Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 

'Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.'

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

- Luke 8:1–15 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"    Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  My study Bible notes that these women were faithful to Christ to the end (Luke 23:49, 55), and were the first to receive and proclaim the news of Christ's Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  In the Scriptures, it continues, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness.  So this indicates that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing.

 

 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Here Jesus gives His first parable, to a great multitude which had gathered from every city.  In all the Synoptic Gospels, the parable of the Sower is the first told by Jesus (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20).  

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that  'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.  My study Bible comments that as the sower in this parable, Christ fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 55:10-13.  It says that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment faith is professed -- a view never held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.    Jesus tells the disciples, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that  'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"  (See Isaiah 6:9.)  My study Bible explains that mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined.  It says that a person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom comments, "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was  a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will."  Doing so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."

 

 What stories do we know which tell us about our faith?  Jesus gives us stories in the form of parables.  These are memorable illustrations of the ways of the Kingdom, how the Kingdom works, and who Christ is.  As mentioned above, in all the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus begins His preaching in parables with the parable of the Sower, given in today's reading.  We also have Jesus' explanation for the parable.  Clearly, He is the Sower, and the seeds He sows are the gospel message.  Where will they fall?  If we think carefully about this parable (and about Jesus' words explaining it to His disciples), we'll come to see that we might fall anywhere on the spectrum of the ground He describes, at any time -- or at various periods of our lives.  Each of us knows seasons of the kinds of temptations and struggles Jesus describes.  First of all He describes the work of the adversary, the devil, reminding us that there are spiritual foes at work in the world, seeking to snatch away the word.  We all deal with temptations of various kinds; some we may harbor and nurture, others we do our best to refuse.  And then there are the times we may be choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life -- always with us and seemingly an integral part of our world.  Perhaps the demand for such is exacerbated and accelerated through modern technologies and means of communication, drowning out the word of God.  We need to seek out Christ's word, keeping it with us, energizing and enlivening it within ourselves to counter all of these effects.  But then there is the good ground, and one presumes that those who seek out that good word know that effect of the good ground within them and seek to nurture it.  Moreover we should note that, in Jesus' words, not only does this ask of us a noble and good heart, but we must also keep that word, and bear fruit with patience.  That "with patience" is important, for sometimes the fruits of our faith take time, and sometimes living the word takes patience with all the things in life that seek to get in the way.  Note that patience also implies that our effort is steady, over time.  As my study Bible noted, faith is not a one-time-only confession, but a life of lived effort.  Our path is for our lives, and for that we need the patience to understand the sustained nature of the faith Jesus speaks about.  But there is joy in the heart by living with this word, and the grace we're given helps and sustains.  My study Bible says that parables are word-pictures, given to us in images from daily life, meant to communicate the deep things of God.  It says that parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Note in today's parable how Christ the Sower sows the word of God in the earth.  We need spiritual eyes and ears to hear and understand, but His word is here and present, seemingly awaiting us.  When life seems to be filled with piled up urgencies and needs, news of the day, and all manner of distraction, let's remember that His word is always awaiting us, and the depth of our hearts.

The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

 

- Luke 6:1-11 

 

 On Saturday, we read that after the healing of a paralytic, He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"

 

  Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."    My study Bible explains that the second Sabbath after the first is a term that was used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath, for a feast was also called a Sabbath. It says that according to St. Ambrose, the term "second Sabbath" gives an image of the new covenant (see yesterday's reading, above, and Christ's teaching about new wineskins to hold new wine), and the eternal resurrection.  The first Sabbath indicates the Law, while the second Sabbath indicates the gospel that follows it.  Under the new covenant, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  David prefigured this when he gave the showbread . . . to those with him.

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.  My study Bible comments that, according to certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered to be work, and therefore it was not permissible on the Sabbath. They believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but this legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.

 

 In the tradition of the Orthodox, there is what is called in Greek economia (οἰκονομία).  This is a theological term, and, as one can see, it is related to the evolution of the word "economy."  In Greek (especially ancient Greek) "ecos" (οικος) means house.  Economia was the running of the household, with whatever its holdings and assets were, and their proper use and balance.  The word for "steward" in the New Testament texts (such as Christ's parable of the Unjust Steward; Luke 16:1-13) is economos/οικονομος.  From these beginnings, we can see where the modern use of the word "economy" comes from.  But in theological terms, economy (or economia/οικονομια) is a term that means using the proper measure of things, especially as any form of law or principle must be used as tempered by mercy, and this is particularly understood in light of experience.  That is, how things actually work in practice and affect human beings.  So, if we are to examine the role of the zealous scribes and Pharisees in both stories today, what we find is an excess of legalism, where the theory or letter of the law trumps the care of human beings.  Jesus asks the question, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  What He is doing is asking these men to consider what the spirit of the Law -- and indeed, the Spirit of God -- is all about.  Where is God's mercy?  More than that, where is God's aim for doing good, and for the proper care and health of human beings?  Which serves God more, refusing to heal, or to heal on the Sabbath?  Their zealotry for the Law, which they considered the highest service to God, is actually in this case working against God's purposes, against the spirit and purpose with which the Law is given.  This is where we consider the term economia or economy.  In practice, where does God's mercy call us?  In other words, is this really working out the way we would understand that God intended, for the good of human beings, for all involved, and for community?  Often, economia comes into play where there are things we just don't know, but we must do the best we can, and especially in light of practice and empirical observation.  It may very well be to make rules and theories that seem to serve the good, but when we see people actually harmed or hurt by them, then we have to reconsider and allow for mercy.   In modern times, this is often the problem presented by abstraction, or theoretical thinking that becomes some sort of  a rule one is bound to follow.  One example of this would be the concept of "tough love," wherein out of true concern or care for someone who has a problem, one might cut them off from what they want; for example, refusing more money and support for a person caught in addiction as a means of getting them to go to treatment.  While love and care must be always a principle to uphold, what that looks like may not always be determined to be one particular image; sometimes what one conceives of as help is simply infantilizing, deepening a problem.  At other times, one can go too far with "tough love," refusing help and support from someone who is on a good path but needs some assistance and encouragement in the struggle to move forward.  Once again, this is also a concern in terms of thinking about what creates community.  In a world that is saturated with theories and "rules," economy in this sense is a word we should all learn, and a pattern or habit we should all learn to follow.  How's that working out? might be a question we all need to consider when we follow the latest vogue in how we think social justice will work, or how we define what truly helps a person/people or not.  For without economia, we don't truly have compassion at all, and that is where Jesus Christ comes in.  For as He says, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   That is, the One who has shared our griefs and sorrows and injustice and difficulties is the One who is Lord of the Sabbath, who can truly teach us what it means to serve God and the care of our fellow human beings and our communities.  We need to care for others by truly looking to see the effects we've caused, no matter how good we think the rules are that we follow, nor how well-intentioned we are.  This is especially true in a media-saturated world awash with theory and abstraction, and where it is easy to overlook the effects of progress on the poor and the powerless!  Economia should be the arbiter of our counsel, the temper of our zeal.  For even when we think we are doing good, we must not overlook the fruits we produce.

 

 

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses

 

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

- Mark 11:12-26 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; and He said to them, "Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat.  Loose it and bring it.  And if anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it,' and immediately he will send it here."  So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it.  But some of those who stood there said to them, "What are you doing, loosing the colt?"  And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded.  So they let them go.  Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it.  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple.  So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. 

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  My study Bible says that it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early full foliage of leaves, which would indicate a first crop of fruit, but the tree had not borne fruit.  (Just to note, fig trees do not bear flowers; the figs themselves are actually its flowers.)  Jesus finds not even one fig on this tree, and condemns it.  This is a symbolic and prophetic act.  In Scripture, a fig tree is often a symbol of Israel (see Hosea 9:10).  In literary tradition across the Middle East, the fig is known as a symbol of sweetness and richness.  But here, the tree's fruitfulness has ceased -- symbolic of spiritual wealth; and so, my study Bible notes, the Kingdom will be taken from her and given to another people, who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).

 

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.   Those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins.  Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and so were considered to be defiling in the temple.  My study Bible notes that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  That is, our first orientation in how we live our lives is toward God (Matthew 6:33).

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  My study Bible comments that this cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act which signifies the judgment of Israel.  It says that the disciples need to learn that the old covenant with Israel is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will establish His Church, ultimately to be filled

with Gentiles and Jews, and they need assurance that they are following Christ's will.  The fig tree will be an indelible image in their minds.  

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."  My study Bible comments that while it is not recorded that an apostle literally moved a mountain, the patristic teaching is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen (certain saints did make crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not everything the apostles accomplished was written down.  Beyond its literal meaning, this promise is also an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  According to Theophan, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

"But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  My study Bible comments that Jesus insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness.  It says that those who do not forgive are not forgiven -- period.  This teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) which concludes with the same teaching.  To not forgive others is to willfully flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.  See also the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Luke 11:4.

Forgiveness can be a tricky subject.  We have to ask ourselves, has Jesus forgiven the people He just criticized on no uncertain terms in the temple?  That is, has He already forgiven the ones He says are making God's house "a den of thieves?"  We might be tempted to ask such questions, as there are so many things happening in today's reading.  Jesus speaks of judgment -- in fact the judgment of a nation -- in the symbolism of the withered fig tree.  Where are the spiritual fruits from three years of Christ's ministry in Israel?  Where is the repentance?  Do the leadership listen to Him or simply reject Him?   Where does judgment come into the teachings on forgiveness?   If these issues seem confusing, it is because they not only overlay different levels of experience, but they also call for discernment.  In terms of the condemnation and judgment in the symbolic withering of the fig tree, "forgiveness" does not deny the reality of spiritual failure, the failure to draw spiritual fruit from an extraordinary visitation and manifestation of God in Christ's ministry and His very Incarnation.  But on the other hand, forgiveness is always present for those who reconsider and repent, for those who will heed Christ's words.  Whatever the failure of the nation in terms of its leadership or what will be coming for Christ in terms of rejection by the nation at His trial before Pilate, Christ's forgiveness is always present for those who will come to Him.  We mustn't forget that the early Christians were considered a subset of Judaism, the first Church in Jerusalem consisting entirely of Jews.  So Christ's judgment means something significant, but it does not preclude the concept of forgiveness.  And there we must come to a conclusion about forgiveness:  it is we who must come to realize what that forgiveness means.  Jesus lays it out very clearly that in order to realize our own forgiveness, we must also practice forgiveness.  In Greek the word translated as the verb "to forgive" means to let go, or send away.  It is the same word used with the analogy of debt in the Lord's Prayer, when Jesus teaches us to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).  To "let go" implies a concrete action, not simply a thought or concept.  To "let go" means that we eschew any sense of retribution.  Moreover, we "let go" of something to send it somewhere.  To whom do we "let go" of a trespass someone has done to us, or debt we think is owed, or a sin committed against ourselves?  It would seem clear that the answer to this question is God, or Christ.  Jesus' word on forgiveness comes in a teaching on what we're to do while we stand praying.  We are to turn to God for judgment, and for guidance in how to respond to the harm done to us, the sin committed against us.  This is the clear end for all things:  the judgment of God, and the discernment that comes from faith. When we forgive, in this model, we are not making excuses nor are we acting as if nothing has ever happened.  We are not in denial about people who may cause us harm or wish us ill.  But we do turn all things to God, and we seek Christ's light for walking through our lives.  It is His agenda we seek to serve, and not a plan of vengeance or retribution of our own (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30).  The justice and righteousness that we seek are in God's hands, just as is the judgment Jesus pronounces upon those who've failed to heed His mission in the world, who've failed to produce the spiritual fruits meant to be made possible through God's love.  We turn to that love in our lives to show us the way, for this is how we find our own forgiveness and our own future.  If we think about it, forgiveness is a parallel to the Cross and Resurrection, for forgiveness allows us to move on and also to begin a new start if we follow the path of Christ.  We may be hurting from the things of the past, but forgiveness allows us to exchange that hurt for the way that Christ shows us to move forward and renew our lives.  It is a different form of repentance, in which we address not our own sins, but those done to us.  It teaches us to stay stuck in neither, but to look to an unknown future.  Like the Cross and Resurrection, and the Old and New Covenants, like so much of Christ's ministry, forgiveness is yet another way of transformation, of transfiguring energy and even mystery.  Let us consider His powerful teaching, and the new ways it opens up for our lives, that we may better follow His light.

 

 

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them

 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

 

- Matthew 21:12-22 

 

On Saturday we read that when Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 

 

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  Those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals which would be used for the Passover sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins, as Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (an object of worship as a god) and so were considered to be defiling in the temple.  The cleansing of the temple, my study Bible comments, also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  Jesus' cry against the corruption in the temple is compiled from the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah (Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11).  

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  An Orthodox Vespers hymn for Palm Sunday declares, "Keep the feast with the children, and holding branches in your hands, sing 'Hosanna.'"  My study Bible notes that there are many liturgical hymns for this day which emphasize the perfect praise of the children, which unlike that of the adults, was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  So we, it continues, are called to glorify Christ in this same spirit (see Matthew 18:1-4).  But in contrast to the children, the adults' praise carried earthly expectations and agendas which, when left unfulfilled, led them to rebel against Jesus just five days later (Matthew 27:20-23).  Jesus quotes from Psalm 8:2 (Septuagint version, as is true of all Scripture quotations in the New Testament). 

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  My study Bible comments that the fig tree is a symbol of prosperity and peace, but it is withered because it is fruitless.  This is a prophetic act, it says, directed toward the Jews, since after three years of Christ's preaching, teaching, and healing, both the leaders and the crowds were destitute of spiritual fruit.  He curses the tree also to warn those in every generation of what will befall anyone who fails to listen to His message.  So, the warning in the image of the withered fig tree not only applies to people of His time, but to all of us who come afterward.

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  My study Bible notes that while it is not recorded that an apostle literally moved a mountain, patristic opinion is clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen.  There are stories of certain saints that made crevices appear in mountains.  Moreover, not everything done by the apostles was written down.  Beyond the literal meaning fo the text, this promise remains an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of one's life.  Theophan comments, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

 

It's interesting to note also that immediately after cleansing the temple, Jesus begins to heal.  The text says that the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  That the blind and the lame come to Him for healing echo the prophesies of the time of the Messiah (see, for example, Isaiah 35:5-6).   So, in time in the temple which immediately follows Christ's Triumphal Entry (see Saturday's reading, above), there are two major actions performed by Christ in the temple.   First He casts out what needs to be cast out, and then He heals.  These seem to me to be clear actions of Christ as Physician to our bodies, souls, and spirits (Matthew 9:12).  He casts out (as does a skillful surgeon) that which causes harm and damage, and then He proceeds to heal what needs healing.  This seems to be the whole thrust of the Christian life, the action of the Spirit in our lives, but maybe most emphatically, the action of Christ's love in our lives.  It might be hard, at times, to reconcile the Christ to whom we pray and whom we understand as loving and generous, with the Christ who "takes away."  As happens so frequently in the Gospels with the disciples, there are times when we are separated even from things we think we need and love for our own good.  Jesus' direction to the rich young ruler to sell what he has and give to the poor comes to mind; see this reading.  But there are many times when it is the disciples themselves who are on the receiving end of admonitions to do away even with personal impulses and desires that seem natural but are in fact problematic and selfish, and will lead to problems (see, for example, this reading and the interaction with the mother of Zebedee's sons, the disciples John and James).  There are all kinds of ways in which we might be separated from what we think we need and love, due to the action of God in our lives.  But, in point of fact, our faith -- and all actions of healing in Christ -- is based in love.  Everything comes down to a question of what is a greater love, a higher love, a deeper love which comes from God.  Certainly there were practices in the temple which were considered to be corrupt.  We can read repeatedly Jesus' condemnation of the leadership and their hypocrisy, which will be explicitly stated in Matthew's Gospel (chapter 23).  And, of course, by Christ's time we can consider this an Old Testament tradition, as it was the purview of the prophets who came before Christ, and the long history of the good and honest prophets put to death for their truthful prophesy to the powerful (see especially Matthew 23:31-36).  What we so often seem to treasure (such as the wealth and position of the rulers in the temple) is not necessarily what's best for us as human beings, and this can include the company we keep, people whom we think we love, and all manner of things we believe are nominally good.   But the true gravity of all of creation lies in the heart of Jesus Christ, where we find the center of the universe, the perfection of love -- for God is love.  That is, love is the true gravity of all things, for God is love (1 John 4:8).  And so, the real pull of all things toward God is the pull of love -- that is, of this higher love that teaches us what is better, leads us to cast out what is not from that love, and to heal what has been hurt and damaged and what truly ails us.  This is the reality of God who spoke through the voices of the prophets and who is Incarnate in Jesus Christ.  It is a higher and more powerful love that will call us out of our complacency with what we find around us, images of a fake love that promises us wealth by virtue of a little selfishness here and there, harm to this or that person, cruelty and lack of love in our dealings with one another.  It is a false promise of virtue through image alone in the eyes of others ("the praise of men" John's Gospel call it in this passage).  There are a million and one images we're given of what is virtuous or great, what is a good life or not, what things we should strive after, a million picture postcards of our lives that we can share like snapshots of perfection, but which function as empty images, without discernment, and without that compelling love of God that draws us forward and asks us to re-evaluate, and to find the treasures that neither moth nor rust nor thief can take away (Matthew 6:19-21).  If we really want to know what drives the saints, as what drove the prophets before Christ, as well as the apostles who left all behind to preach the His gospel, it is love -- a powerful, deep love that was no doubt felt in the presence of Jesus Christ, for He is that center that draws us.  His love is the spiritual gravity that draws us to God before all things, and before which all other partial or false loves pale and wither like that fig tree.  For He is the One who shows us the way, and even a rebuke from Christ is made in the power of the greatest love (Revelation 3:19).  

Let no one eat fruit from you ever again

 

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city. 

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  

 

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

 

- Mark 11:12-26

 

On Saturday we read that, as Jesus and the disciples are on the road toward Jerusalem, they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  

 

For the churches of the West (and the Orthodox Armenian Apostolic Church), yesterday was Palm Sunday.  For most Orthodox Churches, Palm Sunday is this coming Sunday.  These events are covered in an intervening reading between Saturday's reading, above, and today's.  Please see Matthew 11:1-11, the story of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.   My study Bible explains that it was not the season for figs means that this fig tree had sprouted an early an early fall foliage, indicating a first crop, but without bearing any fruit.  Jesus, finding not even one fig, condemns it.  This is a symbolic gesture; in Scripture a fig tree is often a symbol of Israel (Hosea 9:10).  My study Bible says that her spiritual fruitfulness has ceased, so the Kingdom will be taken from her and given to another people, who are called to bear spiritual fruit (see Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).  

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.   This act by Jesus is called the cleansing of the temple.  Those who bought and sold in the temple were trading in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers would trade Roman coins for Jewish coins, as Roman coins bore the image of Caesar (worshiped as a god) and were considered defiling in the temple.  The text also mentions those who sold doves:  these were the smallest and most inexpensive sacrifice, the one made by the poor.  It is likely that those who sold doves are mentioned specified as prices were inflated for pilgrims coming for the Passover feast, thereby this sacrifice of the poor would become a way to profit from those who had very little to begin with.  My study Bible comments that the cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.

 

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."   My study Bible comments here that the cursing and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act on the part of Christ.  It signifies the judgment of Israel.  The disciples need to learn, it says, that the old covenant with Israel is becoming "obsolete" and will "vanish away" (Hebrews 8:13).  They will establish His Church, ultimately to be filled with Gentiles and Jews, and they need assurance that they are following Christ's will.  This fig tree will be an indelible image in their minds.  

 

 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."  Clearly, Jesus is addressing what must be their astonished reaction to the withered fig tree.  My study Bible says that while it is not recorded that an apostle literally moved a mountain, the patristic consensus is that they had this authority if the need had arisen (there are stories of certain saints who made crevices appear in mountains).  Moreover, not everything the apostles accomplished was written down.  Beyond the literal meaning of these statements, Christ's promise is additionally an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life.  Theophan comments, "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things. 

"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."  This statement really should be coupled with the one above it, as it is given here as a necessary component of prayer.  While we may call upon God's power to help us in all times, we should also understand that it is part and parcel of that same understanding of faith that we give up to God our own concerns and "debts" we feel have been incurred by others.  In this way, all things are truly in the hands -- and the power -- of God, and our prayers are no doubt more effective for being more in alignment with God's will and God's truth for us.  My study Bible notes that this teaching is repeated in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which concludes with the same teaching.  To be unwilling to forgive (literally meaning to "let go" in Greek) is to flee from the forgiveness of God for ourselves.  Let us note that we "let go" to God (as in "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," Matthew 6:12), so that we are able to walk in response in this world the way that God directs us to do.

This vivid, unforgettable image of the withered fig tree has to be something which had a distinctive effect upon the disciples.  We have to note that it is Peter, who, as they pass by, remarks, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."   Effectively, Jesus did not simply wither the tree with a wave of His hand in front of them.  It was a spoken command that had this effect, whether or not the effect was immediately noticeable:  "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  This is not just any command from Christ.  It is, rather, a curse.  Let us think back to the whole of the Gospels, and ask ourselves if we can recall another time when Christ used His power to curse anything or anyone.  But this withered fig tree, however, remains a testimony to all of us about ourselves and our fellow human beings.   It is a symbol of what is spiritually unfruitful, of lives lived by choice to care nothing for the things of God, the things of beauty, truth, goodness -- a life lived in willing sacrifice of spiritually good things in exchange purely for what we can gain through selfishness and a focus on the material.  This is because the story of this fig tree is so clearly juxtaposed around the cleansing of the temple, Christ's visible expression of condemnation of the practices He calls out in this one act which involves physical force that we can think of by Christ.  In so doing, Jesus teaches, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  He puts together two verses from different prophecies for this statement:  Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.  So in the act of cleansing the temple, and in Jesus' words -- which, lest we forget, are the Lord's words as given to the prophets -- Jesus gives us the "text" for the image of the withering of the fig tree.  This is a failure of the spiritual leaders to guide the people to what is spiritually fruitful.  It is a collapse, into a nutshell, of the failure to find faith in Christ's mission through the Incarnation.  Similarly, when Jesus chastises the cities to which His ministry has gone:  "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes" (Matthew 11:21).   When He mentions those mighty works done in those cities, we are also to keep in mind the "mighty works" He could not do, such as in His hometown of Nazareth, because of the lack of faith He found there (see Mark 6:4-6).  Such works are also spiritual fruit in that sense in which they also depend upon the faith of the people.  We're given the sense, through these images and acts in the Gospels, that God's power is always at work, always on offer, as is God's love, but spiritual fruit also depends upon faith, and in this sense, the works of human beings matter too.  It's a sense in which humankind is really the ground of God's work; there is a way in which our free will, as given by God, becomes a sort of gate-keeper to God's work in the world.  It can work through us with our "yes" -- or our lack of faith can become a stumbling block, a closed gate, because even Christ could perform no mighty work without the presence of faith.  When Jesus speaks about prayer in today's reading, and its connection with God's power working through faithful human beings, such as the apostles, He makes clear the role of faith in the work of God's power in the world.  Moreover, and so importantly, He adds the words about forgiveness as an essential part of our prayer.  Without the willingness to "give up" the things in life that challenge us, the injustices and hurts, the things that cause us to believe others owe us something for what has been taken away from us, the trespasses and bad acts done against us, we are not putting all of our lives in the hands of God and allowing God to work God's grace fully in our lives.  As Christ would go to the Cross, so we are to take up our crosses -- which means that our suffering, as well as our joys, is in the hands of God, and that we turn to God to find the ways God wishes for us to walk through an imperfect and unjust world in which evil still plays an active part.  And this is where we are until the Judgment, until we await Christ's final return and the full life of Resurrection promised through the events we celebrate as Easter or Pascha.  In the Church, as faithful in the world, we give everything into the hands of God, so that God's grace may work through us to produce the spiritual fruit Christ is looking for.  For this is who we are as His followers, and His commands that He has given us.  In that sense, the withered fig tree stands as a warning to all of us, for what happens when the love of God is supplanted by the love of something else.

 

 

 

If you say to this mountain

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And he said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "

Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise'? "

Then he left them and went out of that city to Bethany, and he lodged there.

Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever thing you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

- Matthew 21:12-22

In the reading of Saturday (see Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!) we learned of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and how for the Church it also symbolizes another celestial event. We learned more about the "double-vision," so to speak, in Matthew's gospel, and how in that case, we see these events as occurring at the same time - or perhaps simultaneously but in different types of time: one an earthly event in the time frame that we experience in our earthly lives, the other a celestial event in a "heavenly time," if you will - in eternal time; it is an "eternal present," which gives life to so much of what we read so that it is "with us" although we read of what happened long ago. Today we read about Jesus' first acts in Jerusalem.

Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And he said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " My study bible notes on this part of the reading: "Those who bought and sold in the temple traded in animals used for sacrifices. The money changers were needed to provide currency acceptable to the temple, because Roman coins bearing the head of Caesar were considered defiling. When Jesus sees that worship has become commercialized, he acts against the abuses, boldly overturning the tables and casting the tradesmen out. The cleansing of the temple is seen as an image of the cleansing of our souls." Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. I like it that my study bible likens this cleansing of the temple (a messianic act) with the cleansing of our souls. We all have our own cleansing to do! I think this is perhaps the most important part of our prayer lives, but we call on the Spirit to guide us in this - it is not of our own making to decide how or what we need to change. So our relationship to the Lord is also primary in this. But what we also see is Jesus' first act that challenges the authorities - corruption hurts everyone, and takes away from the children the spiritual food that they are there for. In Saturday's commentary, we wrote about the scandals that keep people away from the Church. Jesus always emphasized the need for a watchful eye even on those who would come in his name - and his witness against corruption and predatory practices of those who would be his followers remains an essential part of his teaching. We get that example especially in this first act in Jerusalem.

Then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'? " Then he left them and went out of that city to Bethany, and he lodged there. The healing of the blind and lame is also a messianic act, but more than that, it is coupled here with the cleansing of the temple. This furthers our understanding of the cleansing of our souls and its function: it is so that we practice repentance for salvation, for healing. Whether we are speaking of corruption on any level (even a personal one) or the need for change within ourselves - to discard something necessary for us to let go of - all is in the service of healing, which is synonymous with salvation. So, Jesus' cleansing of the temple is preparation for healing and restoration of health on all levels. This is also what we must keep in mind when we pray, and we allow Spirit to be at work in ourselves as well. The leadership of the temple is outraged not only at the act of healing, but of the recognition in the "children" who call Jesus "the Son of David." We recall Jesus' teaching on the "little ones" of the Church, and on the children sent to him for his blessing, of whom he said, "of such is the kingdom of heaven." He has also taught in recent readings that we should become like little children, in the sense that they are humble: "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." For references to the quotation see Psalm 8:2 and also Jesus' words in Matthew 11:25. 26.

Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. My study bible says, "The fig tree, symbol of prosperity and peace, withers because of its fruitlessness. This is a prophetic act, for after three years of preaching, teaching and healing, the Jews are destitute of spiritual fruit; therefore, he withers them with his reproach. He curses the tree to warn of the curse on those who will crucify him. He submits himself willingly to the Cross; he is the Suffering Servant who yields to their torture." The fig tree, I have read elsewhere, is also a symbol of Israel - "the people of God." So, the coupling of this act with the messianic acts in the temple (the cleansing and healing) is a comment on the rejection by the leadership. They are concerned only with their own authority and power, and cannot read the signs of the times.

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever thing you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." My study bible notes on these verses: "Jesus does not expect his disciples literally to move mountains, but this extravagant image accurately depicts the astonishing power of undoubting faith." What I take away from these passages, coupled all together, is a message on the pre-eminence of faith and its nature. What is holiness and how do we see it? Certainly the gospels - and in particular, Matthew's gospel which concerns itself with a Jewish audience and perspective - teach us that this leadership has been prepared for the event of the Messiah. They are the ones who know the Scriptures, are experts in the Law and the interpretation of the writings of the prophets. We are given to understand that this leadership (in general, not as a whole, for we are also told there are those among the leadership who are Jesus' followers) has not done its duty to those they are to lead, and they have failed to embrace what is in their midst - that which they should know. They do not have the humility "as a little child" to receive what is actually in their presence, and they have failed "the children" they are supposed to lead in spiritual teaching.

How do we read this today? Are there ways in which our own churches have let us down? Do we also suffer from corruption - or those concerned with supporting themselves rather than teaching and leading the children? Can we understand the holy in our midst - whether or not it inconveniences us?: I have a feeling that the holy is always that which seeks for us to open up our eyes and learn new things, to take us forward, and this can be (or feel like) a painful experience. In the teachings in these gospels, we can see the position of the leadership. They have set things their way. They are asked to change. Could we also respond with a "yes," with faith? Can we open up our eyes where we need to? Are we willing to be cleansed - on any level, be it corporate or personal? Are we ready to be healed? As a doctor also needs to cleanse what ails us before we can heal, so the Lord seeks to do the same. Are we ready for the presence of the holy - and its effects - in our lives? Are we ready for this kind of faith?