Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!

Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in her the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

- Luke 14:12-24

In Saturday's reading, Jesus healed a man (with dropsy) on the Sabbath, in spite of the Pharisees' presence at table. He then told a parable of "good manners" - the behavior of humility at a wedding feast, not assuming that one will be in the most exalted place, lest we be moved to a lower. But rather, assuming a lower place so that one may be moved to a higher. "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." A note in my study bible reads, "This story of God's compassion toward the poor appears only in Luke. To share hospitality with the needy is to imitate God's love which welcomes the lowly into the banquet of His Kingdom." I think that it's not only illustrative about God's compassion, as my study bible notes, but of a whole array of elements of the nature of God. There is also a kind of important sense of justice and judgment here. The reward comes to us in other ways, when we do not "play the game" for worldly reward. This is a very important aspect of what we might call the "karma" (a popularly used word) of the Gospels. As we pray to our Father who is in the secret place, so the things we do in secret will be rewarded by that Father. It is an important sense of exchange and dependent on humility (as illustrated in yesterday's reading). We must be humble enough to receive a reward others may not necessarily see, and act in ways others may not necessarily appreciate - to benefit those who cannot pay us back directly.

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" My study bible notes, "This is an inspirational, although little-known, beatitude. The purpose of life is to join in the sharing of bread in the kingdom of God, a partaking of the eternal love of God." An important emphasis continues here on the centrality of life in this Kingdom, and how it must impact on us in our daily lives and choices. It must be alive to us and in us as we take our place in the world of our daily lives, work and practices. Looked at in this way, life can be a constant feast of celebration of that life in the Kingdom - just as we understand the angels always to celebrate as we celebrate the liturgy.

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in her the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'" My study bible says: "This parable exemplifies God's Kingdom, imaged in the ministry of Christ and later in the Church. The Kingdom is filled with outcasts and Gentiles, while the unresponsive privileged guests shut themselves out with their excuses (v. 18)." The language in this story parallels that of a parable in the Gospel of Matthew about a king's wedding feast for his son - see Many are called but few are chosen. Luke's meaning here may imply the same message, but gives us glimpses of other facets of God's nature and that of God's kingdom that we may find in context. Coming after the teaching on helping those who cannot directly pay us back, and the "quiet" beatitude about eating the bread in the kingdom of God, it reinforces the idea that we are to make time daily - midst our worldly lives - to keep this kingdom and this feast paramount in our hearts and minds. We must make room for it, make time for it, pay attention as we live our lives.

Jesus has taught the two greatest commandments as follows, "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " When we put God and God's kingdom first and foremost in our hearts and minds, this becomes the central place from which we live our lives in the world, and the direction by which we then extend that kingdom - and ALL that goes with it - to our neighbor, in "right-relatedness." There are many, many reasons for the commandments and their order of importance. Placing that Kingdom first - with its feast, its celebration of love and mercy, its understanding of justice, and so much more about the nature of God - gives us a template through which we are to view the world and our relationships in it. This is essential because so much can go wrong if we are simply focused on "the group" (no matter what group that is) and our work in the world as the sole place we seek God. Justice demands (as illustrated in today's reading) that we recognize those who are unseen. Justice demands that we see the injustice that exists in this world that will pick out scapegoats and those who are left out of its favors. We cannot do this from a worldly framework alone - there will always be those whom we miss. This is the unfortunate nature of a fallen world. Jesus' death on the Cross, as scapegoat, while the crowds are spurred to cheer His death, exemplifies why we put thoughts of the feast in that Kingdom first, why we love God first - because there are times when we will have to stand out from the crowd in order to exemplify that love and that justice and mercy - that compassion for the hidden, and the ones who cannot pay us back. How do you put God - and the great feast in that kingdom of God's love - first, today? Midst our daily lives, I think it's important to dwell on that feast, to celebrate this Kingdom and this love, and to cherish it in our hearts first before all things. Thus we may feed those who need feeding, and do the things that need to be done, in the eyes of our Father who is in the secret place.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him, and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

- Luke 14:1-11

In yesterday's reading, we were told that some Pharisees came to Jesus and warned Him that Herod seeks to kill Him. Herod is the ruler of Galilee. Jesus says that He must go to Jerusalem - even though He fears nothing from Herod, whom He calls "that fox" - because "it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside Jerusalem." He then mourns the City, which has refused repeatedly its messengers (the prophets) and now will not take refuge and be gathered together under His wings, as a hen gathers her brood. See O Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. My study bible says here: "The Pharisees again exemplify a paradoxical, cunning combination of interest and suspicion. They receive Jesus for a meal and yet watch to catch Him as a lawbreaker." The Pharisees play an interesting role: they are repeatedly called "hypocrites" (originally meaning "actors" in the Greek) by Jesus. They are not straightforward, not humble, not honest.

And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" And they could not answer Him regarding these things. This is an interesting "doubling" in Luke, similar to something that we see repeatedly in the Gospel of Matthew. This is a repeated lesson, which we've just read in the previous chapter (see Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.) In that case, it was a woman stooped over from an 18-year affliction. In this case it is a man with dropsy, or an accumulation of water or liquids, which would swell parts of his body. This man may be a "plant" with which to tempt Jesus in order to trap Him. As with the stooped-over woman, the man with dropsy is "burdened" - this time with an accumulation of fluid which his body cannot process and eject. It is another metaphor for the nature of evil, from which Jesus "looses" the man as from a bond. (Jesus likens today's "bondage" to a pit, from which the man is set free). In doing so, He once again exposes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees - which we note again covers an aspect of greed. They would do the same for a valuable animal on the Sabbath. As in the previous incident, they cannot answer Him.

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him, and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." My study bible notes here: "This parable of good manners, found only in Luke, contrasts the virtue of humility with the vice of self-exaltation. Compare James 4:6: 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" Obviously, this parable refers the Pharisees to themselves - questioning the Teacher. Jesus has just lamented (in yesterday's reading) that the religious leadership will not listen to Him, just as they have not listened to the prophets before Him. So, here, this parable of good manners, as my study bible refers to it, teaches them about learning. Humility is something we must have before God, and by extension, before those who would teach us something of God, who are here to do so. Like the prophets before Him, Jesus has a mission, something to teach - and like the prophets before Him, it is arrogance, pride, lack of humility, that gets in the way of listening. I find it touching and lovely that our notions of good manners, of what we now call "gracious" behavior, comes from this parable. It is at once quite literally pragmatic, and enormously spiritual: we need such humility to open to us the mysteries of God. And, of course, it is also a teaching of what is to come - the grace of the Holy Spirit, and where it will rest, even in the fullness of judgment.

I quite think the whole notion of humility is enormously exploited in our world. Too often, authority figures will use this tremendous example of the exaltation of humility simply in order to exalt themselves - in the same manner as the hypocrisy of the Pharisees Jesus always criticizes. Authority in any worldly sense, in and of itself, does not guarantee justice or righteousness, and this is an important lesson for anyone in a nominal position of authority. Humility is not an attitude of servility. It is, quite the opposite, an attitude of humbling oneself before God - a way of keeping oneself as thoroughly honest as possible, open and ready to learn, and ready to repent and change the things in ourselves that need undoing. It is the queen of the virtues, and one which I find I need to learn over and over again in so many ways. But it is that which leads us to grace, and indeed, hopefully, to gracious and loving behavior toward one another. Can you do it? Our worldly lives make it so difficult to learn, to undo our exaltation - for so many reasons - of ourselves. The question is: who are we in the eyes of God? Who does God teach us to be? This is the authentic spiritual self, with true gold and radiant light, we seek to be. Can you do it? Can you pray for this? Remember His words. Arrogance - a lack of ability to go before God for direction, even to the depths of what we cherish - is another burden or affliction of evil in the world, perhaps its most powerful legacy. It leads to the hypocrisy exemplified in the Pharisees. It is here, in Jesus' words about the importance of humility, that we begin to undo that burden in us. This is the definition of spiritual battle.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem

On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You." And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

- Luke 13:31-35

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us parables about the kingdom of God. He compared it to a mustard seed that grows into a great tree, and the leaven that transforms an entire dough. Then He taught about those who may enter through the narrow gate of this kingdom - and those who will be locked out of the Master's house regardless of their assumptions about proximity to this kingdom. See What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You." My study bible has notes on each verse in today's reading, so significant is each one. Here is the one for this verse: "This warning of some Pharisees may well be sincere, or it could be a cunning way to get Jesus to Judea so they could enforce their authority against Him. Herod Antipas imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist." We know that Jesus has already enraged the Pharisees with His criticism. Herod rules in Galilee.

And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'" A note here reads, "Jesus does not mince words in calling Herod fox for his sly craftiness. Perfected refers to the completion of Jesus' mission through His Passion and Resurrection in Jerusalem. He has nothing to fear from Herod." In other passages, we've been told that Herod is curious about Jesus - but we already know his base actions in the execution of John the Baptist. He is a man for whom power and status is everything.

"Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem." A note reads: "Jerusalem, the center of religious authority, often was the site of the judgment and persecution of God's prophets (v. 34). Jesus speaks with prophetic irony here." The center of religious power, Jerusalem conjures images of the idea that we cannot worship God and mammon: that is, the idea of holding onto power in a worldly sense has always been at odds with the prophets of God.

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!" My study bible says, "Jesus' tender lament and judgment over unrepentant Jerusalem show He loves His adversaries as we are to love ours." Jesus shows His love, truly, as the note from my study bible says. But I think there is another note in His tone here, and that is the sadness for the lost opportunity of His mission. They simply won't listen to Him, they reject Him. And this is where judgment happens - they will reap the harvest of this choice, their failure to understand and accept, just as beloved children deal with the consequences of their behavior when they fail to listen to the wisdom that would prevent, for example, a burned finger on a hot stove. But these "children" are the religious authority, and they know better. This is a repeated theme of the Old Testament, the failure to heed the prophets who speak for God and call authority to love, mercy and humility before God. They love their own authority and power more.

"See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" A note here reads, "The time referred to is Palm Sunday, when Jesus will be acclaimed at His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem." These are indeed the words with which Jesus will be greeted when He enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, but they also reflect another note - that of the final Judgment, of the triumph of God. They are from Psalm 118, which also contains the quotation that Jesus will use in a similar prophetic tone: "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." So Jesus' words here are of the triumph of the LORD, in the refuge that is God, despite persecution. They apply to Himself personally in the events that are happening and that are immediately to come; but they also apply to the Lord's people, to the Kingdom, and the persecution they will face.

I think it's important to think about an important aspect of judgment here, and that is the love with which Jesus pronounces His melancholy over the desolation that is to come to Jerusalem. Many of us reject all notions of judgment because its seeming harshness is so at odds with our understanding of love and mercy. How can the two reconcile? But the failure to love and to practice mercy - when we know better - also carries with it the consequences of being "left outside the closed door," as Jesus referred to those outside this Kingdom in yesterday's reading. We all make choices. Repeatedly, in the story of this Book we study, God's prophets approach leadership and authority, reminding them of God's desired practice of love and mercy - as opposed to the forms that material power can take of greed, destruction, death, plunder, exploitation, cruelty; that is, evil in many forms. Jesus' repeated condemnation is of the hypocrisy of those who use religion as a cover for their greed and all that goes with it, especially among the leadership. Political authority in the form of Herod has already beheaded John the Baptist, to "honor" a lavish promise made at a birthday feast in front of his guests. And religious authority seeks to persecute Jesus because of His criticisms of the burdens they place on those who worship, and whom they keep from knowing God. All these, the humble and the exalted, are His children to whom He has come, including those who seek to persecute Him, and who reject Him. Will they listen? Do they know they are creatures of God, who is love, and who asks them to be like Him? Do they know they are children of mercy, who must seek to practice their Father's ways? The prophets have come repeatedly to Jerusalem, such as Micah, who preached to those "who despise justice and distort all that is right; who build Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness. ... Yet they lean upon the Lord and say, 'Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.'” Repeatedly, the prophets have come with a message of love, and Micah's words echo Jesus' in yesterday's reading about those who will be left out of this kingdom, who believe that the Lord is among them. And what about us today? The Holy City? Where are the words of love and mercy? Are they lost amid the tumult and the violence? How is it that Zion, this holy kingdom, is to be built? Where do we start today to listen to the God who is love and mercy, to be like Him, and understand that we too are responsible for what we choose when we claim we know better, that we will reap what we sow? Are we willing to be His brood, to gather under His wings?

What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last."

- Luke 13:18-30

Yesterday, we read of Jesus' healing of a woman bent over with an affliction - an infirmity she struggled with for eighteen years. The healing was in the synagogue, on the Sabbath, in the presence of all. Jesus was criticized for violating the law of the Sabbath - but He pointed out that even animals are unloosed from bonds if necessary on the Sabbath. Therefore, why not this daughter of Abraham? She needed to be loosed from the bonds of evil that afflicted her and caused her to stoop so badly. See Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.

Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." A note in my study bible reads, "The mustard seed is tiny, but the plant grows to a height of about 10 feet in Palestine." I always love this image of the mustard seed, and the tree or sturdy and large shrub that holds even the birds of the air so they may nest in the branches. It's a picture of a home, a retreat, for all of us, even the least among us. And it begins with a seed which we are given to water, nurture, plant and grow.

And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." A note says, "A small amount of leaven inevitably penetrates the entire dough. Such is the power of the Kingdom." Jesus illustrates the growth of the Kingdom in two ways: there is the height and breadth of the great tree that grows from the mustard seed, and there is the penetrating depth of the leaven, which seasons and changes everything. Both images parallel the effect of the kingdom in us as individuals, and among us in community.

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." A note here says that "the narrow gate is a path to salvation marked by Jesus' teaching on discipleship and its cost." It gives us a picture of the opening to the Lord, through the Holy Spirit, that teaches us there is One Way for this; it is through our hearts and the teachings that we read in the gospels. We can't circumvent this work, this acceptance, the change it asks of us in order to enter through that gate. It asks for specifics, and for the humility to understand what is needed.

When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' " A note in my study bible reads, "Jesus says I do not know you because they are workers of iniquity. If a person is not abiding in Christ, neither verbal confessions ("Lord, Lord," v. 25) nor previous experiences with Christ (v. 26) will be of any avail at the Judgment." This is a warning about preparedness, and the need for vigilance, to be always alert to where we are and what we are choosing in life. The entrance is through the narrow gate, in our hearts, through the choice to work on our spiritual eyes and ears. We can be in close proximity to the teachings, we can act as if we are a part of this kingdom - but until we enter into that gate, and take them to heart, we are still strangers to this relationship.

"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." My study bible says, "People of humble faith from all parts of the earth will join together in God's consummated Kingdom. Those who vainly think themselves secure because of honored status will be last." We recall that in yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke of the woman he healed as a "daughter of Abraham" and therefore deserving of the loosing of the bonds of evil that afflicted her. Here, He refers again to spiritual inheritance or heritage, but with an important twist. Those who presume themselves to be inheritors of this Kingdom may not rest secure in worldly notions of inheritance and relationship. He is asking for something more, something deeper that penetrates into us, for which we must enter through the specific narrow gate He has in mind, that He teaches us.

There is a lot of reference here to the "evening up" that takes place in this Kingdom. The worldly notions of reality and relationship are upside down. It's not a kingdom of inheritance via our ancestors or kin. It's not a kingdom made up of subjects via proximity or even familiarity. It is, rather, illustrated by the parables that Jesus gives us in the beginning of this reading today. A seed is planted in us - with tending it is nurtured and grows. Even the birds of the air (suggesting the angelic powers, the messengers of God) may nest in it and find refuge in the world. We take this leaven into ourselves, take it truly to heart, and with time it will season the whole of us, change us, transform us. This is the message that He gives - that it is this narrow gate of the seed and the leaven that will make us "saved;" that is, eligible for entry into this kingdom, and recognition on the final day when the Master returns. My study bible refers to parables as "word-pictures, revealing spiritual truth." Parable (in Hebrew and Aramaic) may also mean "allegory," "riddle" or "proverb." It notes that these images from daily life in the world give us the deep things of God, giving us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Is. 55:8,9). In this sense, we are given today an understanding that this kingdom does not work the way we think in worldly terms. The first, with seemingly the best seats and the closest proximity, are guaranteed nothing by any form of inheritance or belonging in the worldly sense. The last, and even the least among us, on the other hand, may be those who are humble enough to accept the reality of this power, this seed, this leaven, in their hearts - who can enter through that narrow gate, who can build the depth and height of the kingdom by their commitment and nurturing. We have a certain time in the world, what are we going to choose? Where is our emphasis in life? This is up to us, clearly, as Jesus puts it here.

Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

- Luke 13:10-17

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught about the nature of judgment. Judge is surely to come, and how we respond to the Holy Spirit - the "fire" He will bring - has to do with that judgment; it is a spiritual sense of "how we are" that counts. We can't judge by the earthly disasters that befall people, nor can we judge by our good fortune, what the inner state of spiritual awareness or standing is. God's mercy gives us time, time to learn, to repent, to change, to come to terms with the things we need to learn. See If it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.

My study bible has a note which applies to today's entire passage: "Acts of help toward others on the Sabbath were considered work and were forbidden, except in life-threatening situations. Jesus notes that if animals needing water were cared for on the Sabbath, certainly a woman of Israel could be delivered from Satan's bondage on the Sabbath."

I think there are a few things to glean from the passage taken piece by piece: Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. First of all, to understand Jesus' compassion for women is something important, significant. We should understand this person as someone without great social standing in the synagogue: not only is she a woman, but we presume an affliction like this renders one powerless, helpless and perhaps penniless from seeking treatments for many years. She cannot even raise herself up: her affliction is indeed a burden. It is a good picture of how we characterize evil: a burden, an "affliction" and full of pain. (The Greek for "evil," poneros, reflects various meanings, including that of "pain.") It is an infirmity; it weakens her so that she cannot take her right place in the world, upright. Evil also creates excessive toil and hardship, and it is parasitical - it lives off our our lives, and has no life of its own. Jesus has also recently spoken (in Luke's Gospel) of the hardships and burdens imposed by a hypocritical leadership in His criticisms of the Pharisees, scribes and lawyers, and her posture reflects such "burdens." Her affliction is also bondage: the notion of spiritual freedom is as much a part of the evil that afflicts her as it is a part of Jesus' criticism of the leadership that will come. And for her part, she gives glory to God for her healing. She is in the "right place" in terms of her own understanding and relationship to God.

But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." Here we have the voice of the law, but with a twist that is important for this story and for Jesus. The law is upheld not as a good thing, in the spirit of mercy, but in a spirit of hypocrisy. We may venture to guess also that at its root is envy - envy at the great things this Teacher does that dazzle the crowds, when He is not a part of their leadership, with no formal rabbinical training or title.

The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. What is the right of this woman? Has she a right to the spiritual freedom from bondage that Jesus brings? The law, in this case, is used as a burden, to increase bondage - to keep the woman away from God's love and mercy. But even animals (possessions necessary for work and production), as Jesus points out, are treated better. It is a question of understanding evil as a bondage, an affliction, and Christ's mission to us as one of removing those bonds to set us in right-relatedness to God. Recently, He has spoken about the baptism He will go through so that He may send His fire to the earth - and this fire is also part of our liberation from the bonds of evil. It is the Holy Spirit which will bring us to a deeper degree in relationship to God and God's mercy, and freed from the bonds that keep us away. So, of course, this is an occasion for rejoicing, for all of us, as do the multitude in the synagogue.

While we speak frequently - because it is easiest to understand - of the personal aspect of this ministry and its liberating actions for each one of us, I think the context here and in recent readings also indicates a liberation for entire communities. We are freed not just on the personal level, but also on the communal level. Yesterday's parable of the fig tree teaches us this as the fig tree is a symbol for Israel - the community of the people of God. Today, it is the "multitudes" that rejoice. The Good News is not just for me or for you, but it is for the whole community of the people of God, for multitudes. It is a teaching of liberation for everyone, not only for each of us as individuals who come to understand personal liberation in this spiritual sense of relatedness to God and God's love and mercy. So, this is an important thing to consider. How does "right-relatedness" work in community? What does it teach us about "the least among us?" How do we understand love and care and mercy in community, and how does that create relationship? I have heard it said that real freedom -- true spiritual freedom -- does not exist for one, but for all. That is, it is not complete unless it is universal. In yesterday's parable of the fig tree, Jesus described actions of God's mercy as tending and care for the tree so that it bears fruit. Jesus' ministry is that loving care, so that we may all - as community - experience the spiritual freedom from bondage He brings. So may we all contribute to this goal of a community that lives in spiritual freedom, in God's love. As He "loosed" this woman from her burden, so may we also share in God's mercy by practicing love and care and tending our tree with our time in the world. In this way, we too can bring the whole community closer to Christ's freedom. He speaks of her as one who has the "right" to the loosing of her bonds, as a daughter of Abraham. Let us also understand the depth of our inheritance, and where it leads us, and how He teaches us to nurture and bear fruit in God's mercy. It is hypocrisy that uses burdens of false guilt to cover up injustice; God's mercy brings righteousness and asks it of us as part of His discipleship.

If it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

- Luke 13:1-9

In yesterday's reading, Jesus talked about discernment - about learning the signs of the times. He spoke of the fire that He was here to bring to the earth through His mission - and talked of how His truth would bring division among people. Jesus emphasized the importance of repentance, of understanding and doing what is right: that it's more important to "settle with your adversary along the way," otherwise we will have to pay the full, steep price. See I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." A note in my study bible reads, "These two historical incidents (vv. 1 and 4) are reported in no other source except Luke. The slain Galileans were probably Zealots, Jewish nationalists who triggered some disturbance against the Romans in the temple area. The collapse of the tower in Siloam may have been simply an accident, rather than an act of sabotage, which people thought of as divine justice on sinners. Jesus passes judgment on neither group. He only registers these tragic events to warn that, unless His listeners respond to His message and repent, they would all likewise perish (v. 5). Perish may have the double meaning of both physical and spiritual death." For myself, I personally believe that Jesus is contrasting an old way of thinking about life and fate with the new way He brings. He's just finished teaching about judgment (see yesterday's reading) and repentance. So, it makes sense that He would elaborate on these themes. Do we assume that any worldly disaster or calamity means that its victims have sinned? No, we cannot presume to know such things. But one thing is certain, nevertheless, there is truly a spiritual judgment, and we are responsible for our choices. We can't judge from the worldly perspective, this is backwards. But we certainly must take seriously our own responsibility for making choices. Worldly judgment is false and misleading. But no one is exempt from the spiritual judgment - the consequences of our spiritual choices are as certain as the disasters we witness in the world.

He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'" A note reads, "Here Luke gives his account of the fruitless fig tree. It is spared from the curse, at least for a time. In the Old Testament, the fig tree symbolizes Israel, which receives God's loving care in the expectation of a fruitful harvest. Three years (v. 7) probably represents the three-year ministry of Christ. Because of the pleading of an unknown vineyard keeper, the Master allows additional time for true repentance and fruitfulness before judgment occurs." Clearly, we're speaking here of mercy, and the time allotted for repentance. Those who dig around and fertilize that fig tree are like the vineyard workers in other parables Jesus has told: they are the ones that plant the seeds, and do the work, and prepare for the harvest - who labor to grow the crops and produce good fruits. Jesus is preparing us: there will be the harvest, the judgment, but mercy is the nature of this vineyard owner. Over and over again, the Old Testament teaches of God's love and mercy, and so does Jesus in this parable of the fig tree - a common symbol for Israel. The evangelists and disciples and all those who would follow in Christ's footsteps do as the prophets before Christ have done: they prepare for the harvest with love and care in order for the fruits of their work to grow in us.

There are strikingly important concepts about judgment in this reading today. We can't judge from worldly disasters and expressions of cruelties and accidents. What worldly fate befalls us or others may have absolutely nothing to do with what our internal spiritual state is. Indeed, the death of Jesus on the Cross should teach us that once and for all. But there are important things to know about the real spiritual judgment that will come. No one will avoid it - and the consequences of our failure to take that spiritual reality seriously will be as certain as the disasters and problems we see in this world. Moreover, God's judgment is not like worldly judgment. On the other hand, because no disaster has befallen us does not mean this judgment doesn't exist. We must understand the nature of mercy - and how it is contained within the nature of time we are given to change our minds, to practice repentance, to grow in our spiritual nature and states. We mustn't take our good fortune for granted or as a sign of spiritual wellness; neither should we count earthly disasters or calamities as signs of God's wrath. Instead, we must focus on the spiritual reality Jesus teaches. In yesterday's reading, He taught that He was to send a fire on the earth - but first must come His own baptism (the Passion, Crucifixion, death, Resurrection). It is the world of that fire, the Holy Spirit, into which we enter and by which we will face our own judgment. It dwells within us, where our choices lie, where our treasure is and what we choose with our hearts. Can you discern the signs of the times? Do you know what time it is in your life? Dwell in that mercy and practice the change it asks in love, and you will be on the right path He names, to which He calls all of us.

I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided:

three against two,

and two against three.

Father will be divided against son

and son against father,

mother against daughter

and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite."

- Luke 12:49-59

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' warning to the apostles, and to all the people to whom He preached, about the importance of vigilance or wakefulness in the spiritual life. That is, we must guard against letting in temptations to greed and selfishness, to abuse and exploit others - and remember who we are. We are to maintain awareness, a consciousness of what we are about as spiritual followers, disciples of the master. We are not to let down our guard but to understand how we are to conduct ourselves and where our treasure is. Peter asks, "Are these sayings for everyone, or just for the disciples?" They are for everyone: but to each his own measure. Jesus says, "For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." We all carry the responsibility of the spiritual knowledge we have been given.

"I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" My study bible says, "Fire on the earth is either (1) the fire of judgment and the anticipated divisions resulting from uncompromising loyalty to Christ, or (2) the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out as tongues of fire upon the disciples on Pentecost." An interesting picture; either way (judgment or the gift of the Holy Spirit) we are to understand the importance of spiritual knowledge as part of judgment. With understanding and enlightenment come great responsibility: we each possess the gift of the Spirit present to us in the world. What do we do with that gift?

"But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!" Baptism here is a clear reference to Christ's Passion. He must suffer and die on the Cross, for this fire to be lit. Elsewhere Jesus teaches that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. First He must be "baptized" - his own 'death' and 'rebirth.'

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son mother against daughter and daughter against mother mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." My study bible notes here: "Jesus' words are tinged with irony. Indeed He came to bring peace to the world, but uncompromising witness to truth inevitably causes controversies and divisions even within households." How ironic indeed! How many of us have experienced this for ourselves?

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?" A note reads, "These hypocrites are those who pretend to have insight into all things (here, the weather) but cannot see that in Jesus' words and works the long-awaited Kingdom of God is dawning." They can't read the 'signs of the times.' No matter what they think they know, how much intelligence they possess, they are deaf and dumb to the spiritual reality present before them and what it represents. It is another kind of call for "those who have." Where are their spiritual eyes and ears; where is their spiritual understanding - especially in terms of the responsibility they bear for the spiritual fruits they produce? The allusion to the weather for growing crops is important.

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite." My study bible says, "Jesus gives another warning concerning discerning what is right. Just as one should know when to negotiate a reconciliation with an opponent before suffering greater loss, so also one should know to come to terms with the claims of Christ before having to face His dread judgment." It's better to reconcile to spiritual truth as soon as one can, rather than making error greater and greater. Just as the hairs on our heads are numbered, so is there an awareness of who we are and what our choices are. In the previous reading, Jesus has made it clear that spiritual understanding conveys responsibility: but none of us is excused from responsibility altogether. Better to turn away from a bad road early on the journey rather than pursuing a bad course until turning back becomes nearly impossible.

I once spoke with a counselor who said to me that we are either going the right way or the wrong way in life. He was not speaking spiritually, but psychologically. I felt that might have been a harsh statement at the time, but now I feel that he was right. We have choices to make: there's a road of love, and there's the road that's not love. These choices often are not easy and simple to make. There are no hard and fast rules to follow, no necessarily objective criteria. But Jesus here is speaking of discernment, and the development of spiritual eyes and ears. We can discern the weather - but do we really know what time it is in the spiritual sense? Can we understand when we are digging ourselves in deeper and deeper into a hole that will be next to impossible to climb out of? Can we be humble enough to perceive our error, to "change our minds" (the literal meaning of the Greek word metanoia, or "repentance")? Do we know when it's raining, when we need to come in out of the storm? I find salvation to be a long, lifelong, road - one that leads us from notions of unnecessary or false guilt and fear (usually covering up an injustice or greed on some level) toward love. That is, we learn true righteousness, right-relatedness. Salvation is that process of going from the systems of hypocrisy Jesus condemned to this loving place He occupies. But, as with the sword or division He brings, that doesn't mean that we don't have to live up to an obligation, a discernment, an understanding, that may set us apart from others, just as it did the prophets before Jesus. Can you discern the signs of the times? Can you read with the eyes and ears of your heart? Jesus' fire is here: whether it burns us or inflames us with love is up to us.