to His Cross of His own free will and in His time, and not according to the plots of human beings (see John 8:20; 10:39).  

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."   My study Bible comments that Christ's statement refers to the His death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven. 

Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come'?"  To go among the Greeks means to go among the Gentiles, the Greek-speakers, as Greek was the lingua franca of the ancient world.  My study Bible says that this unwitting prophecy points to the time after Christ's Ascension, when His name will be preached among the Gentiles by the apostles.  

Jesus tells the people, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  It's important that we know He tells this to the people and not just to the religious leaders.  For what He is saying is that we are all capable of doing as He does.  Over and over again, what He emphasizes is His complete relationship, His unity with the Father.  But in today's reading, He teaches, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority."  Let us note, He says that this applies to anyone.  So He is inviting anyone, just one who wills to do the will of the One who sent Him, then that person will know concerning the doctrine:  whether it is from God or whether He speaks on His own authority.  Repeatedly in John's Gospel, Jesus has emphasized not only His own close tie or unity with the Father, but also the Father's pull of love upon us.  And now He says quite clearly that we also may understand concerning the doctrine He teaches, whether it is from God or whether He speaks on His own authority.  All it really takes is that deep internal willingness to separate ourselves from our own will, and to do as He does, to seek the will of the Father.  This is the key to truth and to knowing truth -- and it is the key to the capacity not to judge by appearance, but to judge with righteous judgment.  He makes clear the distinction between one who seeks only his own will, or one who seeks the will of the One who sent Him -- meaning the Father, and that this is the key to our own capacity for truth and the recognition of truth.  To use a modern coin of phrase, He is teaching us to divorce ourselves from our own egos so that we seek the will of God.  He makes a plea for the honesty of real humility, and teaches us how we are to practice discernment, the key to recognizing and knowing truth and living truth within ourselves.  He opens this door for all of us, for anyone.  This is not just for religious scholars, and not just for the enlightened elite, but requires of us the humility of true desire to do the will of God.  This is the response in us to the love of the Father that draws us; as He said in Tuesday's reading:  "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God'."  He has given us the key; let us endeavor to do our best to use it, to cultivate the humility and the desire to hear and respond to the love of God in truth.

 

 

 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

Christ Pantocrator, 6th century, St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai

 "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

- Matthew 6:7-15

We are currently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 - 7).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught:   "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. . . . Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  Vain repetitions are repetitions which do not express a true desire for communion with God, and thereby cannot establish a state of true prayer.  God does not need our "babble," my study bible says, but our sincerity.  Christ does not condemn the use of many words per se -- it is, instead, the sincere desire the words convey that matters.   In today's reading, Jesus gives us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer, which follows).  It's important to distinguish between repetition and vain repetition, which Jesus emphasizes.  There are many psalms, prayers, and hymns in the Church repeated for countless generations in worshiping God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).   What counts in prayer is sincerity, which goes along with Christ's emphasis on secrecy and personal communion in yesterday's reading.

"In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name."  My study bible says that the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity also reveals our own potential relationship with God  Christ, who is the Son of God, also gives us the privilege of calling God Our Father by grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" (and therefore "heir" regardless of gender), every follower of Christ is called to love, trust, and serve God the same way that Christ does the Father.  My study bible also points out that God is not our Father simply by virtue of the fact that God is our Creator.  God is Father to those with whom God is in a saving and personal relationship, which is a communion by grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).

"Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  As children of God, we seek to participate in God's kingdom, or rule, even as we live our lives on earth.  Sonship by adoption implies a way of life, or perhaps more precisely, a way of living in communion with God and God's kingdom.  As did Christ, our desire of for God's kingdom to be manifest in this world, and to follow God's will.

"Give us this day our daily bread."  The word for daily is somewhat misleadingly translated.  The Greek word is epiousios, which literally means "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  It denotes a kind of superstructure added atop the normal substance of bread.   This makes a strong allusion to the Eucharist, and implies a "supersubstance" which we -- as those who seek to live in loving communion with God -- need for our daily lives which we seek to live as members of God's kingdom.   Daily bread, my study bible says, indicates not simply bread for today and for earthly nourishment.  This request is regarding the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  The living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  My study bible sums up this request as not asking merely for material bread for physical health, but for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."   This request to be forgiven is in the plural, making it a type of communal request.  My study bible says that it therefore directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  Debts refers to spiritual debts (see 18:21-35).  See also the final verses of today's reading.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  James 1:13 teaches us that God tempts no one to sin.  Looking at the temptations of Christ (see this reading), we understand that temptation comes from the evil one, the devil.  My study bible adds that temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).   It says that no one lives without encountering temptations, but we pray that great temptations -- that is, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), should not come to us.

"For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen."  This is a solemn affirmation not only of the prayer itself (Amen), but also of our recognition of the rule, authority, and majesty of God.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Here Christ instructs us regarding mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  My study bible says that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (18:21-35), cited in commentary above, which concludes with the same teaching.  My study bible adds that to not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.

Forgiveness can be a difficult road to go down.  Offenses that have caused great harm seem impossible to even begin to address in the spirit of forgiveness.  But if we think about the language that Jesus has used here -- which is the language of debt, of financial transaction -- then we may be able to make a start at understanding what is asked of us.  A debt is "forgiven" when it is wiped off the books.  That is, we no longer expect payment.  Therefore, in the context of debt in this sense, we have to ask what "payment" we may be expecting from an offender when we withhold forgiveness.  Someone who has caused us harm or hurt may not, in any sense, be able to render payment equal to the offense.  Even if we could think up what payment would satisfy us, it is rare indeed that it could restore what we feel has been taken away.  For example, slander may cause a great deal of lasting harm that no "correction" can make disappear in the minds of those who've believed a false tale.  Moreover, to forgive in this sense of the prayer is mentioned in the context of our relationship with God.  That is, the idea of forgiveness, as directed by Christ, expands relationship from simply one-to-one (offender and the one offended) to a three-way relationship which is, additionally, described within the context of the community of believers ("forgive us our debts").  So Christ's prayer has the effect of widely expanding the pool of interaction within which forgiveness is asked.  If I am harmed by something a person has done, it is no longer simply myself involved in the hurt.  This is rather expanded to an entire community which is, moreover, in relationship to God the Father.  When I choose to "forgive" or rather "give up" or "let go" that debt (as the Greek word more literally means), then I release it to God and to community.  I am, therefore, through the act of forgiving, relying upon God and community not only to direct my response, but also to be the Source from which my healing or restoration will come.  In other words, to release the debt to God becomes a way of expanding one's own sources of healing and restoration, recompense and guidance for how to properly and best conduct oneself in response to any form of harm.  If this seems too much to take in, consider how an offender may "pay us back" for hurts as some form of debt they owe.  It makes us consider what retribution we might demand or extract in relationship to what God and community can do for us.  If I suffer abuse, am I helped by holding onto that debt myself?  If I release that debt to God in prayer and do so within a community of believers, are my chances of finding a better way forward for my life increased?  Are not God's help and guidance more likely to lead us somewhere good than our own immediate response?  Let us consider how we may find ways to transcend suffering within this framework of "giving up" something, a debt or trespass.  Perhaps our prayer and forgiveness will lead us to a just settlement, even within a legal framework.  Perhaps those things which will need a deeper source of forgiveness and reconciliation will only give us real help through faith and our relationship to God.  Perhaps we will find a pathway whereby our experience is put to better use than staying stuck in a pattern from the past.  All of this, put into the context of God and community, may be used for a much greater healing, for insight and meaning, and for the depth of character that is better able to help others and to move forward in life with positive plans.  We free up our own energies for healing when we start to bring in those things that are greater than ourselves, help and assistance with more wisdom and insight, and the One who loves and knows us better than we know ourselves.  What is most important to understand about forgiveness is that when we turn to God, there is nothing left out.  It is not a sweeping under the rug of past hurts.  It is, rather, a way to ask for the fullness of healing, a restoration of our energies, repair of the soul, so that we may be free to find greater fulfillment in our own potentials for a better and more creative life than staying stuck only in an identity of hurt.  God never forgets the truth of who we are, even when we do -- and neither are our needs ignored, even when we might prefer to do so ourselves.  Christ offers us a way to find ourselves in right-relatedness, to remind ourselves Whose children we really are, and to find identity in the one place where we are truly known.  Let us begin and end with His prayer!  The icon above was one of the few to survive the Iconoclast movement.  It is Christ Pantocrator, meaning "Almighty."   It shows us Christ's identity which is both human and divine, but perhaps even more importantly implies those human experiences and suffering which were glorified in His Ascension into heaven.  We see this in the trace of a tear, the gray hairs, and the facial wrinkles on the right side of the icon.  We see His hand raised in blessing, and holding His Gospel for us.  If Christ's suffering may become glorified, designated for the very purpose of salvation for the whole of creation, imagine the implication for those "debts" which we, in turn, give up to the kingdom, to God our Father?  In God's redemption, then, we trust -- and this is truly the salvation of Christ at work in us.

This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." 

- John 6:27-40

Yesterday we read that when evening came (after the feeding of the five thousand), His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."   The work of God is to believe in Him whom He sent."  So often we forget that faith itself is a choice, a "work" -- there is so much work that must go on within ourselves as our faith is challenged by our lives, our experience, our thoughts and habitual responses, and the earthly life we live.   In this vein of understanding, prayer itself is another kind of "work of God."

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."  Following the parallels to the Exodus noted so far in chapter 6 of John's Gospel, here Jesus declares Himself to be the true food and drink, the true bread that has come down from heaven (see also Exodus 16:1-17:7).

"But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."   My study bible remarks that since Christ has two natures, He has two wills:  the divine will and a human will.  The Sixth Ecumenical Council , held in Constantinople (AD 680-681), proclaims that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but rather "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."

Christ speaks so strongly of the link of faith between Himself and those whom He shall raise up at the last day.  He tells us of His link, His closeness with the Father:   "I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."   At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, we are given to understand, the existence of both human and divine will in Christ was decided -- and so Christ speaks here not of the divine will which is united within the Trinity, but of His human will, that in His earthly ministry He has chosen to fully align His human will with the divine will of the Father.  This is an example to us, it is something we should wholly and fully desire for ourselves.  Indeed, this is the great goal of all monastic life, and we are also to understand that it is in that divine will of Creator where we truly "find ourselves" -- this process of alignment is, in fact, one of truly becoming ourselves.  If we seek who we truly are, we need to align ourselves to Creator, to have that as our firm aim and direction in our prayer and our efforts to become the persons that Christ asks us to be.  To follow Christ in faith, then, is like a time-based alignment of this will in the sense that Christ sets the example of alignment of will.  We don't "become" God, but we can become "like God."  We simply have a lifetime of work at this work He names, an ongoing process of conversion based on the gift of time that is also given to us as creatures by God.  And once again, what is the work of God?  "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent," Jesus tells the crowds, and us.  Faith itself becomes a work, because it implies so much else that is purely "work."  That is, this kind of faith sets out a lifetime of works, of choices and decisions to follow and to align ourselves with His will -- of allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us, and the indwelling also of Father and of Christ, influencing who we are which is known by the works that we do.  Let us reiterate that "works" are not merely things done to be seen by others.  Works are all the choices we make; the decision to pray; the decision to find the will of God and seek it for ourselves; to hand ourselves over to Christ, so to speak -- and faith itself, to "believe in Him whom He sent" is also the work of God, as Jesus states here.  So let us think about these works we do, what kind of fruit we wish to produce, and the results of a lifetime of choices offered and made through time within this discipline and gift of faith.  Let us never forget how it ties us to the gifts of Father, Son, and Spirit themselves working in us and with us -- and how much help we have all along the way, with myriad messengers and saints as a great cloud of witnesses helping us as well.

My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me

 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What?  Could you to watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."  And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

- Matthew 26:36-46

On Saturday we read that as Jesus and the disciples were eating the Passover meal known as the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble"  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And so said all the disciples.

 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go and pray over there."  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me."  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  My study bible tells us that this cup refers to Christ's impending death.  He willingly goes to His death according to His divine nature.  But as a man, He wishes He could avoid it, because it is a mark of humanity to abhor death.  He prays if it is possible that it be taken from Him, thereby giving us abundant proof of His human nature.  But nevertheless, Jesus is without sin and completely subjects and units His human will to the Father's divine will. 

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "What?  Could you to watch with Me one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done."  And he came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then He came to His disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."   Jesus gives us -- at this time of greatest tension and danger -- the key to Christian spirituality and the struggle against temptation:  to watch and pray.  In this way, the Lord's human soul is strengthened, my study bible says, and He may face death with divine courage.  In contrast to Christ's vigilance, the disciples sleep.  Body and soul are united, and the spirit is paralyzed by a lethargic body:  a willing spirit, recognizing the weakness of the flesh, will struggle against its weakness, relying on God's presence and power.

What is the greatest weapon we have at times of tremendous stress and difficulties?  Constant prayer.  One of the greatest gifts our faith has given us is the practice of prayer of the hours.   This is the daily practice of prayer at particular intervals during the day.  It stems from Jewish practices.  Psalm 119:164 refers to these formal prayer periods:  "Seven times a day I praise You, because of Your righteous judgments."    In Christianity, these set times for different prayers during the day evolved in different centers, becoming standardized forms in various denominations of the Church.  One may easily adapt the practice to individual use if not available in a church, in accordance with various forms among the Orthodox, Anglican/Episcopalian, Catholic, and varied Protestant traditions.  (Here, for example, is an Orthodox page on the daily hours of prayer.)  It is highly effective as a rule for regular prayer, and particularly so in the context of this event in Jesus' life:  at our times of greatest stress and difficulty.  In times when we are stressed to make difficult decisions, such as the ill health of a loved one, or a financial crisis, or a great challenge to our sense of ourselves, we are in a position of vulnerability.  Great temptations can come and seem to accompany such times, along with great stress.  As Jesus tells us in this worst-of-times example, it is particularly important to have regular times to pray when we find ourselves in such circumstances.  Prayer withdraws us from our immediate stresses, and allows us to "plug in" to the Source of all our being and strength.  It enables us to draw upon the great well of eternal strength that is there for us, recharging us and giving us a perspective that isn't found anywhere else.  To schedule regular times of prayer in the midst of a crisis is to call a time-out, a time for recharging our batteries, and most especially for drawing upon the energies found in the source of all life, our God.  It is at those times when each of us may be in the greatest spiritual danger.  It is as if, in our times of great turmoil. we are vulnerable to temptations that are unknown to us or for which we are unprepared.  At such times, taking timeouts for regular prayer, using the written prayers of the Church, can make an exceptional difference in how we handle terrible circumstances.  Personal prayer is always important, but the daily cycle of prayers composed of traditional prayer make a great difference, as they take us out of our immediate circumstances and give us the tools, foundations, and strengths shored up and accumulated through centuries of human experience in which we may participate and share when we need it.  Jesus gives us the example:  watch and pray.  There is nothing more crucial when the flesh is weak -- at our times when all our personal mental, physical, and spiritual resources are tested and in danger of exhaustion.  Even if we have to take time out of our sleep for such prayer, the reward is greater stability, balance, and energy for making the decisions we need to make in times of distress.  Let us learn from Him and follow His commands for the good of our own lives.  At those times, He will watch with us when we enter into prayer, along with a host of witnesses and help.